The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-chuck-m...ncaaf.html

Chuck Martin talks about why he took a $200k pay cut to coach at Miami. And then throws out the cradle of coaches bs, the great academics, the usual stuff that had nothing to do with why he actually took the job.

Personally, I think Chuck saw the hand writing on the wall, just took him a little longer.

Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs. He did well at GVSU, but I'm not sure that really counts for that much today. The program was built, established, and ran like a well oiled machine in a league that was not meant to compete against a lower division D1AA team.

I think he saw a dynamic coach like Diaco get a not so great U Conn job, looked at Quinn at UB, saw the route Jones took to Tennessee, and figured out he might have to go through the MAC to get to the BCS. I don't think this was his plan.

I totally believe he didn't even show interest in the WMU job, but I believe Ol Chuck got a reality check when the phone wasn't ringing, and some of his old buddies were off building their resume, and he was still getting coffee for BK.

(07-30-2014 05:37 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs.

Martin only coached with Kelly at two places - GVSU and Notre Dame.

I'm fairly certain we offered him the job, or at the very least called him to see if there was interest, and he turned it down.

(07-30-2014 05:53 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 05:37 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs.

Martin only coached with Kelly at two places - GVSU and Notre Dame.

Regardless, he's built his resume following BK's success.

I'm not buying his bs, that he was waiting for this "golden opportunity" at Miami. I think he expected big offers to come his way and they didn't come.

(07-30-2014 06:09 PM)EA3 Wrote:  I'm fairly certain we offered him the job, or at the very least called him to see if there was interest, and he turned it down.

As I have posted at least twice before, when Kathy called him about our job, he replied he "wasn't ready to be a MAC head coach."

Two ways to interpret that.

I'm sure Dip will give us the correct one (despite him not even getting Martin's resume right).

As I stated in another thread, I'm not impressed with what he's done at Notre Dame. Diaco's defenses were always much better than Martin's offenses.

He did very good at GVSU, but much of that was built on BK's success.

(07-30-2014 06:22 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  As I have posted at least twice before, when Kathy called him about our job, he replied he "wasn't ready to be a MAC head coach."

Two ways to interpret that.

Do you believe that's what Martin truly meant at the time?

I believe he wasn't interested in WMU period.

(07-30-2014 05:53 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 05:37 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs.

Martin only coached with Kelly at two places - GVSU and Notre Dame.

Can't bad mouth Martin at this point. Any disdain just sounds like personal opinion/vendetta at this point. He's been successful and well regarded wherever he's gone. I honestly think Miami got a good one, and it will be interesting to see how things turn out.

(07-30-2014 05:37 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs.

Obviously not as good as riding Greg Schiano's coattails through two jobs (neither of them as a coordinator much less a header).

(07-30-2014 06:10 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 05:53 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 05:37 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs.

Martin only coached with Kelly at two places - GVSU and Notre Dame.

Regardless, he's built his resume following BK's success.

I'm not buying his bs, that he was waiting for this "golden opportunity" at Miami. I think he expected big offers to come his way and they didn't come.

When BK took the CMU job he offered a coordinators position to Martin and Martin said no thanks. Chose to stay at GVSU. He was HC there 6 years and won his second championship in the last year. Proves that he could win on his own with his own players. He did more than just ride BK coattails.

(07-30-2014 06:51 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 06:10 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 05:53 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 05:37 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Chuck had been riding BK's coattails through three different jobs.

Martin only coached with Kelly at two places - GVSU and Notre Dame.

Regardless, he's built his resume following BK's success.

I'm not buying his bs, that he was waiting for this "golden opportunity" at Miami. I think he expected big offers to come his way and they didn't come.

When BK took the CMU job he offered a coordinators position to Martin and Martin said no thanks. Chose to stay at GVSU. He was HC there 6 years and won his second championship in the last year. Proves that he could win on his own with his own players. He did more than just ride BK coattails.

Martin is always a day late to the party. I'm guessing he figured a head coaching offer would come his way quicker at GVSU than as an assistant at CMU. He couldn't predict BK would end up being the HC at ND.

I'm betting he thought the same thing last year. "I'm going to get a BCS offer if I stay here." But when neither materialized he took what was available.

Common sense tells you he wasn't holding out for a golden opportunity at a dying MAC program. I smell a reality check. Diaco, Quinn, Butch, they all got jobs by working up the food chain. I guess I'm going to have to do the same thing.

Seriously, Dip - we have PJ Fleck as our coach and you're going to call somebody else's a "big bullchitter"?

^Could well be the case. Still expect him to do well. Have to correct my prior post. In his 6th and last year at GVSU he did make it to the DII championship game, but lost.

It's one thing to bs to sell a product, it's another to claim you took a pay cut to go to a 1 win program because it was a gold opportunity.

Do you really want to believe he turned down KB because he was waiting for the big opening at the "Cradle of Coaches?" Miami is only heartbeat above EMU and UMass in terms of fan support. Whatever mojo they once had has been lost to OSU, Cincinnati, Louisville, and even nearby Ball State.

It's a great school, but I'm not sure they can recapture past glory in football. I don't think anyone here thought Treadwell was a bad hire. But once there he was as ineffective as English (another highly thought of Big Ten assistant) was at EMU.

