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Western Carolinian Volume 78 Number 02

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  • pe Page B-3 WESTERN CAROLINIAN February 17th, 2012 SPORES | New football coach excited for chance to turn things around ' 4 t { ous coaching opportunities Ryan Michaud, Staff Writer On Dec. 22, new ath- letic director Randy Eaton named Mark Speir the new head football coach of the Western Carolina University Catamounts. The announce- ment from Eaton came about a little over a month after former head football coach Dennis Wagner resigned on Nov. 13. _ Speir was born and raised in Kannapolis and attended Clemson University, where he first started coaching. Af- ter graduating with a bache- lors degree in secondary ed- ucation, Speir made his way to Cullowhee as a graduate , student and as a coach. He spent five years coaching at WCU before he left for Pres- byterian College to coach for three years. From there, he spent three years at Elon before relocating to Appa- lachian State, where he has been for the past nine years. Speir believed his previ- have prepared him for his first head coaching job at WCU. I have been around four great head coaches whom I _have taken after, Speir said. T take different things from them and sort of fuse them together to form my own style. What Pve learned from my coaching experiences is that it is all about relation- good player to coach rela- tionship, he added. With Western coming off of an abysmal 1-10 season, Speir has his work cut out for him in turning the Cata- mounts into a winning pro- gram. We need to establish a winning culture. I think the way to do that is to set up a plan and to have the players and coaches -buy into this plan, Speir said.Once we have a set plan, we will have a good foundation. Speir is excited to have this opportunity to create a new culture. Everything around here is new, We have a new chan- cellor, a new athletic director and new football coaches, Speir said. Were all very excited for this fresh start. Speirs previous coach- ing jobs show that he has a defensive background, spe- cifically working with line- backers and linemen. That, however, is not Speirs cen- tral focus. Thave a defensive back- ground, but I am more fo- cused on developing these young men into people, into men, Speir said. The Xs and Os of the game is important, but my central vision and philosophy is to see these student athletes be- come men. With a fresh new start to the program, Speir has made his goals clear. PHOTO BY JUSTIN CAUDELL Now there are multiple ways we can win, and obviously we want to win on the score- board, Speir said. But we. want to compete, play hard, and play with character and with class. The team is scheduled to play elite Division I FBS* teams such as Marshall-and defending BCS National upcoming season. Speir and the team think it is a great opportunity to play the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denney Stadium. ' 7 think its awesome. . Its exciting to play in a big arena like that, Speir said. T am excited and the play- ers are as well. We want to, go down there and play well never know what can hap- pen. Oe ce Itis too early to determirte 99 how the team is looking. We will know more when spring ball rolls around in about a month. Right now we are going hard in the weight room, Speir said. Speir is excited to be back at WCU and is counting on XN come the season. J am excited to be back and I am looking forward to bringing back a winning culture. We want the alumni and student body to come. out atid have something to watch, he said. We es- pecially want the students there. We want them loud and rowdy at the games, its "ship. There needs to be a We want to win, period. | Champions Alabama in the and at a high level, and you __ the student body to help out _ the key to success. Its vital. WCUs new athletic directors focus Ryan Alexander, Sports Editor he cut his list from 12 can- _ didates, down to eight, and finally down to four, Speir was the coach who was at He has taken on the monu- mental task of overseeing and improving the Cata- Hos l As Randy Eaton ste ped up to a podium inside of the ' Ramsey Center to give his | first statement as the new Athletic Director at Western Carolina University, he had : little idea of the chaos that was happening on the cam- pus of his new home. A bank robber was on | the loose, and-as Eaton put it himself, It added an extra dimension to his introduc- tory press conference. He described his emo- tions during the press .con- ference as eagerness to get started working, and an ex- _ citement to have an oppor- tunity to be here and in the Southern Conference. But also a bit of trepidation over being away from my family, my wife and daughter for three months while things ~mounts athletic department after former athletic director - Chip Smith was fired in Oc- tober, ee ae Eaton described the ath- letic department as the front porch light of the univer- sity,.as in it is first thing that people interested in the school see. He said that Chancellor David Belcher, the man who offered him the athletic director position, as a man with similar goals and . expectations for the athletic department. One of Eatons goals is to utilize the athletic depart- ment to improve student re- tention, and give students a reason to stay in Cullowhee for weekends. His first task as athletic director was finding a new the top of each stage in the evaluation process.: As far as any possible be coaching changes in the fu- ture, Eaton said that when he evaluates current coaches, he doesnt just look at wins and losses. He also takes into ac- count the amount of money being spent on the program _ in regards to other teams. within the Southern Confer- . ence, and the behavior and graduation rates of players on the team. On when he will begin evaluating coaches, Eaton said, probably in early March, after the budget pro- posals for individual teams have been submitted. Eaton also has a plan in place to address the low in- - got settled here in Cullo- ' whee. ' Eaton comes to Western : Carolina following a stint as the associate athletic director ~ and chief financial officer at . the University of Maryland. head football coach for the Catamounts, and he _ hired Coach Mark Speir eight days after he started work. Eaton described Speir as one of the coaches on his short list when he took the job, and as terest rate among students on : campus in regards to athlet- Vale wihnsales ae wehbe Abie kr Rew BENEGN SER As : ioe Ciel aren somata eoahaiitn es RE POE AE ME Rae ee AWN Age Deena ain dm 6 peace ata tars ics, which is at a historically From left, new athletic director Randy Eaton poses with Paws after his first press conference at WCU. low level. He has ideas for a pene 3 4 2 wie eh Oe sel One eels > re eae ees ee ee a ee ee ee ee eee eee 2 eae a meals with students in the campus. dining, halls to host informal question and an- PHOTO BY MARK. HASKETT \ sports teams on campus, all in an effort to drum up in- terest that has been missing swer sessions -involving himself, and possibly coach- es and athletes from various. on campus the last several years. ; io) owe EB Bot L & 2 |m [a |> |] m me GE lsc
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Western Carolina University Publications

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University’s student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolin...

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