bosshogg
June 1st, 2006, 06:41 AM
Head ‘Dog staying put
SCSU wraps up Pough through 2011
By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Following in the footsteps of coaching legend Willie Jeffries, Oliver “Buddy” Pough hoped to stick around at least long enough to turn South Carolina State into a national power again.
With a 34-13 record in four years and coming off a second straight season-ending ranking in the national Division I-AA polls, Pough will now look to expand on his success into the next decade. Following an executive session on Wednesday, the SCSU Board of Trustees announced plans to add two more years to Pough’s contract.
This is the second extension given to Pough since he succeeded Jeffries as head coach in 2001. Back in 2004, the board added two years to the five-year contract worth $105,000 annually to keep Pough through the 2009 season.
The new deal is expected to keep Pough at his alma mater through the 2011 season. It’s also expected to come with a pay raise, although the university will not release full details until attorneys from both sides finalize the agreement.
When reached about the contract extension, Pough said this shows the high level of confidence the board has in his work and the direction the football team is heading under his leadership. He also praised the university’s support through initiating steps to improve facilities such as the addition of artificial grass to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium this fall.
“The fact that our university has supported us in a way where we have the opportunities to have the success that we’ve had and some of the kinds of things that they’re doing to improve our circumstances ... are really, really special and make me feel like I’d like to be here to try to make this program successful.”
Since returning to SCSU, where he played offensive lineman under Jeffries and was a defensive coordinator under the late Bill Davis, Pough has more than matched his mentor’s accomplishments. The Bulldogs’ record showed improvement in each of his first three seasons and in 2004, the team claimed a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title for the first time in 10 years.
SCSU has especially thrived in the spotlight under Pough, owning a 13-1 record in televised games and a perfect 12-0 when aired nationally. In addition, Pough’s Bulldogs have won 11 consecutive games in November and have ended their last three seasons with four-game winning streaks.
Last season, the Bulldogs went 9-2 for the second straight year and finished 19th in the final ESPN/USA Today and Sports Network Top 25 polls. The lone losses came at the hands of nationally-ranked foes conference champion Hampton and in-state rival Coastal Carolina by a combined margin of five points.
With a deep roster which returns several starters and an influx of new assistant coaches, Pough knows nothing short of a MEAC title or even the school’s first Division I-AA playoff appearance since 1982 will suffice.
“The expectations are a good bit higher now and I don’t know if we would accept anything less than a conference championship,” he said. “We talked about the fact that we’ve gone through those stages up to that point and I would think that would be the next step in our progression.”
SCSU will open training camp Aug. 5 and will travel to Wofford Sept. 1 for the season opener.
-- T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCSU wraps up Pough through 2011
By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Following in the footsteps of coaching legend Willie Jeffries, Oliver “Buddy” Pough hoped to stick around at least long enough to turn South Carolina State into a national power again.
With a 34-13 record in four years and coming off a second straight season-ending ranking in the national Division I-AA polls, Pough will now look to expand on his success into the next decade. Following an executive session on Wednesday, the SCSU Board of Trustees announced plans to add two more years to Pough’s contract.
This is the second extension given to Pough since he succeeded Jeffries as head coach in 2001. Back in 2004, the board added two years to the five-year contract worth $105,000 annually to keep Pough through the 2009 season.
The new deal is expected to keep Pough at his alma mater through the 2011 season. It’s also expected to come with a pay raise, although the university will not release full details until attorneys from both sides finalize the agreement.
When reached about the contract extension, Pough said this shows the high level of confidence the board has in his work and the direction the football team is heading under his leadership. He also praised the university’s support through initiating steps to improve facilities such as the addition of artificial grass to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium this fall.
“The fact that our university has supported us in a way where we have the opportunities to have the success that we’ve had and some of the kinds of things that they’re doing to improve our circumstances ... are really, really special and make me feel like I’d like to be here to try to make this program successful.”
Since returning to SCSU, where he played offensive lineman under Jeffries and was a defensive coordinator under the late Bill Davis, Pough has more than matched his mentor’s accomplishments. The Bulldogs’ record showed improvement in each of his first three seasons and in 2004, the team claimed a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title for the first time in 10 years.
SCSU has especially thrived in the spotlight under Pough, owning a 13-1 record in televised games and a perfect 12-0 when aired nationally. In addition, Pough’s Bulldogs have won 11 consecutive games in November and have ended their last three seasons with four-game winning streaks.
Last season, the Bulldogs went 9-2 for the second straight year and finished 19th in the final ESPN/USA Today and Sports Network Top 25 polls. The lone losses came at the hands of nationally-ranked foes conference champion Hampton and in-state rival Coastal Carolina by a combined margin of five points.
With a deep roster which returns several starters and an influx of new assistant coaches, Pough knows nothing short of a MEAC title or even the school’s first Division I-AA playoff appearance since 1982 will suffice.
“The expectations are a good bit higher now and I don’t know if we would accept anything less than a conference championship,” he said. “We talked about the fact that we’ve gone through those stages up to that point and I would think that would be the next step in our progression.”
SCSU will open training camp Aug. 5 and will travel to Wofford Sept. 1 for the season opener.
-- T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------