haha, they slammed him on PTI

12/7/2006 6:07:28 PM

not really

12/7/2006 6:15:12 PM

http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/2/598559.html

Quote :

"Fowler Got It Right The First Time If you’re an NC State fan that wants no part of an article written in favor of Wolfpack athletic director Lee Fowler then be forewarned- you probably won’t like what follows. We’re going to do the unthinkable and actually give him some credit. After executing a basketball search that could accurately and fairly be labeled as a debacle, Fowler likely wasn’t very excited about the prospects of having to find a new football coach. However, the AD showed early on that he had learned from previous mistakes and took the Wolfpack search underground. Whereas every move during the basketball search seemed to hit the internet within minutes, the plans to replace former head coach Chuck Amato had the feel of a covert operation. Sources were tight-lipped and likely for good reason, most didn’t have a clue where Fowler was headed. Even before Amato was released officially, two names seemed to make the rounds as possible replacements more than any other. Paul Johnson from Navy and LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher garnered the lion’s share of attention and both were legitimate candidates. An interview was scheduled for Fisher on Tuesday of this week in Nashville, Tn but was abruptly cancelled. Sources indicated to Pack Pride that Johnson was contacted this past Sunday but apparently, the Wolfpack never talked to him again. According to reports, Johnson delivered an ultimatum on Wednesday- you’ve got 24 hours to make a move or I’m off the list. As it turned out, he never made the list. Enter Tom O’Brien. Pack Pride first heard his name last week as one of a list of coaches that had contacted NC State and expressed interest in the head coaching position. To be completely honest, at the time it simply had the feel of a woefully underpaid coach likely leveraging for a better contract. As a result, O’Brien was discounted and not thought of again until Wednesday morning. Wednesday morning broke with an email in the inbox saying from a very credible source that Tom O’Brien would be the next head coach at NC State. By 9:00am, Pack Pride had talked with four separate sources that indicated O’Brien had emerged as the front runner for the head coaching position. From there, the freight train of information on the Boston College coach steam-rolled to an announcement Wednesday night that he had been offered and accepted the head spot at NC State- which brings us to Fowler. Throughout the short-lived head coaching search, there were two main candidates for NC State fans- Paul Johnson and everyone else. With Johnson, many Pack fans saw an ultra-successful coach with a limitless ceiling. If he had that kind of success at Navy and Georgia Southern then just imagine what he could do with NC State-type talent. Never factored into the equation was the part about Johnson having to coach against ACC-type talent. There would be no Massachusetts, Temple, Duke, Eastern Michigan, and Army to feed on. That had to weigh into Fowler’s decision. Then there was the question about recruiting. This was likely the biggest wild card of all when considering a future coach. Recruiting players to NC State is a completely different animal than recruiting players to Georgia Southern or Navy. Instead of facing down Army or Temple for a player, you’re in a heated battle with Tennessee or Virginia Tech or Florida State. That’s a huge jump for a coaching staff and major question mark for an athletic’s director whose very future may rest on his coaching hire. Somewhere between making contact with Paul Johnson on Sunday and the cancellation of Jimbo Fisher’s interview on Tuesday, talks got serious between Fowler and Tom O’Brien. While details of any deal are unknown, what is known is that Fowler offered the job to just one candidate and he nailed it. Some may say that Fowler made the "safe" choice. What Fowler made was the "smart" choice. Look back over the history of NC State football and you won’t find a single coach that came to Raleigh with a more impressive resume. Instead of a former assistant coach or coach from a smaller division college, the Pack landed an experienced lead man with a proven and impressive win-loss record against top competition, the ability to maintain a stable staff, a spotless academic track record and the knowledge of what it takes on the recruiting trail to compete with the Florida State’s and Miami’s of the league. Many State fans frowned on the O’Brien hire because of a perceived ceiling of success that he would bring from Boston College. He "only" wins nine games a year. That notion is just as silly as the thought that there would be no limit to the potential success of Paul Johnson. When did nine wins a year not become a great year for NC State? Did we at Pack Pride miss something? When was the last time NC State won nine games during three consecutive seasons? How about never in the history of the school. In hindsight, it is apparent Lee Fowler was much the wiser for what transpired during his first search. He kept the details quiet and nearly everyone in the dark until the day the news of O’Brien’s hiring occurred. Every source we’ve talked to who is closely connected with football has raved about the hire. As the popular saying goes, ‘past performance doesn’t guarantee future results’, but we can’t help but feel that Fowler’s hiring of O’Brien was a homerun for the future of Wolfpack football and for that, you have to give the beleaguered AD all the credit. "

[Edited on December 7, 2006 at 6:56 PM. Reason : ]

12/7/2006 6:51:41 PM

even if they slammed him for leaving BC on PTI, that means it was a great move for us.

