Gill's not going anywhere yet

By Chris

Good news from the UB Athletics Department today:

University at Buffalo head football coach Turner Gill will remain on the Bulls sidelines in 2009 and for the foreseeable future after receiving an extension and increase in salary for the Bulls outstanding accomplishments this year.

Due to University policy, terms of the agreement will not be released.

[...]

“On the day I came here to be the head coach I told my team that one day we would be successful here at the University at Buffalo,” said Gill. “Now, more than ever, I have never been more proud to be the head coach of this program at this great academic institution. This program has proven it can win now and it is built to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to President John Simpson and Athletic Director Warde Manuel for their continued support and faith in me as a football coach and leader of young men.

“I additionally want to thank our coaching staff and support staff for all they have done that has allowed us to have success in our football program,” said Gill.

Gill's contract will now run through the 2013 season, with a rollover option each year, and his raise in pay will place him as one of the highest-paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference. All of the Bulls' assistant coaches will also see an increase in their compensation.

“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of Turner, his coaching staff and his team,” said Manuel. “They have brought unprecedented attention to the University at Buffalo and have been great ambassadors for the school. I am thrilled that Turner will remain as our head coach, and with President John Simpson, am elated to reward him and his staff for their efforts.”

Here we have a Buffalo football coach getting an extension that no one will complain about. Everyone associated with UB should be proud of the team and excited for what the future holds. Even if this may certainly be Gill's last season in Buffalo.

The Ugly Side of Sports

By Chris

With the hiring of Gene Chizik at Auburn, many around the country are basically up in arms that UB coach Turner Gill didn't get the job.

Charles Barkley is leading the charge.

“I’m in shock that Turner didn’t get that job,” Barkley told The Buffalo News on Monday. “First of all he deserved the job — I’m in shock. It’s so frustrating because he should have gotten the Nebraska job, and it’s frustrating to me that a guy with a proven track record doesn’t get these jobs. It’s no disrespect to the coaches who get these jobs.”

Members of the Alabama media are also scratching their heads over Auburn's decision to hire a less qualified coach.

Josh Moon of the Montgomery Advertiser writes:

Forget their coaching records, where Gill clearly has an edge. Forget fan sentiment, where Gill clearly has an edge. And forget recruiting prowess, where Gill clearly has an edge.

The higher-ups at AU disregarded all of that and picked Chizik for one simple reason: That's the guy they felt comfortable with.

And that's a problem. A big one.

Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that comfort was built entirely on the color of Chizik's skin. Obviously, I believe race played a big role in this, but it wasn't the only factor, and maybe not even the biggest factor.

It seems the most appealing attribute offered by Chizik was his willingness to bend and give up some control to AU's meddlesome group of boosters and power players.

Of course, because race is being heavily played into this, the situation is also getting plenty of coverage by the national media.

Outside the Lines did a piece about the curiously low number African-American head coaches in Division I and featured an interview with Gill from January 2007:



At the end of the piece, Bob Ley interviewed ESPN.com football writer Mark Schlabach, who was critical of Chizik's hiring in a recent column.

Schlabach said that Gill not getting hired by Auburn and other teams in the SEC goes deeper than just the color of his skin, but also because of the race of his family.

Deadspin's got the link to the interview segment.

Ley put it best when he said, "2009 and you heard that." How far have we really come in terms of equality?

There's no question Gill is a talented coach who will one day be hired to head up a major program. He's too good to get passed over again and again.

Gill knows what he's up against though, and like he's done throughout his coaching career at Buffalo, he's only concerning himself with matters that he can control.

From The Buffalo News story:

Gill was asked Monday if he was given a fair opportunity during the interview process at Syracuse and Auburn.

“It’s up for everybody’s own opinion,” said Gill, who withdrew his name for consideration at Syracuse. “I feel as if I had a sincere look. God has a plan and if he wanted me to be at those particular places he would have placed me there. I’m excited to be the head football coach here and we’ll see how things work out.”