(07-30-2014 06:51 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  When BK took the CMU job he offered a coordinators position to Martin and Martin said no thanks. Chose to stay at GVSU. He was HC there 6 years and won his second championship in the last year. Proves that he could win on his own with his own players. He did more than just ride BK coattails.

Ah, actually no... Martin win championships in years 2 and 3 primarily with BK's players (2005, 2006). Didn't win a championship his last 3 seasons there.

(07-30-2014 07:33 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 06:51 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  When BK took the CMU job he offered a coordinators position to Martin and Martin said no thanks. Chose to stay at GVSU. He was HC there 6 years and won his second championship in the last year. Proves that he could win on his own with his own players. He did more than just ride BK coattails.

Ah, actually no... Martin win championships in years 2 and 3 primarily with BK's players (2005, 2006). Didn't win a championship his last 3 seasons there.

He coached great teams of his own just the same. He left after 2009 to join ND. I WISH we had landed him last year.

Quote:2007
The Lakers claimed the GLIAC crown with a 9–0 conference record this season. This was GVSU's third straight conference title and the first time in school history the team has won three GLIAC titles in a row.

GVSU also set the DII Football record for longest consecutive win streak at 40 games.

December 8: GVSU's win-streak was snapped when they lost at Northwest Missouri State in the Division II National Semifinal game at Bearcat Stadium that was known as the "Ice Bowl" because it was played during the Mid-December 2007 North American Winter storms that would destroy more than 100 trees at Northwest's Missouri Arboretum campus.[5] Grand Valley was ranked #1 and was undefeated and Northwest was ranked #5 and had lost one game but hosted the game because of strength of schedule.

It began as a close game with Grand Valley leading 13–10 at halftime. The Lakers were able to pull within one, 17–16, late in the third quarter on Justin Trumble's third field goal. After NWMSU kicker Tommy Frevert made one from 22 yards early in the fourth quarter and Xavier Omon scored on an 11-yard pass 2½ minutes later, the Bearcats were up 27–16. Five plays later, Omon broke loose for a 98-yard touchdown run with just over 9 minutes remaining. Final score: GVSU 16, NWMSU 34.

Game totals: GV's Brad Iciek threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and an interception on 23 of 42 passing. Xavier Omon ran for 292 yards and four touchdowns.

GVSU ended the season with a 12–1 record.

2008
GVSU was 11–0 on the season until they lost to Minnesota-Duluth by a score of 19 to 13 in the Division II quarterfinals; ending GVSU's season at 11–1. Minnesota-Duluth had a record of 12–0 entering the game.

GVSU claimed their fourth consecutive GLIAC championship.

2009
The Lakers lost their first GLIAC game in nearly five years, falling to the Hillsdale Chargers 27–24 in the Chargers' homecoming game, yet still won the GLIAC outright for a fifth straight year. Grand Valley then received a first round bye in the playoffs only to face Hillsdale once again. After defeating Hillsdale, University of Minnesota Duluth, and Carson-Newman, the Lakers eventually fell to Northwest Missouri State University in the national championship game 30–23. Danny Richard, Nick McDonald and Jacob McGuckin were named first team All-American while Cameron Bradfield and Justin Victor took home second team honors and Quarterback Brad Iciek was a Harlon Hill finalist.

(07-30-2014 07:33 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 06:51 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  When BK took the CMU job he offered a coordinators position to Martin and Martin said no thanks. Chose to stay at GVSU. He was HC there 6 years and won his second championship in the last year. Proves that he could win on his own with his own players. He did more than just ride BK coattails.

Ah, actually no... Martin win championships in years 2 and 3 primarily with BK's players (2005, 2006). Didn't win a championship his last 3 seasons there.

I don't have much respect for GVSU and their "championships" if Michigan had an FCS program they wouldn't have the windfall of talent that they end up with. That said I would have been thrilled to have Martin here last year, but I don't think he would be as successful bringing in talent as Fleck has been. I like that Fleck's background doesn't come from the BCS. I feel guys like English, DeBord and maybe Martin have a difficult time coming in and working with limited resources. We might well be better off long term.

I also think CD has a point. If our job came open this season and Miami's last season he might be saying the same things about this job that he is about Miami. So I'm content to root against him and not pine to have him here.

(07-30-2014 07:03 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  Seriously, Dip - we have PJ Fleck as our coach and you're going to call somebody else's a "big bullchitter"?

That really rings true, wish we could with a straight face but as it stands now, "glass house" rules prevail.

(07-30-2014 07:33 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 06:51 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  When BK took the CMU job he offered a coordinators position to Martin and Martin said no thanks. Chose to stay at GVSU. He was HC there 6 years and won his second championship in the last year. Proves that he could win on his own with his own players. He did more than just ride BK coattails.

Ah, actually no... Martin win championships in years 2 and 3 primarily with BK's players (2005, 2006). Didn't win a championship his last 3 seasons there.

And I corrected myself about a half hour before you posted this.

(07-30-2014 07:04 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  ^Could well be the case. Still expect him to do well. Have to correct my prior post. In his 6th and last year at GVSU he did make it to the DII championship game, but lost.

I'm starting to understand CD a bit more now. Go from MAC team to MAC team and find ways to say why THEY suck so much. This accomplishes 2 things. First, it tries to make our program and coach look better compared to how terrible all of these other schools have it. and Second, it deflects the attention from others focusing on our program and coach and the issues that revolve around both. Its brilliant really.