Championship Subdivision Football | FCS Football | Stadiums | Blogs | Forums

A report coming out of the Times-Herald Record in Middletown, N.Y. is saying Army has moved Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson to the front of the line for its head coaching opening.

I talked to Ellerson and Cal Poly president Warren Baker on Monday. To hear what they had to say on the topic check out Tuesday’s edition of The Tribune.

It doesn’t seem like anything is set in stone one way or the other yet, though the Middeltown report makes Ellerson-to-Army sound like a slam dunk.

If it is, it could be a sad day for Mustangs fans. Ellerson is a winning coach with a Pac-10 pedigree. It will be interesting to see if Cal Poly will be able to find as good a coach who’s as enamored with the SLO life.

Ellerson, who’s coaching resume includes a stop at Southern Utah, has said he loves living San Luis Obispo.

But he grew up an army brat and has ties to Army. His brother was a team captain there in the early 1960s. And I can certainly see why he’d be the pick for an Army program that has been down in the dumps.

Army obviously isn’t the best choice for top recruits across the country, but Ellerson’s philosophy is to target players that might not be as attractive to the bigger schools anyway. His flex defense and option offense are solid schemes designed to compete with smaller athletes.

http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/coll ... y-to-army/

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/sports/story/567720.html

Rumors that Rich Ellerson would leave for the University of Washington didn’t materialize, but come Friday, the Cal Poly football coach could be introduced as the new head coach at Army.

Cal Poly President Warren Baker confirmed Monday night that Ellerson was in talks with Army, and a report on the Web site of the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., said Ellerson’s hire is pending the approval of the West Point Superintendent.

Ellerson declined to comment about the opening when reached Monday. Still, an announcement could come after Christmas.

Well i personally think he will take the job, even though its a smaller Div-1 school it still would allow him better exposure then it did at Cal Poly. I also believe the flexbone/triple option offense is the best out there, look at Georgia Tech! Another thing to consider, will Cal Poly go to a different offense if Ellerson leaves?

SUUTbird wrote:Well i personally think he will take the job, even though its a smaller Div-1 school it still would allow him better exposure then it did at Cal Poly. I also believe the flexbone/triple option offense is the best out there, look at Georgia Tech! Another thing to consider, will Cal Poly go to a different offense if Ellerson leaves?

If he's successful there (like Paul Johnson was at Navy) it could land him a Georgia Tech-like job in 3-4 years...

why leave a strong 1aa team like poly. he could easily have as many conf rings as he has fingers at poly. just to go to a 1a that sucks and will continue to suck unitll JESUS is announce as head coach to revive and breath life back in to a underpowered program??!!
look at bobby hauk i ask that man PERSONALLY "listen man, why do you just leave montana, move up and make more money?" response" theres something to be said about winning conf & national championships". and hes right unless your going into at lease an "ok" situation. why risk disaster? i dont blame the man for looking out for himself though.
btw i like my old coach but Coach Wulff at Wsu & Rodriguez at Michigan are both having a tough time.

Official now.

West Point’s leadership took a major step towards restoring its football program to national prominence on Friday by luring one of the top coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) ranks, Rich Ellerson, to lead the Black Knights’ football program.

One of the nation’s true triple option experts, Ellerson agreed to become Army’s 36th head football coach, announced West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Buster L. Hagenbeck and Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson.

Ellerson is a veteran of nearly 30 years of coaching experience on the collegiate ranks, including the last eight as head coach at Cal Poly. Not regarded as a traditional FCS power prior to Ellerson’s arrival in 2001, Cal Poly has finished each of the last four years ranked in the Top 25 of national FCS polls. The Mustangs have won at least seven games during each of the past six seasons and spent the majority of this past year ranked in the top 10 of both the FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll and The Sports Network Division I-AA Poll. The Mustangs were ranked No. 3 in the FCS Coaches Poll for the final seven weeks of the regular season (and the last four weeks of The Sports Network Poll) before they were upset in the first round of the FCS playoffs by Weber State on Nov. 29.

Hagenbeck said Ellerson’s proven record of success, strong leadership qualities and thorough knowledge of the triple option offense played a large role in his selection as West Point’s new football field boss.

“Rich has the experience we need,” said Hagenbeck, “An award and title winning head coach who runs the option, Rich also has extensive ties to West Point and the Army. Not only are his father and two brothers members of the Long Gray Line and career Army officers, but his brother John was the Captain of the 1962 team that went 6-4.”

Ellerson was named NCAA Division I-AA Independents Coach of the Year in 2003 and a year later honored as Great West Football Conference Coach of the Year as well as AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year.

Prior to his selection as Cal Poly’s 15th head football coach on Dec. 6, 2000, Ellerson served as the defensive coordinator at Arizona, holding that title from 1997 to 2000. It marked a return stint in Tucson for the highly regarded mentor. Ellerson assumed duties as the Wildcats’ assistant head coach, while overseeing Arizona’s defensive line and special teams during his first stay in the desert from 1992 to 1995. It was at that time that he first became associated with legendary former Army head coach Jim Young, who had retired as the Black Knights’ head coach following the 1990 season and assumed a volunteer role on Dick Tomey’s UA staff. Ellerson also assisted then-Army head coach Bob Sutton in installing his "Desert Swarm" defense at West Point, a stop unit that helped carry the Black Knights to a 10-2 record and a berth in the Independence Bowl in 1996

http://www.goarmysports.com/ViewArticle ... ID=3637320

I heard a rumor at the gym the day this hiring was announced that Cow Poly would replace Ellerson with a female.

If so, it's about time.