a source in Cullowhee has stated...

[catamount man]

...that Wagner fired OC Keith Heckendorf today. Will try to get more info. Wagner is 7-27 in Cullowhee. He has GOT to go at least 6-5 in 2011 to keep his job IMO.

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[catamount man]

don't know how much of what I have heard is true, but another source has said this firing was a "He goes, or you ALL go" decision. Don't know if that was Wagner to his staff or our AD to Wagner and the staff. If it was indeed from our AD, then MAJOR PROPS to Chip Smith. Enough is enough and with a new chancellor coming in, it is time to get this ship righted.

“I’m somebody who believes the chancellor at a place like Western Carolina needs to understand and appreciate the value of intercollegiate athletics,” he said. “They’re part of what generates loyalty to the institution. They make fundraising possible at a higher level and they play a real role in the college experience for students, whether they participate or not. The chancellor must understand and appreciate the role of athletics, but also must understand that they do not interfere with or impede academics.” - Tom Ross, incoming UNC President-elect to WCU Chancellor search committee

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2010/11/ross-d ... rch-group/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PenthouseClosedEnd]

Keith Heckendorf is a good man and he'll land on his feet somewhere.

[catamount man]

I agree but coming from being a GA to an FCS OC may have been too much. Again, just an opinion.

[State Line Liquors]

Any possibility this is where the JMU OC ends up, since my sources in Harrisonburg have said Darden is headed for the door up there?

Could this change potentially be the catalyst that starts a SoCon arms race?

How can we expect Samford to respond?

[catamount man]

I would take the JMU OC over what we've had. If MM takes the North Texas job, he may lose a lot of assistants assuming they don't wanna make the trip to Denton.

[PenthouseClosedEnd]

Any possibility this is where the JMU OC ends up, since my sources in Harrisonburg have said Darden is headed for the door up there?

Could this change potentially be the catalyst that starts a SoCon arms race?

How can we expect Samford to respond?

These are some thought provoking questions.

All I know is that Heckendorf's phone will be ringing with job offers.

[catamount man]

a lot of d2 schools are gonna need some good coaches. I have no doubt, Keith could be a good d2 OC.

[State Line Liquors]

Heads are rolling all over the place this week. Did you see that Texas State axed their coach too?

Where will the next domino fall?

[youngterrier]

Western had no offensive identity this season. this was a good decision

[State Line Liquors]

double post

[PenthouseClosedEnd]

Where will the next domino fall?

At the Boiling Springs KFC?

[ToTheLeft]

Where will the next domino fall?

At the Boiling Springs KFC?

I'm telling you guys. It's the perfect place. Things happen there.

[AshevilleApp]

don't know how much of what I have heard is true, but another source has said this firing was a "He goes, or you ALL go" decision. Don't know if that was Wagner to his staff or our AD to Wagner and the staff. If it was indeed from our AD, then MAJOR PROPS to Chip Smith. Enough is enough and with a new chancellor coming in, it is time to get this ship righted.

“I’m somebody who believes the chancellor at a place like Western Carolina needs to understand and appreciate the value of intercollegiate athletics,” he said. “They’re part of what generates loyalty to the institution. They make fundraising possible at a higher level and they play a real role in the college experience for students, whether they participate or not. The chancellor must understand and appreciate the role of athletics, but also must understand that they do not interfere with or impede academics.” - Tom Ross, incoming UNC President-elect to WCU Chancellor search committee

http://news-prod.wcu.edu/2010/11/ross-d ... rch-group/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good quote by Ross, hopefully the committee listens. There's no reason why WCU can't have a competitive program. You're a publicly funded school with a good size student body and alumni base. But winning starts with a commitment from the administration. Until that commitment is there, it won't matter much who the coach is.

[native]

Heads are rolling all over the place this week. Did you see that Texas State axed their coach too?

Where will the next domino fall?

Last week, Idaho State fired John Zamberlin, who finished 6-39 at ISU.

This week they hired Mike Kramer. Kramer has previously been the head coach at Eastern Washington and Montana State, where he won recognition as Big Sky Coach of the Year three times, twice while at MSU and once at EWU.

You have to go back a few years, but Idaho State once had a top level competitive football program. The Tigers are one of four Big Sky teams to have won an FCS national championship. ISU won in 1981.

[Appaholic]

WCU football, like the town it resides in, has no identity.....build it & they will come....wtf is there to offer top-flight recruits the other 7 mos of the year? Unless you're recruiting nothing but kayakers, hunters, &/or fisherman....

[AppStateAlumQC]

The big problem for Western is recruiting. It is hard for the program to attract the talent necessary to compete in the SoCon, much less on a national level. Can Western have a good year once in awhile? Yes. But it's very hard to sustain it. ASU's success the last five or six years has made it even harder for Western IMO. If you were a solid recruit and you had offers from Appalachian and Western, where would you want to go?

[Franks Tanks]

http://www.footballscoop.com/the-scoop" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Football Scoop is an excellent source for coaching moves.

[Skjellyfetti]

The big problem for Western is recruiting. It is hard for the program to attract the talent necessary to compete in the SoCon, much less on a national level. Can Western have a good year once in awhile? Yes. But it's very hard to sustain it. ASU's success the last five or six years has made it even harder for Western IMO. If you were a solid recruit and you had offers from Appalachian and Western, where would you want to go?

Western fans think they outrecruited us for the past 3 or 4 years.

[Appaholic]

The big problem for Western is recruiting. It is hard for the program to attract the talent necessary to compete in the SoCon, much less on a national level. Can Western have a good year once in awhile? Yes. But it's very hard to sustain it. ASU's success the last five or six years has made it even harder for Western IMO. If you were a solid recruit and you had offers from Appalachian and Western, where would you want to go?

Western fans think they outrecruited us for the past 3 or 4 years.

Well, they obviously have....just like EWU can calim a moral victory three years ago....

[The Cats]

WCU football, like the town it resides in, has no identity.....build it & they will come....wtf is there to offer top-flight recruits the other 7 mos of the year? Unless you're recruiting nothing but kayakers, hunters, &/or fisherman....

Your insights into WCU football and Cullowhee is just amazing. You must do lots, and lots of research.

[Appaholic]

WCU football, like the town it resides in, has no identity.....build it & they will come....wtf is there to offer top-flight recruits the other 7 mos of the year? Unless you're recruiting nothing but kayakers, hunters, &/or fisherman....

Your insights into WCU football and Cullowhee is just amazing. You must do lots, and lots of research.

That wasn't meant to be smack. Personally, I love to do 2 out of the three & always planned on going to WCU growing up...spent alot of time camping & fishing on Bear & Wolf Lake in my youth, continue to backpack in Panthertown Valley & like to canoe down the Tuckaseegee when it's running....but I imagine most 17-18 yr old recruits would like more of a town feel....& let's face it, Cullowhee really isn't even a town technically....there's no night life (closest "town" is Sylva which was used as the the backdrop of the Town of Aintry in the movie Deliverence) and not much tradition. Not a knock, merely the truth. Sorry.

[catamount man]

http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m ... 10aaa.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Skjellyfetti]

Hmmm. How do you feel about Dennis Wagner as offensive coordinator?

[catamount man]

Hmmm. How do you feel about Dennis Wagner as offensive coordinator?

I will withhold comment for now.