Eric the Red Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Downing is a finalist for the head coaching job at Northern Colorado. Quote Link to comment
Hunter94 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 i am ok with that......everyone wants an opportunity......normal hunter Quote Link to comment
Red November Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Downing a finalist for N. Colorado's head coaching job BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star Thursday, Dec 22, 2005 - 02:03:16 am CST Nebraska assistant football coach Scott Downing is among five finalists for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. (William Lauer, file photo) Nebraska assistant football coach Scott Downing is among five finalists for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. The 49-year-old Downing, in his third season as Husker recruiting coordinator, interviewed for the Northern Colorado position late last week. He has had two previous stints as a head coach during his 26-year coaching career — at Sterling (Kan.) College in 1982-83 and as NU’s freshman coach in 1986. “I think everybody somewhere along the line likes to be considered for a head coaching job,” Downing told the Greeley (Colo.) Tribune on Wednesday. “Certainly, my background lends itself to that.” Other finalists for the Northern Colorado position are Colorado Mines head coach Bob Stitt, Iowa State assistant Tony Alford, Kansas assistant Earnest Collins, and Mike Sewak, recently fired as head coach at NCAA Division I-AA Georgia Southern following an 8-4 season. All of the finalists are believed to have interviewed at least once. Stitt is a Nebraska native and former offensive coordinator at Doane. Northern Colorado’s final decision could be made as early as today, with an announcement occurring possibly on Friday, according to the Greeley newspaper. Kay Dalton was fired Dec. 2 following his sixth season as Northern Colorado’s head coach. The Bears, in their third season as a Division I-AA program, finished 4-7 this year. They’re set to begin their first season in the Big Sky Conference in 2006. Dalton, 73, was making an annual salary of $76,500. However, Ken McConnellogue, UNC vice president for university advancement, has stated that the salary of a new head coach could rise, saying “the price of doing business is going up.” Downing is Nebraska’s lowest-paid football assistant with an annual salary of $124,228. A native of Kansas City, Mo., Downing also helps coach Husker tight ends and special teams, working directly with punters and kickers. This season, NU senior Sam Koch averaged a school-record 45.87 yards per punt and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. In addition, freshman place-kicker Jordan Congdon made 18 of 22 field-goal attempts, including all three from 40 yards or longer. Downing arrived at Nebraska in 2003 after six seasons at Purdue as assistant head coach on Joe Tiller’s staff. Before his stint with the Boilermakers, Downing spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Wyoming, including the final six under Tiller. Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com. Quote Link to comment
Red November Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 TE's suck , but punter and kckers were great. Quote Link to comment
hack Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Downing a finalist for N. Colorado's head coaching job BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star Thursday, Dec 22, 2005 - 02:03:16 am CST Downing is Nebraska’s lowest-paid football assistant with an annual salary of $124,228. i know. that sucks. the other night, i heard my garbage cans getting knocked over. a grabbed my bat, expecting rabid raccoons or maybe grey aliens (it hasn't been the first time either have gone thru my garbage... bastards....) anyhow, long story short, i turned on the porch light and it was downing. yah, i know, it's sad. he was eating pizza crusts that my roommate threw way earlier. so we like get into the stare down. and i'm all like, "dude!" and he's like, "i only make 125K a year!" it was awkward. eventually i chased him off by spraying him with the garden hose. Quote Link to comment
hskrfannnwk Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 That's FUNNY!!! Quote Link to comment
AR Husker Fan Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 ***SNIP*** the other night, i heard my garbage cans getting knocked over. a grabbed my bat, expecting rabid raccoons or maybe grey aliens (it hasn't been the first time either have gone thru my garbage... bastards....) ***SNIP*** For some odd reason, I have no doubt about that at all... Quote Link to comment
DJR313 Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Downing just wants to be reunited with Andy Birkel. He apparently misses his great attitude and professional work ethic. Quote Link to comment
Red Snow Sword: Husker Sentinel Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 ^ Quote Link to comment
