Post by A.G. on Dec 1, 2005 7:29:06 GMT -5
www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768459443&path=!sports
3 football programs interested in Virginia coaches
By Jay Jenkins
Daily Progress staff writer
Thursday, December 1, 2005
What do Kansas State, Liberty and Temple all have in common?
In a matter of days all three of those universities might have new head football coaches who were employed by the University of Virginia during the 2005 calendar year.
Speculation and published reports have tied Virginia's top three assistant football coaches - Al Golden, Ron Prince and Danny Rocco - individually to head coaching vacancies at the three respective institutions.
While Golden (Temple) and Prince (Kansas State) appear to be in the early stages of the interviewing process, sources said late Wednesday that Rocco's situation had picked up steam.
Liberty offered Rocco its opening on Wednesday and he will make an official decision today.
Rocco has coached at Virginia since 2001, when he left the New York Jets to follow coach Al Groh to Charlottesville.
During his time at UVa, Rocco has coached linebackers and served as the recruiting coordinator for a year, before relinquishing those duties to become associate head coach.
Rocco, 45, has family ties both locally in Lynchburg and to the football program at Liberty. His brother, Frank, Jr., is the head football coach at Liberty Christian Academy and his father was LU's director of football operations in 2000-01.
Also, Rocco's younger brother, David, coaches at Staunton River High in Moneta.
In 1984, Rocco graduated from Wake Forest University, giving him a keen awareness of the challenges that lie ahead at a smaller, church-affiliated university like Liberty.
Golden, UVa's defensive coordinator the past five seasons, interviewed on Wednesday at Temple with the selection committee and the school's president.
It marked the second interview for Golden, who was first interviewed shortly after Virginia's win over Temple at Scott Stadium on Nov. 5.
It has been reported that the Owls have also interviewed Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Hue Jackson and Wisconsin co-offensive coordinator Brian White, who has already said publicly that he will not return to Madison, Wis., next season.
Golden, 36, has obvious ties to Pennsylvania, having played and coached at Penn State University. In his final season as an assistant coach under Joe Paterno in 2000, Golden was the recruiting coordinator for the Nittany Lions.
For Golden, this marks the second straight season in which his name was attached to a vacant position. Last year, it was speculated that he would leave UVa to become the defensive coordinator on coach Charlie Weis' staff at Notre Dame.
That did not happen.
Prince, Virginia's offensive coordinator the past three years and offensive line coach for the last five, interviewed on Monday in Charlottesville with officials from Kansas State University according to multiple sources.
Prince, who was also incorrectly rumored to be a candidate for the Temple job earlier in November, was born in Omaha, Neb., and played and coached in Kansas at Dodge City Community College.
According to ESPN.com, after Prince's interview on Monday, Kansas State wanted to send a plane to pick up Prince for a second interview, which was to be held Wednesday night or today.
Kansas State must fill the vacancy left by the retirement of legendary coach Bill Snyder, who led the program for 17 years.
One of the leading candidates for the job at Kansas State was South Florida coach Jim Leavitt, a former assistant coach at KSU, but he received a seven-year contract extension from South Florida on Wednesday that goes through 2012.
If hired by Kansas State, Prince would become the fourth active African-American coach in Division I-A.
Contact Jay Jenkins at (434) 978-7248 or jjenkins@dailyprogress.com.
3 football programs interested in Virginia coaches
By Jay Jenkins
Daily Progress staff writer
Thursday, December 1, 2005
What do Kansas State, Liberty and Temple all have in common?
In a matter of days all three of those universities might have new head football coaches who were employed by the University of Virginia during the 2005 calendar year.
Speculation and published reports have tied Virginia's top three assistant football coaches - Al Golden, Ron Prince and Danny Rocco - individually to head coaching vacancies at the three respective institutions.
While Golden (Temple) and Prince (Kansas State) appear to be in the early stages of the interviewing process, sources said late Wednesday that Rocco's situation had picked up steam.
Liberty offered Rocco its opening on Wednesday and he will make an official decision today.
Rocco has coached at Virginia since 2001, when he left the New York Jets to follow coach Al Groh to Charlottesville.
During his time at UVa, Rocco has coached linebackers and served as the recruiting coordinator for a year, before relinquishing those duties to become associate head coach.
Rocco, 45, has family ties both locally in Lynchburg and to the football program at Liberty. His brother, Frank, Jr., is the head football coach at Liberty Christian Academy and his father was LU's director of football operations in 2000-01.
Also, Rocco's younger brother, David, coaches at Staunton River High in Moneta.
In 1984, Rocco graduated from Wake Forest University, giving him a keen awareness of the challenges that lie ahead at a smaller, church-affiliated university like Liberty.
Golden, UVa's defensive coordinator the past five seasons, interviewed on Wednesday at Temple with the selection committee and the school's president.
It marked the second interview for Golden, who was first interviewed shortly after Virginia's win over Temple at Scott Stadium on Nov. 5.
It has been reported that the Owls have also interviewed Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Hue Jackson and Wisconsin co-offensive coordinator Brian White, who has already said publicly that he will not return to Madison, Wis., next season.
Golden, 36, has obvious ties to Pennsylvania, having played and coached at Penn State University. In his final season as an assistant coach under Joe Paterno in 2000, Golden was the recruiting coordinator for the Nittany Lions.
For Golden, this marks the second straight season in which his name was attached to a vacant position. Last year, it was speculated that he would leave UVa to become the defensive coordinator on coach Charlie Weis' staff at Notre Dame.
That did not happen.
Prince, Virginia's offensive coordinator the past three years and offensive line coach for the last five, interviewed on Monday in Charlottesville with officials from Kansas State University according to multiple sources.
Prince, who was also incorrectly rumored to be a candidate for the Temple job earlier in November, was born in Omaha, Neb., and played and coached in Kansas at Dodge City Community College.
According to ESPN.com, after Prince's interview on Monday, Kansas State wanted to send a plane to pick up Prince for a second interview, which was to be held Wednesday night or today.
Kansas State must fill the vacancy left by the retirement of legendary coach Bill Snyder, who led the program for 17 years.
One of the leading candidates for the job at Kansas State was South Florida coach Jim Leavitt, a former assistant coach at KSU, but he received a seven-year contract extension from South Florida on Wednesday that goes through 2012.
If hired by Kansas State, Prince would become the fourth active African-American coach in Division I-A.
Contact Jay Jenkins at (434) 978-7248 or jjenkins@dailyprogress.com.
