Chuck Landon
March 11 2005
Marshall has best coach in place now
Chuck Landon
Daily Mail sportswriter
HUNTINGTON -- Is Marshall's spring practice an audition for Larry Kueck?
I hope so.
That's what it should be.
Marshall's spring drills, which began here today, should be an extended chance for the Thundering Herd's newly anointed interim head football coach to show if the "interim" part of his new title should be deleted.
If afforded that opportunity, I believe Kueck will prove to be a worthy successor to the recently retired Bob Pruett. I think Kueck deserves the job and I hope he gets it.
But is that a popular opinion in the Herd nation?
Probably not.
That's because Marshall fans in particular -- I don't know, maybe it's the school colors -- always seem to think that coaches, like grass, are greener on the other side.
They don't want to hear that Kueck is going to be the next head coach.
They prefer to talk about bringing Jim Donnan back or hiring Mickey Matthews or the return of such Marshall and/or West Virginia natives as Greg Adkins (Tennessee), Mark Snyder (Ohio State), Bill Legg (Purdue) or Tony Petersen (Minnesota).
Granted, that is an impressive list of outstanding coaches.
But is bringing in a new coach and, consequently, a new staff what Marshall's football program needs?
Absolutely, not.
What MU football needs more than anything else right now is continuity.
Which means hiring Kueck permanently.
Remember, it was Kueck and Pruett who developed this offensive system in 1996. Since then, it has produced 94 wins, five conference championships and five bowl victories.
That's impressive. So, why not keep it going?
The term "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," never applied more to any situation.
Imagine the alternative.
What if Marshall brought in a new head coach after spring practice? He would hire a new staff, of course. That would mean a brand new staff would have to install their offensive and defensive systems during August preseason practice with a team-full of players they didn't recruit and, then, dive head-first into a new league (Conference USA).
Could there be a worse nightmare?
I don't think so.
Marshall needs to avoid that scenario at all costs. Otherwise, the long-awaited inaugural season as members of Conference USA could turn into a fiasco.
That's the last thing Marshall needs. What MU does need is stability, dependability and continuity.
Their only one way of maintaining that -- naming Kueck head coach permanently. That would keep Pruett's former coaching staff intact, insure a sense of security in the locker room and keep players from leaving.
It's the logical move to make. If you don't believe me, ask Pruett.
"We have a chance to keep what is in place here, which I think is very good," said Pruett. "I think that's a necessity. That way we don't lose any players. We have the same continuity with assistants."
That, of course, means Pruett's successor would be Kueck. In Pruett's mind, can Kueck ascend to the head coaching job?
"I think so," said Pruett. "He doesn't have any trouble making decisions. He's very, very organized. I think he'll sit down and meet with them (the assistant coaches). I think, hopefully, it will work out."
The linchpin is Larry Kueck.
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A three-person committee will screen head coaching candidates. Athletic Director Bob Marcum appointed Huntington attorneys Menis Ketchum and Larry Tweel to the committee in addition to Dr. Robert Bookwalter, Marshall's NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative.
Contact sportswriter Chuck Landon at chuck_landon@yahoo.com
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