Maintaining a Successful Program

[Skippy]

One of the challenges of maintaining a successful program on the FCS level is constantly replacing good assistant coaches. Montana State just lost its offensive coordinator and running backs coach/recruiting coordinator to Florida Atlantic, an FBS school. A year ago, they lost Justin Gaines, who was their primary recruiter in Texas and who brought a ton of talent from the Lone Star State to Bozeman. The good programs figure out how to keep hiring good, young coaching talent. It will be interesting to see if Rob Ash can keep the MSU program near the top of the conference while replacing key parts of the coaching staff.

Of course, what both Montana schools have done, UM over a longer period and MSU in the last five or six years, is have some success on the field, and then translating that to bigger crowds and facility upgrades to accommodate those bigger crowds. Those two programs have almost gone on auto-pilot because of the solid fan bases and infrastructure investments they've made. That makes it easier to attract good, young coaches, and to keep the player pipeline flowing.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/article_d664e8de-3724-11e1-b1e6-001871e3ce6c.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[BengalDad]

(coming from a Dad of a prospective player) I was impressed with a statement that Coach Kramer made during an in-home visit. He said that he wanted to make sure that his assistant coaches were the highest paid in the conference, so that ISU can have the best ability to help turn the program around.

No guarantees, obviously, but a coach that knows the value of keeping a consistent group of assistant coaches around him and his players (and is willing to do what it takes to accomplish this) speaks to his commitment of laying the foundation of quality football program.

 

[baller1]

When Kramer took the job, he took 20k less in salary so that he could give that money to his assistants. Says a lot about him.

 

[4ISUfans]

The 20K certainly is a nice gesture as it shows the assistance coaches their truly valued. Keeping the coaching staff intact also provides continuity throughout the ranks. Players get to know their position coaches and coach their players, they develop trust, and when there is trust and respect an athlete will work his butt off for their position coaches knowing they report to the big boss Kramer.

 

[Skippy]

Breske joins Leach at Washington State:

http://missoulian.com/sports/college/montana/football/washington-state-hires-um-s-breske-as-d-coordinator/article_197221be-3a4f-11e1-a020-0019bb2963f4.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[biobengal]

IMO, one of the most important ways to maintain a successful program is to consistently upgrade and build new facilities. The winning percentage and trajectory of both Montana State and Montana support this view. In the ten years predating WG stadium, UM won only 39% of their games; in the ten years after WG stadium, UM won at a 70% clip. Similarly, in the ten years before a major renovation to Bobcat stadium MSU won just 41% of their games; in the ten years after the renovation MSU won nearly 50% of their games.

 

[BengalDad]

New turf is a great start!

 

[Skippy]

IMO, one of the most important ways to maintain a successful program is to consistently upgrade and build new facilities. The winning percentage and trajectory of both Montana State and Montana support this view. In the ten years predating WG stadium, UM won only 39% of their games; in the ten years after WG stadium, UM won at a 70% clip. Similarly, in the ten years before a major renovation to Bobcat stadium MSU won just 41% of their games; in the ten years after the renovation MSU won nearly 50% of their games.

Facilities -- and timing. When Reno, Boise State and Idaho all left the Big Sky in the early 1990s, the league power structure was left with a vacuum at the top. Montana jumped in to fill that vacuum, and the fact they built Washington Grizzly Stadium at the same time -- and had a unique, high-octane offensive system that attracted fans and recruits -- all conspired to make the Griz what they are today. I watched Washington-Griz go from a barebones bowl with some metal bleachers in the early 1990s into the fully-enclosed facility with luxury boxes that it is today. It's amazing how the momentum builds on itself -- a few winning seasons, more fans, stadium expansion to accommodate the fans, more wins, and on it goes.

Similarly, at about the same time that Mike Kramer showed up at MSU in the early 2000s, they undertook a stadium upgrade and expansion, and we saw the same phenomenon. Beat the Griz three years out of four, the place fills up, expand the place to accommodate more demand, more money rolls in, better players, more fans, etc.

It's been good to see ISU gradually improve its facilities in the last five years, after about 30 years of near total neglect. The new turf, improved lockerrooms and weight room are all nice additions. Unfortunately the structure of the dome makes the next big steps (luxury boxes, permanent end zone seats, who knows what else?) a multi-million dollar proposition. We need a turf practice field, and we desperately need a football complex that includes new coaches offices, a players lounge, etc. How the coaches ever sign a recruit while visiting with them in the current office structure is beyond me. It's a credit to Kramer's gift of gab.

And of course, we need to start winning games. That builds demand for tickets and that is what, ultimately, allowed Montana and Montana State to expand their stadiums -- the prospect of new seats generating new revenue.

 

[mvem]

Facilities -- and timing. When Reno, Boise State and Idaho all left the Big Sky in the early 1990s, the league power structure was left with a vacuum at the top. Montana jumped in to fill that vacuum, and the fact they built Washington Grizzly Stadium at the same time -- and had a unique, high-octane offensive system that attracted fans and recruits -- all conspired to make the Griz what they are today. I watched Washington-Griz go from a barebones bowl with some metal bleachers in the early 1990s into the fully-enclosed facility with luxury boxes that it is today. It's amazing how the momentum builds on itself -- a few winning seasons, more fans, stadium expansion to accommodate the fans, more wins, and on it goes.

Your history is a little off in this paragraph. First, Montana built WaGriz nearly 6 years before Nevada moved up to I-A & nearly 10 years before Idaho & Boise left. Second: the departures of those schools did leave a little bit of a vacuum, but not as much as you suggest. Keep in mind Montana was the defending national champion and had 10 consecutive winning seasons at the time Idaho & Boise moved up.

 

[Skippy]

Your points are true but what I was pointing out is that Montana's timing was excellent. They had a new stadium in place and an excellent coach with a fun offensive system all at the time that the three most consistent programs in the league were leaving. Once those three left there really wasn't anybody else in the league to challenge Montana on a consistent basis. Had those three stayed in the league there is no doubt Montana would not have been nearly as dominant as it became.