TXST_CAT
December 13th, 2005, 01:07 PM
Since TT decided to mention Bailiff in a few threads I thought I would provide a few articles that were never mentioned by TT.
Bobcats in new class
With Bailiff, Texas State a study in success
Sunday, November 20, 2005
SAN MARCOS — Not long ago, David Bailiff spent a spring day picking Mack Brown's brain about all things football. He took copious notes as the Texas head coach went over things he'd learned as far back as his one year at Appalachian State.
But then, Bailiff's all about continuing education.
'I don't want to be a flash in the pan,' says Texas State Coach David Bailiff, shown here as he celebrates a victory with fans on Saturday.
Texas State's dynamic, second-year head coach made that eminently clear from the moment he accepted his position. That was the main point of discussion in his 90-minute interview session in Waco before the school plucked the defensive coordinator out of Texas Christian to redirect the Bobcats' fortunes.
"In this day and age, you'd better worry about academics," Texas State Athletics Director Larry Teis said, mentioning the NCAA's new academic progress rates that gauge an athlete's advancement toward a degree. "It's a drop-dead issue."
School president Denise Trauth knew she had the right man for the job on Bailiff's first day in the job. He canceled scheduled interviews with the existing coaching staff to meet all afternoon with the Texas State academic adviser, discussing each player.
First things first. And academics always have been first with Bailiff, a 47-year-old San Antonio native.
Now the Bobcats (9-2) are first, too, making the grade on the field as well. Despite more fumbles than a FEMA planning session, they edged Sam Houston State 26-23 on Saturday in a thrilling overtime game, as Nicholas Session's 5-yard run set off a wild celebration on the track beyond the north end zone.
And why not? The win clinched the school's first share of the Southland Conference title in 22 years and a probable at-large berth in the Division I-AA playoffs.
Much of this success story can be traced to Bailiff's hiring. The school's three previous head coaches produced just one winning season, but Texas State has demonstrated its commitment by building a $10 million end-zone facility, complete with a six-figure digital video room.
Also at Bailiff's urging, the school hired its first football-only academic adviser, Chris Elrod, who worked at Texas for five years; a strength coach; and a video coordinator. In short, Texas State has gone big-time.
All of these upgrades should enhance recruiting for a school that loads up on Division I-A and junior-college transfers and now has 15, including running back Daniel Jolly.
"A lot of us were journeymen who were lost," said Jolly, a transfer from Colorado. "Coach Bailiff gave us a sense of direction and a sense of purpose."
Texas State also has won with talent such as Hula Bowl-bound defensive tackle Fred Evans — a swimmer until his junior year in high school — and 6-foot-7-inch wideout Markee White, who also plays on the Bobcats' basketball team.
For Bailiff, though, it began with improvement in the classroom. His emphasis on grades was apparent from the instant he set foot back on the campus of his alma mater. In a meeting on Feb. 4, 2004, he told his team in no uncertain terms that performance in the classroom was not only encouraged but expected.
The next day, he dismissed two starters from the team for failing to go to class. Another dozen or more players were declared "academically inactive," all of whom stayed in study hall at the expense of spring practice.
That has a way of getting players' attention. Two players, both tight ends, have already graduated. Five more are on schedule to receive their diplomas next month.
Along the way, with the help of 27 seniors, Bailiff also has turned around a moribund program that had losing records in 11 of the previous dozen seasons. As Mack Brown said, Bailiff could be going places if Texas State isn't careful.
"He's a rising star in this business," Brown said. "I'd hire him anywhere in the country right now. Texas State had better pay him a lot because there will be a lot of people knocking on his door."
Texas State may lock it first. Its board of regents last August signed off on a five-year contract for Bailiff — the longest for any Southland Conference football coach — and a six-figure annuity is in the works to supplement his relatively paltry $150,000 package. Bailiff is by far the highest-paid coach in the league.
Still, will it be enough?
"Sure, I worry about keeping him," Trauth said. "You always worry about keeping good people. This university is saying to him, 'We want you to stay,' and I think David has made a commitment to us to move us forward vigorously."
Bailiff has rallied the support of the community and integrated his team into it. Saturday's crowd of 15,288 fans was the stadium's third-largest. There was a time when then-Southwest Texas State longed to join Division I-A. Instead, it changed its name and settled on trying to get to winning football games.
"I'd love to turn this into a little UT," Bailiff said.
He may be doing so. He has a poor man's Vince Young in senior quarterback Barrick Nealy — who has quick feet and a strong if not always accurate arm. He's got a slew of talented running backs, such as Doug Sherman, and coordinator Craig Naivar's bone-jarring defense that knows only one speed.
"I love this university," Bailiff said, "and I want to sustain it. There's been so much instability here. I wanted a strong coaching staff to give the players love and tough love when they didn't do things right. I don't want to be a flash in the pan."