12/7/2006 6:58:52 PM

It's hard for the haters right now.

I wonder if the people who hate Fowler are the ones who have been railing against O'Brien. ALmost as if their hate has clouded any hope of reason.

If NCSU gets a nine win year, I will be ecstatic. If O'Brien can pull that off consecutively, Murphy will build a fucking 40 foot bronze statue of the man and sit it down in Carter Finley.

12/7/2006 7:01:45 PM

^all that is spot on.

I will admit it. I was a little disappointed at first, but after sleeping on it, I see how much of an upgrade in coaching O'Brien is over Amato. All this hire tells me is that the program is firmly headed in the right direction.

12/7/2006 7:12:09 PM

Quote :

"impressive win-loss record against top competition"

oh really?????????? stats must lie then.

it is pretty sad vs top 25, kinda pathetic...he wins vs cupcakes

[Edited on December 7, 2006 at 7:49 PM. Reason : w]

12/7/2006 7:48:08 PM

Quote :

"but after sleeping on it, I see how much of an upgrade in coaching O'Brien is over Amato. All this hire tells me is that the program is firmly headed in the right direction."

wow, we traded in a Gremlin for a Pinto

12/7/2006 8:09:10 PM

From another thread:

Quote :

"I hate Fowler and he's certainly botched almost everything he's done, but you have to admit he's done quite well on the two recent big items, hiring two capable coaches. I have every confidence in Coach Lowe, and Tom O'Brien sure looks like a smart hire to me. "

[Edited on December 7, 2006 at 9:23 PM. Reason : ]

12/7/2006 9:23:19 PM

why has there been no official statement by NC State or Boston College.

Why does gopack.com have absolutely nothing on the story.


Why are there big puzzle pieces missing in this enigma?

[Edited on December 7, 2006 at 9:23 PM. Reason : f]

12/7/2006 9:23:37 PM

it was all a trick so we could get Cowher!

12/7/2006 9:24:38 PM

^^Well isn't Oblinger still on vacation somewhere? They may wait until he returns to be able to close the deal and make it official.

12/7/2006 9:30:24 PM

The BOT still has to meet and approve it.

12/7/2006 9:47:14 PM

if u mean BOG then yea, good point forgot about that.

12/7/2006 9:48:27 PM

yeah, I knew it was something like that.

12/7/2006 10:02:08 PM

the most disappointing aspect about O'brien is his age. at 58, how much longer will he be coaching? I think the fans were expecting someone more long term who could become the face of the university. still, i feel better about this than i did last night. if he brings consistency the program and retires in 7 years or so, leaving the job as one of the most desirable, that'd be fine. you can't ask for much more.

12/7/2006 10:02:32 PM

Quote :

"the most disappointing aspect about O'brien is his age. at 58"

i agree. i support the hire still, however.

12/7/2006 10:20:27 PM

aha. I love the N&O. Classic.
http://www.newsobserver.com/1235/story/518801.html

12/7/2006 10:22:02 PM

never saw the clause character coming

gg NANDO

12/7/2006 10:24:42 PM

Quote :

"it is pretty sad vs top 25, kinda pathetic...he wins vs cupcakes"

you mean like akron, southern miss, and unc?


we could start there

12/7/2006 10:26:46 PM

and boston college doesn't have near the football support that we do. O'Brien can be our answer if he comes here and has our facilities and players...lets just see what happens, okay?

12/7/2006 10:55:39 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2689220

12/7/2006 11:26:18 PM

welcome back coach

12/7/2006 11:28:12 PM

^^68% say that boston college is a better coaching job than ncsu

12/7/2006 11:32:11 PM

I really can't blame them. I mean they are basing their opinion heavily on the fact that he is leaving an organization that does pretty well and coming to one that is in shambles.

12/7/2006 11:34:44 PM

Quote :

"the most disappointing aspect about O'brien is his age. at 58"

Wasnt Chuck 60?

12/8/2006 9:37:16 AM

^^ exactly, from an outsider's point of view, bc was ranked all season and we suck, so right away bc is a better job.

we know better, though

12/8/2006 10:04:28 AM

their coach wouldnt have wanted to come here if BC was a better job than NC State.

