Rob Ash Fired

[tnt]

I can't imagine it was a surprise. He was NOT offered a three year contract as reported but rather it went from a three year rolling contract to year to year at the end of the season. You could visibly see Ashes countenance change as the game went on. I fact some cat fans were complaining about his lack of emotion. It was clear(to me at least) he KNEW what was going to happen this morning.

 

[CFallsGriz]

I remember while watching the game on Saturday that ROOT Sports had the cameras fixed on Ash for a few minutes towards the end of the game, and Ash did not look well at all... To me, the look on his face made me think that he knew his time at MSU was probably done after that loss.

I then thought I was probably reading into his facial expression too much... turns out my thought was actually correct.

I thought the same. Then I happened to catch part of the bobcat sports report last night, and man, that dude looked dogged, stressed out, sleep deprived, and just generally like shit. I bet he already had the news at that point. Couldn't help but feel kind of bad for the guy.

 

[Ursus1]

Greg Rachac ‏@gregrachac · 17m17 minutes ago
Cramsey: "Prukop does not want to play for another coach other than myself"

hmmmmm.......playing the Prukop card for a head coaching slot

 

[get'em_griz]

On a positive note, bobcatnation has 161 guests on their site right now. Probably the most traffic they've ever seen over there! :lol:

 

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

I think Fields is doing a wonderful job. He already has his guy, hence the quick turnaround.

 

[floridagriz15]

On a positive note, bobcatnation has 161 guests on their site right now. Probably the most traffic they've ever seen over there! :lol:

:clap: :lol:

 

[Grizzlies1982]

Greg Rachac ‏@gregrachac · 17m17 minutes ago
Cramsey: "Prukop does not want to play for another coach other than myself"

hmmmmm.......playing the Prukop card for a head coaching slot

Can Cramsey take the Russian Lad with him when he goes to the Div. II school?

 

[stilwtrgrizz]

Greg Rachac ‏@gregrachac · 17m17 minutes ago
Cramsey: "Prukop does not want to play for another coach other than myself"

hmmmmm.......playing the Prukop card for a head coaching slot

Can Cramsey take the Russian Lad with him when he goes to the Div. II school?

:clap: :thumb: My thoughts EXACTLY !!! Appears to me that Cramsey has an ego problem of magnimonius proportions. I could be wrong, but I would think that making threats like that would not make ones name rise to the top of the search list ,

 

[Larry Donovan]

Montana State University, Graveyard of Coaches? Now, there's an attractive feature for hiring a new one ...

Why have we fired most football coaches since 1971?

Postby AlphaOAlum on Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:15 am
- snip -

In contrast, other than Pflugrad, when was the last time a Griz football coach left for another reason besides a better job offer or retirement?

You have to go back to 1980-1986 coach Larry Donovan with only one winning season.
Go Griz!

Hey now... be nice...

 

[tnt]

You got us a nice stadium Larry, Set up our program for future success, but goes to show you. No matter what else you do. You need to win, and need to win the Griz-Cat Game, or you are only a BAD memory........

 

[CatzWillRise]

I do find it odd that Griz fans have been all over Ash for years, questioning his coaching abilities, pointing to the "November kitty meltdown", etc, and then we take the only logical step to try and better the team and now we'e delusional, irrational fans living in a fantasy world. Well which is it? Were we bad with Ash, or is he a just a really good coach who is a victim of a delusional fanbase?

I wouldn't have been upset if Ash was retained, I was a supporter all year because he's had a fairly impressive body of work, but since McGhee's (2013) senior season we have't been a good football team.

No one is expecting to be in the NC game every year, but yes we do expect playoffs. We expect to be competing for the conference championship every year. We expect to have a better defense than nearly dead last in the country.

I don't want to do a huge write up here, but basically going 19-16 in the last 3 years to DI opponents is one of the biggest reasons. 2-4 in playoff games in his career, with many of our "big" games ending in blowout losses, 4-14 combined record against EWU and UM.

As I said I've been a big supporter of his all year, because the grass isn't always greener on the other side. We have a clean program, good APR, and competitive teams. During the Ash era we had unprecedented growth in stadium improvements. Things were good, but he is the victim of his own success. He can't coach when it matters, in the big games. He'll never take us past the 2nd round in the playoffs. And going the playoffs every other year just to lose isn't good enough anymore.