The trick may be to keep him in the pan.
Bobcats in new class
With Bailiff, Texas State a study in success
Sunday, November 20, 2005
SAN MARCOS — Not long ago, David Bailiff spent a spring day picking Mack Brown's brain about all things football. He took copious notes as the Texas head coach went over things he'd learned as far back as his one year at Appalachian State.
But then, Bailiff's all about continuing education.
'I don't want to be a flash in the pan,' says Texas State Coach David Bailiff, shown here as he celebrates a victory with fans on Saturday.
Texas State's dynamic, second-year head coach made that eminently clear from the moment he accepted his position. That was the main point of discussion in his 90-minute interview session in Waco before the school plucked the defensive coordinator out of Texas Christian to redirect the Bobcats' fortunes.
"In this day and age, you'd better worry about academics," Texas State Athletics Director Larry Teis said, mentioning the NCAA's new academic progress rates that gauge an athlete's advancement toward a degree. "It's a drop-dead issue."
School president Denise Trauth knew she had the right man for the job on Bailiff's first day in the job. He canceled scheduled interviews with the existing coaching staff to meet all afternoon with the Texas State academic adviser, discussing each player.
First things first. And academics always have been first with Bailiff, a 47-year-old San Antonio native.
Now the Bobcats (9-2) are first, too, making the grade on the field as well. Despite more fumbles than a FEMA planning session, they edged Sam Houston State 26-23 on Saturday in a thrilling overtime game, as Nicholas Session's 5-yard run set off a wild celebration on the track beyond the north end zone.
And why not? The win clinched the school's first share of the Southland Conference title in 22 years and a probable at-large berth in the Division I-AA playoffs.
Much of this success story can be traced to Bailiff's hiring. The school's three previous head coaches produced just one winning season, but Texas State has demonstrated its commitment by building a $10 million end-zone facility, complete with a six-figure digital video room.
Also at Bailiff's urging, the school hired its first football-only academic adviser, Chris Elrod, who worked at Texas for five years; a strength coach; and a video coordinator. In short, Texas State has gone big-time.
All of these upgrades should enhance recruiting for a school that loads up on Division I-A and junior-college transfers and now has 15, including running back Daniel Jolly.
"A lot of us were journeymen who were lost," said Jolly, a transfer from Colorado. "Coach Bailiff gave us a sense of direction and a sense of purpose."
Texas State also has won with talent such as Hula Bowl-bound defensive tackle Fred Evans — a swimmer until his junior year in high school — and 6-foot-7-inch wideout Markee White, who also plays on the Bobcats' basketball team.
For Bailiff, though, it began with improvement in the classroom. His emphasis on grades was apparent from the instant he set foot back on the campus of his alma mater. In a meeting on Feb. 4, 2004, he told his team in no uncertain terms that performance in the classroom was not only encouraged but expected.
The next day, he dismissed two starters from the team for failing to go to class. Another dozen or more players were declared "academically inactive," all of whom stayed in study hall at the expense of spring practice.
That has a way of getting players' attention. Two players, both tight ends, have already graduated. Five more are on schedule to receive their diplomas next month.
Along the way, with the help of 27 seniors, Bailiff also has turned around a moribund program that had losing records in 11 of the previous dozen seasons. As Mack Brown said, Bailiff could be going places if Texas State isn't careful.
"He's a rising star in this business," Brown said. "I'd hire him anywhere in the country right now. Texas State had better pay him a lot because there will be a lot of people knocking on his door."
Texas State may lock it first. Its board of regents last August signed off on a five-year contract for Bailiff — the longest for any Southland Conference football coach — and a six-figure annuity is in the works to supplement his relatively paltry $150,000 package. Bailiff is by far the highest-paid coach in the league.
Still, will it be enough?
"Sure, I worry about keeping him," Trauth said. "You always worry about keeping good people. This university is saying to him, 'We want you to stay,' and I think David has made a commitment to us to move us forward vigorously."
Bailiff has rallied the support of the community and integrated his team into it. Saturday's crowd of 15,288 fans was the stadium's third-largest. There was a time when then-Southwest Texas State longed to join Division I-A. Instead, it changed its name and settled on trying to get to winning football games.
"I'd love to turn this into a little UT," Bailiff said.
He may be doing so. He has a poor man's Vince Young in senior quarterback Barrick Nealy — who has quick feet and a strong if not always accurate arm. He's got a slew of talented running backs, such as Doug Sherman, and coordinator Craig Naivar's bone-jarring defense that knows only one speed.
"I love this university," Bailiff said, "and I want to sustain it. There's been so much instability here. I wanted a strong coaching staff to give the players love and tough love when they didn't do things right. I don't want to be a flash in the pan."
The trick may be to keep him in the pan.