Post by vision on Feb 26, 2015 16:20:27 GMT -8
Aztec Football is Flush with Experience in 2015
By Mick McGrane (@mickonthemesa)
There is no successor, no heir to the throne, no next in line, no associate head coach/head coach in waiting.
Not that a the list is devoid of length --- or capability.
When San Diego State's football program commences spring drills on Sunday, it will do so not only with an experienced roster, but a staff whose know-how isn't simply limited to a sideline.
"With their knowledge comes knowledge of an entire program," said Aztecs head coach Rocky Long. "They basically know every position, every in and out, and it gives you somebody to bounce ideas off of who actually understands what being a head coach is all about."
Long, of course, knows plenty. He is without peers in terms of tenure in the Mountain West, having spent 11 seasons as head coach at New Mexico before being handed the keys to an SDSU program that has parted company with the past in myriad ways over the course of the last five years.
But as he enters his fifth season as head coach of the Aztecs, Long does so with a list of lieutenants comprised of no fewer than three former collegiate head coaches, the latest addition being Bobby Hauck, who will handle special teams after spending the last five seasons as head coach at UNLV.
Hauck joins another former UNLV head coach, Jeff Horton, who spent the past four seasons as SDSU's assistant head coach and running backs coach before being tabbed to succeed Bob Toledo as the team's offensive coordinator last month. Also in the fold is former Aztecs special teams coach Kevin McGarry, who was head coach at crosstown USD for eight seasons and now serves as SDSU's director of football operations.
And while there is little doubt as to who has final say, Long is far from averse to having another set of eyes (or three) to ensure forward progress.
"Assistant coaches don't always have all the answers because they don't know what really goes on (in the head coach's office)," Long said. "Former head coaches know what goes on in that other room."
Horton certainly does. With 27 years of coaching experience, including seven as head coach at UNLV, his appointment as offensive coordinator in January filled an opening that Long described as drawing "tremendous interest."
"Several of us have been in that head coach's chair before," said Horton, who also spent four years in the NFL as an assistant with the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions. "We've gone through some of the trials and tribulations that come with that position; we know why some of the decisions are made.
"If Rocky is looking for suggestions, maybe about things that we've done before at other places, and those suggestions are going to help the program, then we're certainly going to bring those things up. You've got guys who have been there, who have done it before, who have been in those situations. As things come up during the course of the season, it really helps that you can have experienced guys to fall back on."
Guys like Hauck, who in addition to having been a collegiate head coach the past 12 years (five at UNLV, seven at Montana), has also served as a special teams coach for 21 of the last 22 seasons.
"Experience is a good thing," said Hauck, who in 2013 led UNLV to just its third bowl game in school history and only its fourth winning season in the previous quarter century. "Having sat in that chair, and being able to surround yourself with guys who have seen the big picture, really helps a lot.
"Ultimately, though, one guy has to make the final decision and he's the boss. But a guy like Coach Long, like most smart guys, is receptive to input from other guys before he makes a decision. When you have guys on your staff who have made those decisions before, and I've been fortunate to have people like that with me in the past, it's always been productive. If there's one thing I've learned during my time as a head coach it's that just because you have your name on the door doesn't mean you have all the answers."
It is SO important to the recent success of Aztec football. Continuity and experience in coaching have driven the Aztecs to new heights.
I am predicting even greater things in 2015.
*sunglasses*