In other news, Gill is a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coach of the Year award:

The 2008 Paul Bear Bryant College Football Coach of the Year Finalists, in alphabetical order: Mack Brown, University of Texas; Turner Gill, University at Buffalo; Mike Leach, Texas Tech University; Houston Nutt, University of Mississippi; Chris Petersen, Boise State University; Nick Saban, University of Alabama; Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma and Kyle Whittingham, University of Utah.

That's some pretty good company. The winner will be announced on Jan. 15.

Long Overdue Post About UB Football

By Chris

I've watched more UB Football than probably anyone this year and I'm ashamed I haven't posted anything about the miraculous season the team has had.

It's been a dream season for everyone who's been involved.

Even in the fourth quarter against Ball State, after the second fumble recovery for a touchdown, I was still worried they might not be able to pull it out. I was covering the game for The Spectrum, UB's student newspaper, when Western Michigan dropped 21 points on them in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then win in overtime at UB Stadium.

I also watched them rally back in Central Michigan and miss out on a victory because of a stubborn right goal post. They've been in every game, for the good and the bad. I watched a closely contested bout against Missouri, when the more talented team stepped up and won in the fourth quarter.

There was also the Hail Mary grab by Naaman Roosevelt in the first Mid-American Conference game of the year. And the now-infamous rally in Bowling Green to clinch the division title. The team has had so many ups and downs that no lead has ever been safe--for either team.

Going into the MAC Championship game, I came to the conclusion that the Bulls were a good football team--they'll be able to capitalize on their opportunities but they'll still be prone to key mistakes that will probably cost them the game. I figured they'd lose by a score of 38-24 or something close to that.

Common sense said they would need a few turnovers to stay in the game--and boy did they ever get the turnovers.

I've listened to Bulls coach Turner Gill every week at the weekly press conference stress how they work on stripping the ball on defense. Being tenacious and being, his phrase of the year, "relentless to finish." Eventually, he said, those techniques become second nature.

The Bulls defense was outstanding it it can all be traced back to Gill.

It's obvious what he and Athletic Director Warde Manuel have done for the program and how they've made it respectable.

Last season, the rumors swirled that Gill was headed to Nebraska, his alma mater, to take over the Cornhusker program. Bo Pellini was chosen over Gill so Gill came back to Buffalo and won a conference championship.

With the accolades, he was rumored to be in line to take over at Syracuse and Auburn. The Syracuse job was filled on Friday and reports circled late yesterday that Auburn had decided on its next head coach. I had the words "Turner Gill" programmed into Google Alerts to keep me updated on any breaking news.

There's no question that Gill will leave Buffalo and take over a bigger program. It's just a matter of when and where. For now, it seems that Gill will return to UB for at least one more season. He's a tremendous coach who knows how to get the best out of his players.

But he's not just a great coach-- he's also a great leader. He's shaped young men who were only used to losing at the Division I level and shaped them into champions. Guys like Drew Willy, James Starks, Jeff Niedermier, Mike Thompson and Andrae Smith weren't even guys Gill recruited--they're players that he's adopted and made better. It's because of players like them that will likely keep Gill at the college level for his career.

You won't see him jumping to the pros (sorry disillusioned Bills fans) because he takes so much pride in helping develop young players.

Sure at times he may be a bit too conservative with his playcalling, but that's probably the most negative thing you can say about the guy. While it's unfortunate for Gill that the opportunity to move up the ladder isn't available right now, it will be soon enough. He's too good a coach and a person. UB is damn lucky that it looks like Gill will be returning to the sideline next season.

But first, they've got one more game on Jan. 3. We'll see you in Toronto.

Secret Santa: To Turner Gill:

Happy Holidays, Coach.

Hope it fits, because it looks like you'll be wearing it for at least a few more years.

Just don't trade it in for one of these, ok?

From: The Goose's Roost

Turner Gill Watch

By Chris

It was revealed today that University at Buffalo Athletic Director Warde Manuel has granted head coach Turner Gill permission to interview with the Nebraska Cornhuskers for their head coaching position.