Eric the Red Posted December 28, 2005 Author Share Posted December 28, 2005 Downing Named Head Football Coach at Northern Colorado Former assistant coach at Nebraska, Purdue and Wyoming becomes 15th coach in program history. Scott Downing was named the 15th head coach in Northern Colorado football history on Tuesday. Football Home HEADLINES Downing Named Head Football Coach at Northern Colorado Doughty and Birkel Named to Don Hansen's Football Gazette I-AA Northwest All-Region Team Doughty Named to I-AA.org All-Star Team RELATED LINKS • CollegeSports.com Wire • Email this to a friend Dec. 27, 2005 Press Conference Quotes GREELEY, Colo. - The University of Northern Colorado has named Nebraska assistant coach Scott Downing the 15th head coach in Bears football history, Athletic Director Jay S. Hinrichs announced Tuesday. Downing, 49, comes to Northern Colorado after three years as recruiting coordinator while also coaching tight ends and kicking specialists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Downing previously was an assistant coach at Division I-A universities Purdue and Wyoming. He was head coach at his alma mater, Sterling College, an NAIA school in Sterling, Kan. "Coach Downing has the ability to change the perception and change the culture here at Northern Colorado," Hinrichs said. "He will build with upperclassmen, bring in great recruiting classes and definitely outwork the competition. This job does not come without some great expectations; we know that Coach Downing is the best person for this program at this point in our reclassification. "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the advisory committee and chair Sherri Frye for all of their work during this process. We are all very excited to have Scott and his wife Karen and their three sons join us in Greeley." Northern Colorado, which will finish the four-year National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) reclassification process to Division I (I-AA in football) in 2006, will join the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2006, and the program will face a full Big Sky schedule next season. "It is an honor to become the head football coach at the University of Northern Colorado," Downing said. "Our staff will do our very best to carry on the winning tradition and lead us into the Big Sky. My family and I are excited to become part of this Northern Colorado family." As an assistant to head coach Bill Callahan at Nebraska (2003-05), Downing helped coordinate recruiting efforts that landed the Cornhuskers one of the top-rated recruiting classes in the nation. His recruiting efforts helped Nebraska shake off its first losing campaign in 43 seasons in 2004, improving to 7-4 in 2005 and earning an appearance in the Alamo Bowl to be played Wednesday night versus Michigan. Downing also helped the Cornuskers' punters gain national recognition. He coached current Cincinnati Bengal Kyle Larson, who earned first-team All-American honors for the Cornhuskers. Larson was also a finalist for the 2003 Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter. The past two seasons, Downing has coached Sam Koch, who finished the 2004 season with a 41.3 yards/punt average and helped NU to a No. 16 national ranking in net punting (38.39 ypp). This season, Koch is third nationally in punting (45.9/punt) and Nebraska ranks second nationally in net punting (39.83 ypp). Before Nebraska, Downing spent six seasons (1997-02) as assistant head coach and running backs and special teams coach at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., under head coach Joe Tiller. He guided the Boilermakers' Travis Dorsch to All-American honors as both a kicker and punter. Dorsch won the 2001 Ray Guy Award and finished his career as the Big Ten's all-time leader in field goals (68) and kicking points (355). As running backs coach, he guided Joey Harris to a 1,115-yard rushing season and eight touchdowns in 2002. Downing also spent 10 seasons (1987-96) at the University of Wyoming, the final six under Tiller. From 1987-90, he was the linebackers coach for the Cowboys before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 1991. He served in that capacity from 1991-94 and then served as assistant head coach, coaching running backs and special teams in 1995 and 1996. During his time in Laramie, UW made four bowl appearances and won Western Athletic Conference (WAC) titles in 1987, 1988 and 1993 and the WAC Pacific Division title in 1996. Before Wyoming, Downing served as a graduate assistant under legendary Nebraska coach Tom Osborne and was the Huskers freshman head coach in 1986. During his first stint in Lincoln, NU had a 29-7 record and played in the 1985 and 1987 Sugar Bowls and 1986 Fiesta Bowl. Downing earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1979 from Sterling (Kan.) College. He was a four-year letterwinner (1975-78) for the Warriors at offensive guard. He was the squad's co-captain in each of his final two seasons. Following graduation, he was an assistant coach at Sterling for two seasons (1980-81) and was the program's head coach from 1982-83. During his two years as head coach, Sterling was 13-4-1 overall and ranked in the NAIA's final top 20 poll for the first time in school history. Downing was inducted into the Sterling Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. A native of Kansas City, Mo, Downing and his wife, Karen, have three sons, Matthew (18), Andrew (15) and Zachary (12). A formal opportunity to meet Coach Downing will be held on Wednesday January 11th at 4:00 p.m. at the Butler Hancock Athletic Center prior to the men's basketball game versus Denver. 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DJR313 Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congrats Scott. Good luck to you. Quote Link to comment
rawhide Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Congratulations and best of luck in all your endeavors. GBR Quote Link to comment
husker rob Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Good luck to you Scott. Quote Link to comment
formerfan Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Good luck and best wishes, Scott Quote Link to comment
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