The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/98466
■ What They Are Saying About Dave Doeren • "What Dave has done here in two seasons has been unprecedented. His record on the field speaks for itself, and the family atmosphere and culture of hard work he has fostered have led directly to our success. Under Dave and his staff, Northern Illinois has gone from being a great team to being a great program." — Northern Illinois athletics director Jeff Compher • "He's a real gem — a young guy, very enthusiastic. He's a great, great hire. If you look at the Northern team this year and last year, they were very efficient in every phase of the game.They didn't have any weaknesses.They always did the little things. They didn't beat themselves. And they always played hard. I was very impressed watching his teams play hard all the time." — Former NIU head coach Joe Novak • "He's a very good recruiter. He's bright, energetic and a tireless worker. I really think everyone in Raleigh is going to like Dave. [He] will be able to adapt and develop relationships with the high schools in the state. He's a really good recruiter." — Former Kansas head coach Mark Mangino • "Dave Doeren is one of the rising stars in college football. He cares deeply for his players and fans. The Pack will be in for exciting times." — Former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel • "Coach Doeren is the most intelligent and loyal coach a player could ask for. His guys always take the field knowing exactly what to do, and play their guts out for him. He gets the best out of his players and he is a winner." — Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland • "People say teams emulate their coach's personality and he's very even-keel. He's mild-mannered, a matterof-fact, single-minded person. He has a nice attention to detail and great work ethic, which serves him well. He's also well versed in recruiting in places where it's not easy to recruit. Ever been to DeKalb? At NC State, it should be easier." — ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill (Raleigh News & Observer) • "I would hire him. If you're looking for a coach, he'd be on my radar, absolutely, because of what I know about him and the time I've been around him, how he operates and what he's done to have Northern Illinois on the streak they're on. I'm not saying he improved what Jerry Kill did, but he's kind of built on it and kept it going. "I had no doubt once Dave got a shot he'd be a fine coach. He's intelligent, personable, a nice guy, intelligent on offense and defense, extremely organized. I know one thing: He can recruit." — ESPN college football analyst Chris Spielman to ESPN.com • "It was the portrait of a balanced hired — a blend of youth and experience, urgency and patience, defense and offense, academics and athletics. In space exploration, there's a phrase, 'Goldilocks Zone,' which is sometimes used to describe planets that are neither too hot nor too cold to possibly host life. Maybe the Wolfpack went too hot with [Chuck] Amato and too chilly with [Tom] O'Brien. Doeren is a move to the middle. It makes sense." — Raleigh News & Observer's Caulton Tudor Debbie Yow: NC State Got Its Top Choice NC State director of athletics Debbie Yow began her search for the Wolfpack's new football coach with an idea of some possible candidates for the job in mind. However, once the process began, Dave Doeren quickly emerged as her top choice and the best man to lead the program. "I had narrowed it very quickly to four guys," she admitted. "I felt like, honestly, we wouldn't be in bad shape with any one of the four. I felt like each one of them brought something pretty special to the table, but Dave was at the top of the list. "When I sat down with him, in about the first hour, I was trying to sell [NC State], and he just said, 'Debbie, I want this job if you want me.' I thought, 'OK, we're going to really get down to it here and see what we can get done.' " Yow and the Wolfpack locked the coach up with a five-year contract worth $1.8 million per year Dec. 1. If the team should finish ranked among the nation's top 25 in either the Associated Press poll or USA Today coaches' poll, an automatic two-year extension will kick in. It's a similar clause to one that is in the deal Yow gave to men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried, which shouldn't be a surprise because the two coaches share the same agent, Jordan Bazant. Yow credited the agent for helping to get the deal done so quickly. "I knew about Dave long ago," she said. "[Bazant] said you are alike, this would work, this is good, and he was right." During the press conference,Yow talked about why she thought Doeren was the perfect fit to lead the Red and White. Although he has no obvious ties to North Carolina, he had exactly what the Pack was looking for, and he does have experience recruiting in the South — he successfully mined Florida for talent while at Wisconsin. "First and foremost, he is a player's coach, willing to spend the time needed to develop trusting relationships both on and off the field of competition," she said. "Secondly, he is a man of integrity, following the letter and spirit of all NCAA rules throughout his career. Thirdly, he Yow cited Doeren's ability to build relationships is an overachiever who challenges himself and with his players, his integrity, his refusal to accept those around him to refuse to accept the status the status quo and his work ethic as the traits that quo, both competitively and academically. "In addition to these three overarching traits, made him the best candidate for the Wolfpack job. photo by larry blankenship he has a relentless work ethic — whether recruiting players, demanding excellence in the classroom or expecting service to our community." Doeren's championship experience was another positive that drew Yow to the young coach during the search process. In 18 years of mentoring college football players, Doeren has enjoyed 15 winning campaigns and coached six conference champions. He also helped Montana reach the Football Championship Subdivision national championship game twice, including a victory in 2001. "There's really no substitute for having experienced — as a staff member, as a player — and won championships," she said. "It's one of the things that I tell the coaches here in coaches' meetings. I've been a part of 20 national championships and it's really special. "We can get there, but we've got to keep plowing ahead. I don't think there is a way to express how important it is to have been there and done that in some role, where you actually witnessed it and have a personal picture of what it takes to get there." Yow noted that the schemes the coach will employ were not a factor in her decision, although she did briefly talk about that with him. Doeren said during the press conference that he would not know what systems the team will employ until after he has his coordinators hired, but he did admit that his defensive background is with a 4-3 alignment. "He's smart and creative," Yow said. "He's not wed to a system, he's going to do what he has to do to match up the talent that we have with what he's trying to do.That's what I mean by smart, that's really an important trait for any coach. Some coaches don't do that, they say, 'This is my system and we're going to run it.You better do it and do it well,' when in fact, the players might not have the talents to run that particular system well." The athletics director was obviously pleased with her latest hire, but she was adamant that now is not the time to celebrate the newest member of the Pack.There is a lot of building to do in order for Doeren to take NC State to the heights he reached at his previous jobs. "It's not a time to do anything close to bragging," she noted. "This is a time to buckle down and work. This man just lost a talented senior class, so I'm already concerned for him, in terms of the rebuilding process. Our fans have been through a lot rebuilding, so it's probably a challenge for them to hear that again, but I think we all understand the role our seniors are playing and we don't know if there's anyone in the junior class that plans to leave early, so he really does have his work cut out for him. "Under his leadership, we will pursue excellence in all the challenges faced by our football program as he begins the rebuilding process." — Ryan Tice 24 ■ the wolfpacker 20-25.Dave Doeren.indd 24 12/11/12 1:29 PM