"I'm happy for Turner and his family about getting the opportunity to talk to Nebraska," Manuel said. "He's worked extremely hard and deserves this opportunity."

It also turns out that Nebraska big wigs interim AD Tom Osborne and chancellor Harvey Perlman took a flight to meet with LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pellini without LSU's knowledge.

Manuel believes an interview (with Gill) will take place "in the next day or so."

As the dominoes continue to fall, the Roost will provide coverage and links to all of the action.

The End of the Turner Gill Era?

By Chris

The Bills are in "must-win mode" if they want to keep their season alive. The Sabres are finally wheeling and dealing again. But it will be the college football scene that will have everyone in Buffalo talking.

The UB Bulls wrapped up their season this afternoon, a wild overtime win against Kent State, to cap off the most successful season in the school's D-I history.

One of the biggest reasons for the turn-around? Coaching.

And Turner Gill may have spent his last afternoon on the Bulls' sideline this afternoon. See, Gill got his chops at Nebraska as one of the greatest quarterbacks the school had ever seen. Then he got into coaching and was an assistant coach for three Cornhusker national championship seasons.

He signed a five-year deal with UB in December 2005 and has changed the attitude surrounding UB football significantly. He's got everyone believing that the program can be a winner and the team fell just one game short of bowl eligibility this season. The Bulls 5 wins this season equals their win total for the last three years combined. Quite the turn-around.

Gill's name has been in the loop for many coaching position's throughout the country. And now that Nebraska has fired coach Bill Callahan, it seems like just a matter of time before Tom Osborne offers Gill the job. Gill and Osborne are as close as close can be, and it would be a dream for Gill to be able to lead his alma mater back to glory.

As Gill said in his post-game press conference "Time will tell."

The Roost will continue to provide updates on the UB coaching carousel that may be set in motion soon.

B-U-(clap, clap)-F-F-(clap, clap)-A-L-(clap, clap)-O GO!

By Jon

I sent an utterly bizarre text message a few days ago.

The Roost's own Chris was on the receiving end of this doozie: "Are there any UB football games over Thanksgiving break?"

Strange, I know. The day has come where a University at Buffalo football game is worth attending. Not to say that I haven't attended one before (2006's home opener was absolutely unwatchable), but now I just might get my money's worth. A laughingstock since their Division I-A (or "Football Bowl Subdivision," for all of you new-schoolers) inception, UB now sits atop the MAC East standings, and people are taking notice.

Lot's of people deserve credit for the outstanding turnaround. Head coach Turner Gill seems to be getting the majority of the credit, and for the most part, it is well-deserved. Gill had the guts to take over one of the worst programs in the entire country and has them sitting pretty in just his second year. As past coaches Craig Cirbus and Jim Hofher will tell you, the UB head coaching job was regarded as career suicide. How can you recruit players to come to a place where there is virtually no college football history, cold weather, and a losing reputation? Gill seems to have found a way, with a large number of freshman and sophomore players starting on both sides of the ball. Athletic Director Warde Manual deserves some respect for the foresight to hire Gill, and has done a very good job of hyping a once-maligned program (nearly 30,000 in attendance for the aforementioned 2006 home opener is quite the accomplishment.) If Manual is smart, he will offer Gill a hefty raise to fight off those pesky Nebraska rumors.

Another bright spot for this year's incarnation of the Bulls is the amount of production from local kids. I'm sure most would argue that Niagara Falls High School product James Starks has been the MVP of the team, while Naaman Roosevelt (St. Francis) is the team's top wide receiver.

Do yourself a favor, and head on down to Amherst for a football game. UB basketball games have been a good bang for your buck for a few years now (although, they pale in comparison to their SUNY counterparts in the state capitol), and it seems like the football program has finally caught up.

Hell, when was the last time a football team from Buffalo had a legitimate shot at the post-season?