catamount man
January 1st, 2008, 07:12 AM
Cats turn to Wagner
WCU pins football hopes on Nebraska offensive line coach
by By Tyler Norris Goode, [email protected]
published January 1, 2008 12:15 am
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CULLOWHEE- Roughly 18 years ago, Dennis Wagner was hired to take over a struggling college football program that had won two of its last 29 games.
Over the next eight seasons, he led Wayne State in Nebraska to a 44-37-1 record.
On Monday afternoon, Western Carolina committed more than three-quarters of a million dollars with the hope that Wagner can turn the Catamounts' program around, too.
Most recently the offensive line coach at Nebraska, Wagner agreed to a contract worth at least $830,000 over the next five years and will be introduced at a press conference on Friday.
His hiring ended a national search that lasted 49 days.
"It was very time consuming, and I know a lot of people were upset about that," said WCU athletic director Chip Smith. "It did take a long time, but it was a lot more organized than people were led to believe. We finally narrowed our search down to a small number of candidates, and he (Wagner) fit all of the things we were looking for."
Wagner's contract will pay him $100,000 for the first season, $180,000 for each of the second through fourth seasons and $190,000 for the fifth season. Smith said the contract includes incentives for beating an NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision team, winning a conference championship, winning playoff games and attaining certain academic progress achievements.
Smith also said the contract's lower first-year salary was requested by Wagner's agent and is not related to the fact that WCU still owes former coach Kent Briggs $110,823 annually over the next two years.
Wagner said he did not become a candidate for the WCU job until Smith employed the search firm DHR International to assist in the hiring. Wagner said he and his wife, Cyndi, visited the WCU campus late last week and that the situation in Cullowhee reminds him of what he stepped into in Wayne, Neb., nearly two decades ago.
WCU did not win a Southern Conference game while going 3-19 overall the last two seasons under Briggs, who was fired on Nov. 12.
"Wayne is in a smaller community in Nebraska. It's a rural area," Wagner said.
"But we were able to recruit great student athletes who did a great job in the classroom and on the field."
During WCU's search for a new coach, Newberry coach Zak Willis told the Citizen-Times he was offered the job but that the offer was later rescinded. Over the weekend, former Hampton coach Joe Taylor told the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press that he'd been offered the position as well though he elected to take the Florida A&M job instead.
Smith said hiring regulations prevent him from discussing specific candidates.
However on Monday, Smith said: "We have not made an offer until it's approved by the Board of Trustees, so this offer (to Wagner) is the only one that's been made. I think where a lot of the confusion lies is that there were a lot of other conversations going on (between Smith and coaching candidates), but this is the only offer we made because it was the only one approved by the Board of Trustees."
Wagner said the possibility that other candidates were offered the job first was not an issue to him.
"They've got to do what's best for Western Carolina, and I've got to do what's best for me," said Wagner. "When the two of us were able to get together, it was the perfect marriage. I'm just excited that I have this opportunity. I'm not concerned with anything that happened before that."
Sounds like a man who wants to be in Cullowhee and is ready to win. WELCOME COACH WAGNER!!! GO CATAMOUNTS!!!xthumbsupx xthumbsupx
WCU pins football hopes on Nebraska offensive line coach
by By Tyler Norris Goode, [email protected]
published January 1, 2008 12:15 am
Read 2 comments »
e-mail this
Print this
CULLOWHEE- Roughly 18 years ago, Dennis Wagner was hired to take over a struggling college football program that had won two of its last 29 games.
Over the next eight seasons, he led Wayne State in Nebraska to a 44-37-1 record.
On Monday afternoon, Western Carolina committed more than three-quarters of a million dollars with the hope that Wagner can turn the Catamounts' program around, too.
Most recently the offensive line coach at Nebraska, Wagner agreed to a contract worth at least $830,000 over the next five years and will be introduced at a press conference on Friday.
His hiring ended a national search that lasted 49 days.
"It was very time consuming, and I know a lot of people were upset about that," said WCU athletic director Chip Smith. "It did take a long time, but it was a lot more organized than people were led to believe. We finally narrowed our search down to a small number of candidates, and he (Wagner) fit all of the things we were looking for."
Wagner's contract will pay him $100,000 for the first season, $180,000 for each of the second through fourth seasons and $190,000 for the fifth season. Smith said the contract includes incentives for beating an NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision team, winning a conference championship, winning playoff games and attaining certain academic progress achievements.
Smith also said the contract's lower first-year salary was requested by Wagner's agent and is not related to the fact that WCU still owes former coach Kent Briggs $110,823 annually over the next two years.
Wagner said he did not become a candidate for the WCU job until Smith employed the search firm DHR International to assist in the hiring. Wagner said he and his wife, Cyndi, visited the WCU campus late last week and that the situation in Cullowhee reminds him of what he stepped into in Wayne, Neb., nearly two decades ago.
WCU did not win a Southern Conference game while going 3-19 overall the last two seasons under Briggs, who was fired on Nov. 12.
"Wayne is in a smaller community in Nebraska. It's a rural area," Wagner said.
"But we were able to recruit great student athletes who did a great job in the classroom and on the field."
During WCU's search for a new coach, Newberry coach Zak Willis told the Citizen-Times he was offered the job but that the offer was later rescinded. Over the weekend, former Hampton coach Joe Taylor told the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press that he'd been offered the position as well though he elected to take the Florida A&M job instead.
Smith said hiring regulations prevent him from discussing specific candidates.
However on Monday, Smith said: "We have not made an offer until it's approved by the Board of Trustees, so this offer (to Wagner) is the only one that's been made. I think where a lot of the confusion lies is that there were a lot of other conversations going on (between Smith and coaching candidates), but this is the only offer we made because it was the only one approved by the Board of Trustees."
Wagner said the possibility that other candidates were offered the job first was not an issue to him.
"They've got to do what's best for Western Carolina, and I've got to do what's best for me," said Wagner. "When the two of us were able to get together, it was the perfect marriage. I'm just excited that I have this opportunity. I'm not concerned with anything that happened before that."
Sounds like a man who wants to be in Cullowhee and is ready to win. WELCOME COACH WAGNER!!! GO CATAMOUNTS!!!xthumbsupx xthumbsupx