Dismissal catches UM alum off guard
10:00 PM, Mar. 29, 2012 | 4 Comments
The Great Falls football community reacted with shock and awe Thursday to the news that University of Montana Athletic Director Jim O'Day and head football coach Robin Pflugrad had been fired.
Doug Sexe, Bob Bronson and Jack Johnson said yes, they were stunned.
And Dave Dickenson said no, he isn't interested in becoming the next football field boss in Missoula.
"It's a tough place to coach," he said.
That never seemed more true than Thursday morning when UM President Royce Engstrom dismissed O'Day, the Cut Bank native who had served seven years as AD, and Pflugrad, the reigning Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year who led the Grizzlies last fall to the league title and the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Great Falls businessmen Sexe and Bronson are former Grizzly athletes and longtime members of the local UM booster club, the Grizzly Scholarship Association.
"It's tough, but it is what it is," Bronson said. "We all have to wait until it all shakes out to really make a judgment on what's happened. And then we can all move forward."
Said Sexe: "It's a sad day for Grizzly athletics."
Engstrom did not give a reason for the dismissals in a statement. The university recently has investigated a series of sexual assaults, some of them allegedly involving UM athletes. Starting quarterback Jordan Johnson was accused of such a crime recently; he denies the charge.
Johnson received a civil no-contact order after a UM student filed a police report. No charges were filed against the quarterback, and he returned to practice Saturday. Afterward in a statement, Pflugrad, who compiled a record of 18-7 in two years as head coach, applauded Johnson's "character and tremendous moral fiber."
Several other football players have been in trouble with the law in the last year.
"From my perspective, I don't think Pflugrad or O'Day were caught up in any of the antics or knew anything about it," said Sexe, a former C.M. Russell High sports star and UM linebacker. "But I guess you're guilty by association. When bad things like that happen, they look at the people in charge. And heads roll."
O'Day said he was given no specific reason for the firings and that he had no knowledge of any possible NCAA violations or other problems within the UM program.
"We've gone through a couple of tough situations, and each one has taken a toll," said O'Day, who was hired as athletic director in 2005, moving up from director of development for UM intercollegiate athletics after Don Read retired. "It's time for me to regroup, maybe find some new energy or new challenges. We'll see what's in store.
"It's a tough profession. ... I guess the president just felt he needed a change in the athletic and the football program."
Was it fair?
"I'd rather not comment on that," O'Day said.
CMR's Johnson, the state's winningest prep football coach, said it was disappointing news.
"Robin's a good friend, and so is Jim O'Day," Johnson said. "It upsets me. ... It's bad timing, but I guess there's never good timing for something like this."
Greg Sundberg is a Great Falls native who is executive director of the Grizzly Scholarship Association. He was at the staff meeting Thursday morning when Engstrom informed UM employees.
"We're losing two great Grizzlies, who both held the institution and the student-athletes in high regard," Sundberg said. "What we have to focus on now is to go forward and produce what President Engstrom would like to see. ... We've been knocked to the ground, and we have to get up."
Bronson, a Havre native who ran track for the Grizzlies and has two daughters who were also UM athletes, said many fans are seeking answers.
"I think a lot of people were stunned, including the ones who were let go," Bronson said. "Jim's a personal friend of mine, so it's really tough. And besides I think he did a heckuva good job. And Robin has always been a good friend, too ...
"It's so sudden and so quick. This will take a couple of days to sink in."
The news traveled fast throughout Montana and beyond. Dickenson, the former great CMR and Grizzly quarterback who is now offensive coordinator of the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, said his phone was blowing up Thursday afternoon.
"I don't know the reasoning (for the firings), but I've got nothing but good to say about Pflu and Jim," Dickenson said. "I think they're both good people, and they've both done a great job. ... It's just too bad."
Dickenson is aware that the UM program has received some bad publicity of late following the arrests of some players and sexual allegations leveled against others.
"There's always going to be a certain amount of bad things that happen. It's college kids," Dickenson said. "It's how you deal with those things that matters: Do you cut guys right away or show a little bit of compassion at times?
"Certainly anyone can make a mistake, but how much do you hold a kid responsible? That's one of the advantages for me right now: I'm not coaching in college. When you're coaching men, you're not as likely to have these issues. And if you do, you just cut them or release them.
"But as a college coach, I think you're somewhat responsible to form and shape these young men for later on. You have to have a little leniency with them."
Dickenson said he does not anticipate being a candidate for the coaching vacancy.
"Not at this point, no," he said. "I'm a little bit away from the college game, and I like what I'm doing right now. ... When I get a little older, I'd like to move back to Montana, but I think the next head coach there has to be fairly adept on understanding all the NCAA rules and violations, and I just don't have that now. I would hope most of current staff can remain."
Engstrom's statement indicated an interim AD and head coach will be named soon as the Grizzlies continue spring practice.
O'Day, who called the Tribune while on an airplane bound for the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, said he realized two things before taking the job.
"I knew what I was getting into," he said. "You get hired, and you get fired."
He didn't expect the latter Thursday morning, though, when he and Pflugrad were summoned to a meeting with Engstrom, a Nebraska native with a doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin who was named UM president in October 2010.
"We were both shocked and stunned," O'Day said.
He was asked if he had regrets.
"No, but I need some time to think about it," O'Day said. "I need some time to reflect."
O'Day, whose family owned the Western Breeze newspaper in Cut Bank for many years, graduated from UM with a journalism degree and has been a Grizzly fan most of his life.
"I still will be," he said. "But things happen, and I believe everything happens for a reason."
