Bowling Green State University Athletics
Comments From Press Conference
December 04, 2000 | Football
Dec. 4, 2000
Paul Krebs
I want to recognize Dr. Sidney Ribeau. This man is extremely supportive of our athletic program and I cannot tell you how impressive he has been to the candidates we have talked to and how thrilled they are about the future of Bowling Green State University and our athletic program in part because of Dr. Ribeau and his tremendous leadership. So, I certainly want to thank him for his help during this process.
Since Coach Blackney announced that he was going to resign effective at the end of the season, we conducted a national search. It truly was national. We searched all over the country. I know it was an exhaustive search, I was exhausted at times. But, it was an exhaustive search to try and find the best candidate for Bowling Green State University and the man to lead our football program. I am confident that we have done just that. We have found the best fit. Besides the obvious coaching abilities, we were looking for things like leadership, recruiting ability, a high energy level, somebody who was committed to Bowling Green and wanted to be at Bowling Green State University. Certainly not least was an exciting style of offense and somebody who has been associated with top programs and top coaches around the country, a familiarity with the Midwest and somebody who was willing to be and was committed to being involved in a committee that would help us sell our football program within the community.
The goal all along was to have somebody on board by the first week of December. Well, it's December 4th, the first full week of December, and we're here at a press conference. I feel good about that, but like I've said before, it's not a race. It was an attempt to find the best fit, the best coach, and in Urban Meyer, we've done that. I think he is one of the best young coaches in America. That is something we found as we talked to the numerous head coaches, the numerous conference commissioners and the numerous former players and as we did our homework, Urban's name consistently came up in the conversations. He was the guy we focused on from the beginning. He was our number one candidate and I'm honored and thrilled to have him on our staff.
He's got great pedigrees. He's worked for coach Earl Bruce at Colorado State and Ohio State. He's worked with Sonny Lubick at Colorado State. For those of you who are not familiar with Colorado State, they have done a tremendous job out there. Urban was a part of renovating that program and getting that program back on top. He has worked with coach Lou Holtz, who is certainly no stranger to Ohio, Bob Davies, and a gentleman that hasn't probably been mentioned that much, but somebody that I have an association with, and that's Jim Colletto. They all speak extremely highly of Urban. Urban wanted the job, and I can tell you the network he put in place to work and to speak on his behalf was impressive to say the least.
The other thing that bears mentioning, is when you talk to people about Urban Meyer, four things consistently came out. One is that he was a difference maker. Whether it was Bob Davie, whether it was Lou Holtz, whether it was Kevin White, the athletic director at Notre Dame, somebody who I've known and respect greatly, the word that kept coming out was this man is a difference maker. Lou Holtz said it, Earl Bruce said it: He has a way with people. He has a way of getting people to be motivated and to get things done and make them feel good in the process. He's a leader. That came through loud and clear again from all the coaches that have worked with him. Another consistent value that came through was he is family man. When you're getting Urban Meyer, you're getting Shelley and his three children. You're getting the whole family. I think that's important to our community. He's been praised by coaches. I've had numerous high school coaches around the state call me, from the largest at St. Ignatius to some of the smaller schools say what a great recruiter, what a great individual he is. Praised as a great teacher by all the coaches. Praised as somebody who is poised under pressure, somebody who never lost his composure. I think coach Colletto said it well, he's got spunk. I can tell you, he's relentless. As Urban and I discussed his position and his desire to be here, that relentlessness came through time and time again.
Let me just take a minute and read a little bit about Urban's background. I just found out this morning that he was actually born in Toledo, Ohio. He went to the University of Cincinnati, played football there, and graduated from Cincinnati. He was a 13th-round draft pick in the amateur baseball draft in 1982, and played two years in the Atlanta Braves organization. He coached at Ohio State, coached at Illinois State. He spent six years at Colorado State, and most recently comes to us as the wide receiver/ special teams coach from Notre Dame. With Urban today is his wife, Shelley, and his three children, Nicole, Gigi and Nathan. I'm going to turn it over to the 15th head coach of the Bowling Green State University Falcons, Urban Meyer.
I'm looking forward to working with Dr. Ribeau, Paul Krebs, and Kerm Stroh and to bring Bowling Green State University back to the top of the Mid-American Conference. There are several characteristics that attracted me to the position of head football coach here at Bowling Green. First, I've always considered BG as one of the top programs in the MAC. There is a tradition of winning. We are second in the history in conference wins and conference championships. With my coaching background, I am fully aware of the importance and way a tradition has in attracting the top players available. Second, the MAC has resurfaced as an exciting and competitive league. Victories over several Big Ten schools, a nationally televised championship game along with the tie-ins with the Motor City bowl have given the MAC national recognition and respect. Third, the University itself has a lot to offer in terms of recruiting. We have an ideal location with easy access to all the major Midwestern cities. Students enjoy their time here at Bowling Green, and we have a beautiful, safe campus where the student athletes can concentrate on what's important to their success. Fourth, academically we will graduate our players and are committed to the full development of the student athlete. Finally, my staff and I will see that each student athlete will enjoy and benefit from the entire collegiate experience. This includes involvement with the student body, the faculty, and the Bowling Green community. I have been very fortunate to work with some of the top coaches in the history of college football. Hopefully I can share with the players my experiences and use that to build a winning program here.
