timothy.j.lasita@ohiou.edu
Since being hired in July 1995, Ohio Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh has appointed 11 Ohio head coaches.
Among Boeh's most noted hires has been the appointment of football coach Brian Knorr. In December of 2000, previous head coach Jim Grobe left Ohio after six seasons in Athens to accept the same position at Wake Forest. Soon thereafter, Boeh announced the hiring of Knorr, who served as an assistant for the Bobcats since 1995.
Grobe, who has amassed an 18-18 record in three seasons at Wake Forest, left Ohio with a 33-33-1 record, but did post an 8-3 season in 1997 and a 7-4 campaign in his final year. Since Knorr's hiring, the Bobcats have gone 7-28, including a 2-10 mark in 2003.
We need to break through two things with football
Boeh said. We need to get it back on track just to where Grobe had it which was about a competitive and occasional second or third in the division team to a championship team.
The combination of recruiting and the hiring of new offensive coordinator Phil Earley has left Knorr optimistic for the future, he said.
I think we've done a good job recruiting. I feel we have as much talent as we've had in the program since I've been here 10 years Knorr said.
Boeh inked Knorr to a five-year deal, which ends in December 2005. Knorr said the value of a multi-year deal goes a long way in terms of recruiting, specifically with the timetable that faces the average college football player.
I think kids want to know who they're going to play for
what kind of system they're going to play for
the values of that head coach and his program and his staff
Knorr said. I think it would be very difficult for a recruit to come in without thinking that I'm going to play for that guy for at least three years.
Just as prominent in Boeh's tenure has been the firing and eventual hiring of basketball coaches on both the men's and women's side.
On March 15, 2001, Boeh fired previous men's basketball coach Larry Hunter after a 19-12 season. Hunter spent 12 years at his alma mater, collecting a 204-148 record. In the '93-94 season, Hunter guided the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament, then won the preseason NIT Tournament a year later.
Hunter's dismissal, however, was not completely about wins and losses, Boeh said.
The biggest issue we had was culturally with the program
Boeh said. We knew that for the program to really grow
we had to get away from the constant turnover of players and the poor graduation rates that we had.
Boeh said from 1993-1999, 24 players entered the program, and 17 either left or did not graduate.
To replace Hunter, Boeh called upon Tim O'Shea, then an assistant at Boston College. O'Shea has compiled a 41-47 record in three seasons at the helm.
Now we're in a phase where this is clearly coach O'Shea's team
Boeh said. It's his players that he recruited
and as those players mature
I fully expect us to be very competitive again
