Frank Solich Interviewed

Nice interview with Ohio Bobcat (and former Husker) Head Football coach Frank Solich. Great turnaround story at Ohio last year with the Bobcats winning nine games, the MAC East division and going to a bowl game for only the third time in school history. A couple of excerpts:

SB: What do you think has been the biggest reason for the quick turnaround for the program? Can you point to anything in particular that has changed since you took over as head coach?

FS: Well, they bought into our entire program, the players did, and we got them to give tremendous worth ethic. And obviously, one thing that did exist that they weren't having in the past is the fact that we were able to put together scholarships over the summer for players. So we were able to keep them here on campus with guys moving forward in their degrees. They were training together as a football team during the summer. And I don't think you can win football games without your squad being ready and conditioned year round to make it work. And so much chemistry gets developed over the summer when they're together. So that was a big, big thing for us to get that done and move forward with that. And then just the fact that the attitude seemed to be what we wanted in terms of them starting to believe in themselves, and once that happened, they started to believe in one another. And this truly felt like a football team ready to win games.

SB: You have such deep ties to Nebraska, having played there and coached there for so long. Do you have any lingering regrets about how your tenure there ended?

FS: Well, yeah, there are regrets on how that ended there, of course. But that's the business we're in. And obviously, it can come down to an individual or two as to where you're at, and any time there's a change in athletic directors, I think coaches are vulnerable. So that's what it was, and I feel good about what I was able to accomplish in six years there as a head coach. The staff that I took over as head coach with was a very good staff, and we maintained that staff for a few years. Unfortunately, it was an aging staff at one point, so we did make some changes. I was pleased with the opportunity I had to make changes, that good changes were made and that we could continue to move the program forward. So, you know, there's a time frame for new coaches where it's obvious you're extremely vulnerable, especially when you follow a coach like Coach Osborne. You know, he faced the same thing when he followed Coach [Bob] Devaney for a period of time.

Ohio is favored to repeat as East division winners, although they need to determine the starter at QB, RB Kevin McRae returns after two consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. He could become Ohio's career rushing leader with another 1,009 yards. Here's wishing Coach Frank and the team all the best.