12/8/2006 10:28:52 AM

^^^yeah chuck was sixty... when he got fired.

12/8/2006 10:38:18 AM

Quote :

"one that is in shambles"

I'd hardly say this program was in shambles. I'd say it was coming off a meltdown. Everything was in place but a coach the past few years.

12/8/2006 11:02:23 AM

^only 14 graduating seniors, 65 rising sophomores on the roster, lots of high-rated recruits and sick athletes. 10s of millions of dollars in high-end facilities and TONS of fan support. Yeah, it's a wasteland of a program.

12/8/2006 11:19:24 AM

I've been sick in bed since Monday evening and haven't been on the computer, so I just wanted to say I told you so. I mentioned his name when Amato got fired and ya'll wrote it off. This is a great move for us--we will finally have some discipline around here. Like they said on WRAL the other night...

"He's a complete 180 from Chuck Amato. Looks like they went for results on the field instead of in the media room."

12/8/2006 11:38:28 AM

His age shouldn't be a big deal. It isn't like he is in the Bobby Bowden/JoePa range, and have we ever kept a coach for 20 years? What we need is a coach that can will games, and put the program on sound footing in the coming 7-8 years. If he is around longer than that, he'll presumably be doing something right.

12/8/2006 11:44:59 AM

I get tired of people criticizing O'Brien for not being able to go to "good" bowls.

Quote :

"In each of the last two seasons, after the Eagles left the Big East Conference for the ACC, they were passed over in the ACC's bowl pecking order because of the school's inability to sell tickets for bowl games."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2689220

BC is a small private school with pretty high academic recruiting requirements similar to Duke, WFU, UVA. People criticize him for only being able to get mediocre recruits...but the school's academic recruiting requirements probably neuter his ability to attract strong recruits to a small school in a town that could give a shit about college football.

...and the guy still wins 9 games/year on a consistent basis. WFU had its first one great season and everyone thinks Jim Grobe is Jesus incarnate. TOB consistently wins 8/9 games EVERY year working under very similar circumstances. How can anyone say he's not a solid hire?

12/8/2006 1:22:01 PM

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=f99ebae0290f96893e97ae5_20061208

12/8/2006 1:25:05 PM

Quote :

"it is pretty sad vs top 25, kinda pathetic...he wins vs cupcakes"

Good thing he didn't beat the suppossedly best team in the ACC this year against Clemson or the team that actually ended up being the best in Virginia Tech.

If you are going to bash the man, how about coming up with something to support it.

12/8/2006 1:26:14 PM

I want to retract my previous statements about the TOB hire.

I think we've done a good job and I'm excited about the fall.

12/8/2006 1:40:11 PM

Quote :

"O'Brien makes smart choice Salem News (page 1 of 4) View as a single page On College Football John O'Neil Tom O'Brien, you're making the right move. The Boston College football coach is ready to jump ship and take the job at Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State. The biggest reason he's leaving is the simplest of all: He's going to get paid a lot more money. This year, N.C. State coach Chuck Amato was paid almost $1 million, about $300,000 more than O'Brien. To lure O'Brien away from BC, the Wolfpack certainly sweetened that deal. O'Brien may even end up doubling what he was paid at BC. O'Brien also saw potential for bigtime success at N.C. State, something that seems to be missing at BC. Boston College is stuck in college football's version of "Groundhog Day." Every season is the same: Win eight or nine games and get shipped to some podunk bowl. Win that bowl. Repeat the process. With BC's high academic standards, it's tough to get some borderline players into the school, and without those studs, the Eagles aren't going to break through into the upper echelon. Boston College is also hurt because its fans have the reputation of not "traveling well." When bowls are looking to fill seats, they want rabid fans who are willing to fly anywhere. BC fans won't do it. You couldn't find enough planes for BC fans if the Eagles ever got into a BCS bowl, but it's impossible to get excited for the games the Eagles are in. O'Brien knew the only way BC would ever play in a big bowl was to win the ACC. Both Clemson and Maryland, teams BC beat this year, ended up in better bowls than the Eagles. N.C. State fans are a much more rabid group than BC backers. O'Brien is moving to an environment where college sports is king, something that was never going to happen in Boston. O'Brien's work will be scrutinized, but he'll relish the challenge. Naturally, some sports radio yahoos are blasting O'Brien for issuing a statement Tuesday saying "I'm not a candidate for any job. My focus is on preparing Boston College to take on Navy on Dec. 30." Any coach or athlete at the end of a delicate negotiation would issue the same type of denial. Too much money is on the table to say anything else. So, Tom, good luck with the Pack. O'Brien leaves BC as the winningest coach in school history and turned the program around after it floundered under Dan Henning. BC fans owe him a huge debt of gratitude. O'Brien took the program to new heights at The Heights, and his successor has big shoes to fill. "

http://www.salemnews.com/sports/local_story_342121645?page=1

12/8/2006 1:40:23 PM

at this point i'm really hoping he doesn't calipari us, to be honest.