10:00 PM, Mar. 29, 2012 | 4 Comments
The Great Falls football community reacted with shock and awe Thursday to the news that University of Montana Athletic Director Jim O'Day and head football coach Robin Pflugrad had been fired.
Doug Sexe, Bob Bronson and Jack Johnson said yes, they were stunned.
And Dave Dickenson said no, he isn't interested in becoming the next football field boss in Missoula.
"It's a tough place to coach," he said.
That never seemed more true than Thursday morning when UM President Royce Engstrom dismissed O'Day, the Cut Bank native who had served seven years as AD, and Pflugrad, the reigning Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year who led the Grizzlies last fall to the league title and the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Great Falls businessmen Sexe and Bronson are former Grizzly athletes and longtime members of the local UM booster club, the Grizzly Scholarship Association.
"It's tough, but it is what it is," Bronson said. "We all have to wait until it all shakes out to really make a judgment on what's happened. And then we can all move forward."
Said Sexe: "It's a sad day for Grizzly athletics."
Engstrom did not give a reason for the dismissals in a statement. The university recently has investigated a series of sexual assaults, some of them allegedly involving UM athletes. Starting quarterback Jordan Johnson was accused of such a crime recently; he denies the charge.
Johnson received a civil no-contact order after a UM student filed a police report. No charges were filed against the quarterback, and he returned to practice Saturday. Afterward in a statement, Pflugrad, who compiled a record of 18-7 in two years as head coach, applauded Johnson's "character and tremendous moral fiber."
Several other football players have been in trouble with the law in the last year.
"From my perspective, I don't think Pflugrad or O'Day were caught up in any of the antics or knew anything about it," said Sexe, a former C.M. Russell High sports star and UM linebacker. "But I guess you're guilty by association. When bad things like that happen, they look at the people in charge. And heads roll."
O'Day said he was given no specific reason for the firings and that he had no knowledge of any possible NCAA violations or other problems within the UM program.
"We've gone through a couple of tough situations, and each one has taken a toll," said O'Day, who was hired as athletic director in 2005, moving up from director of development for UM intercollegiate athletics after Don Read retired. "It's time for me to regroup, maybe find some new energy or new challenges. We'll see what's in store.
"It's a tough profession. ... I guess the president just felt he needed a change in the athletic and the football program."
Was it fair?
"I'd rather not comment on that," O'Day said.
CMR's Johnson, the state's winningest prep football coach, said it was disappointing news.
"Robin's a good friend, and so is Jim O'Day," Johnson said. "It upsets me. ... It's bad timing, but I guess there's never good timing for something like this."
Greg Sundberg is a Great Falls native who is executive director of the Grizzly Scholarship Association. He was at the staff meeting Thursday morning when Engstrom informed UM employees.
"We're losing two great Grizzlies, who both held the institution and the student-athletes in high regard," Sundberg said. "What we have to focus on now is to go forward and produce what President Engstrom would like to see. ... We've been knocked to the ground, and we have to get up."
Bronson, a Havre native who ran track for the Grizzlies and has two daughters who were also UM athletes, said many fans are seeking answers.
"I think a lot of people were stunned, including the ones who were let go," Bronson said. "Jim's a personal friend of mine, so it's really tough. And besides I think he did a heckuva good job. And Robin has always been a good friend, too ...
"It's so sudden and so quick. This will take a couple of days to sink in."
The news traveled fast throughout Montana and beyond. Dickenson, the former great CMR and Grizzly quarterback who is now offensive coordinator of the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, said his phone was blowing up Thursday afternoon.
"I don't know the reasoning (for the firings), but I've got nothing but good to say about Pflu and Jim," Dickenson said. "I think they're both good people, and they've both done a great job. ... It's just too bad."
Dickenson is aware that the UM program has received some bad publicity of late following the arrests of some players and sexual allegations leveled against others.
"There's always going to be a certain amount of bad things that happen. It's college kids," Dickenson said. "It's how you deal with those things that matters: Do you cut guys right away or show a little bit of compassion at times?
"Certainly anyone can make a mistake, but how much do you hold a kid responsible? That's one of the advantages for me right now: I'm not coaching in college. When you're coaching men, you're not as likely to have these issues. And if you do, you just cut them or release them.
"But as a college coach, I think you're somewhat responsible to form and shape these young men for later on. You have to have a little leniency with them."
Dickenson said he does not anticipate being a candidate for the coaching vacancy.
"Not at this point, no," he said. "I'm a little bit away from the college game, and I like what I'm doing right now. ... When I get a little older, I'd like to move back to Montana, but I think the next head coach there has to be fairly adept on understanding all the NCAA rules and violations, and I just don't have that now. I would hope most of current staff can remain."
Engstrom's statement indicated an interim AD and head coach will be named soon as the Grizzlies continue spring practice.
O'Day, who called the Tribune while on an airplane bound for the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, said he realized two things before taking the job.
"I knew what I was getting into," he said. "You get hired, and you get fired."
He didn't expect the latter Thursday morning, though, when he and Pflugrad were summoned to a meeting with Engstrom, a Nebraska native with a doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin who was named UM president in October 2010.
"We were both shocked and stunned," O'Day said.
He was asked if he had regrets.
"No, but I need some time to think about it," O'Day said. "I need some time to reflect."
O'Day, whose family owned the Western Breeze newspaper in Cut Bank for many years, graduated from UM with a journalism degree and has been a Grizzly fan most of his life.
"I still will be," he said. "But things happen, and I believe everything happens for a reason."