12/8/2006 1:44:48 PM

Quote :

"I want to retract my previous statements about the TOB hire. I think we've done a good job and I'm excited about the fall. "

I read that Navy increased Paul Johnson's salary to $1.7M. If that is true then we DEFINITELY made the right choice. What a disaster it would have been for us to get fucked over again for a guy looking for a raise.. and to Navy of all schools.

12/8/2006 1:46:25 PM

i think it was a good pick, i didnt really think too much of Johnson. At first I was thinkin WTF didnt we beat them, but then I got to thinkin about those standards that BC has. I would have rathered Jimbo but I can also understand not wanting to give an OC a chance... I still say fire FOWLER though.

12/8/2006 1:48:07 PM

Not to mention that we beat them on a FLUKE that probably at least eight out of 10 times doesn't happen.

12/8/2006 1:49:29 PM

so when's this announcement supposed to be? =X

12/8/2006 1:51:54 PM

I would expect an official announcement not long after the BOG approves his contract, making it "official". Make no mistake, it is a done deal.


It seems like money was a big factor for Paul Johnson (I think his offense was also a factor). It's not that we couldn't come up with that money, but Paul Johnson money is too much for anything less than a "home run" and sure thing.

12/8/2006 1:59:42 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1eOJ2UaSvo

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2006/12/08/bc_begins_preparing_for_life_after_obrien/

Quote :

"N.C. State's board of trustees is expected to convene a conference call of its personnel committee today at 5 p.m., at which time O'Brien's hiring as Chuck Amato's successor will be formalized, according to athletic department sources at the school."

[Edited on December 8, 2006 at 2:46 PM. Reason : ]

12/8/2006 2:37:20 PM

I'm sure since its a private school O Brian was paid much more that what was reported. Private schools do this for a reason.

12/8/2006 3:05:04 PM

Quote :

"Is Tom O'Brien To NC State A Win Win For Everybody? by ncstateredwhite | 1 hour ago | NCAAF, N.C. State In any coaching search there is always two sides to be considered. "Will the new school be a good place to coach?" and "Will the coach make it happen in the win loss column?" In the case of Major Tom O'Brien (ret.) the answer is yes and yes. NC State is a good place for the major for any number of reasons including: 1. a significant increase in salary 2. a fan base that is passionate about college football 3. facilities that are superb (The Murphy Center at Carter-Finley is arguably the best college football operations center in the NCAA. Murphy Center) 4. an expanded recruiting base 5. the best barbecue in the US (okay thats not football related) On the other side of the coin, is the major good for State? Well lets look at his accomplishments: 1. a proven and impressive win-loss record against top competition (75wins 45 losses in 9 seasons, 6 straight bowl wins, 3 out of 4 seasons with 9 wins) 2. the ability to maintain a stable staff (average tenure of assistants at least 4 years) 3. a spotless academic track record (100% graduation rate) 4. and the knowledge of what it takes on the recruiting trail to compete with top tier teams. Sure there are some state fans who will not like the major. They will think he is a mediocre hire. I'm sure that there are many fans of the major who thinks he may be nuts for going to a crazy place like NC State. All things considered, this is a match made from heaven. The major will get things done, he will discipline and motivate his players, he will win, and the few skeptics on both sides will be silenced. Oh, and by the way, Tom O'Brien is going to love the barbecue and the beautiful NC Coast, but then again who wouldn't?"

http://www.faniq.com/blog.php?id=949

[Edited on December 8, 2006 at 4:01 PM. Reason : Tom is coming to town!]

[Edited on December 8, 2006 at 4:03 PM. Reason : NCST!]

12/8/2006 3:52:39 PM

^^ He made just over $700,000 in salary. I'm not sure what the total package was (salary+endorsements, etc.) but it ranked 10th in the ACC, according to a Boston Globe report, citing a USA Today salary analysis of the ACC.

12/8/2006 4:17:46 PM

12/8/2006 4:42:39 PM

haha. gg

12/8/2006 4:45:38 PM