 

[griz4life]

I will respectfully disagree with this. it's clear we won't change any minds. you make it sound like the griz invented winning and the only reason have expectations of winning because of you! it's crazy. why should msu be any different than any other team in the country? why should we be fine losing to our in-state rival? or missing the playoffs? or losing seasons?

this is so funny to me. all we've heard from a large portion of your fanbase for years is how bad ash sucks. how our schedule is weak and we can't beat anyone. about how you hope he sticks around forever. now we let him go and you're going to act like we're this mean university with unreasonable expectations?! it doesn't make sense.

I like ash a lot. he's a great guy. but he couldn't beat the griz. he couldn't win in November. he couldn't win in the playoffs. and whether you think so or not, these are not lofty expectations. and while I appreciate your concern in regards to recruits and donations, I know for a fact that we have already lost out on these things because of ash. I find it highly unlikely we are going to lose donations and recruits in the future because of our "delusional" goals of winning in the playoffs. :lol:

Good grief! You had how many losing seasons under Rob Ash? Two?

Your schedule is weak. That's a Peter Fields problem. If you don't like the schedule, fire the scheduler.

Your AD just shitcanned the best offense in FCS (at least one of them). Kind of hard to shop around and find one as good as the one MSU just eliminated. The next best guy out there with an "offensive mind" is going to run away from MSU's expectatinos as fast as he can. Getting "Cramsied" will probably be a thing for OCs who do excellent and get fired for it.

The last time UM had a red hot offense and fired the brain behind it the Griz weren't better off. And yes, most of us thought it was a terrible call, which it proved to be.

I don't think MSU is mean, but it's looking pretty stupid right now. Rob Ash was clearly the best coach in MSU athletics. MSU's baskeball coach hires have been disasterious. Don't expect Peter Fields to suddenly get a clue.

 

[UMGriz75]

I will respectfully disagree with this. it's clear we won't change any minds. you make it sound like the griz invented winning and the only reason have expectations of winning because of you! it's crazy. why should msu be any different than any other team in the country? why should we be fine losing to our in-state rival? or missing the playoffs? or losing seasons?

this is so funny to me. all we've heard from a large portion of your fanbase for years is how bad ash sucks. how our schedule is weak and we can't beat anyone. about how you hope he sticks around forever. now we let him go and you're going to act like we're this mean university with unreasonable expectations?! it doesn't make sense.

No. My point is that if it was as easy as just "deciding" then every team would be #1. Right?

That's the problem with Cat fans, a naive and often arrogant view of what it takes to make an "elite" program. They saw one in the window, and decided they wanted it. Realistically, there was not an infrastructure of facilities, a deep and knowledgeable athletic department staff, a sophisticated fan base, and well-developed pipelines of recruits and donors. There still isn't. This year's results for the Cats isn't an anomaly, it's to be expected from a program like that. It is the full measure of the "program."

And it took years to get that in place at UM, and Cat fans simply decided that if they decided "it was true" at Bozeman without any further need for evidence, that the power of delusional thinking could overcome the years of planning and experience.

The further problem, perhaps the greater problem, is trying to repeat the success of UM in the same state, a motive borne out of sheer envy and not because the school had any kind of a tradition in it; just if "UM did it" then we have "decided" we are also an "elite" program, that should be "in the top 10 every year" just because of the power of projection and delusion, and little else.

 

[OlPonyQB]

Until they hire some X-GRIZ ....Plural....and assistants... they are facing a peak of no attainment!

 

[CatzWillRise]

I never thought I'd see the day that UM fans lecture MSU fans on expectations. :lol:

 

[CatzWillRise]

I will respectfully disagree with this. it's clear we won't change any minds. you make it sound like the griz invented winning and the only reason have expectations of winning because of you! it's crazy. why should msu be any different than any other team in the country? why should we be fine losing to our in-state rival? or missing the playoffs? or losing seasons?

this is so funny to me. all we've heard from a large portion of your fanbase for years is how bad ash sucks. how our schedule is weak and we can't beat anyone. about how you hope he sticks around forever. now we let him go and you're going to act like we're this mean university with unreasonable expectations?! it doesn't make sense.

No. My point is that if it was as easy as just "deciding" then every team would be #1. Right?

That's the problem with Cat fans, a naive and often arrogant view of what it takes to make an "elite" program. They saw one in the window, and decided they wanted it. Realistically, there was not an infrastructure of facilities, a deep and knowledgeable athletic department staff, a sophisticated fan base, and well-developed pipelines of recruits and donors. There still isn't. This year's results for the Cats isn't an anomaly, it's to be expected from a program like that. It is the full measure of the "program."

And it took years to get that in place at UM, and Cat fans simply decided that if they decided "it was true" at Bozeman without any further need for evidence, that the power of delusional thinking could overcome the years of planning and experience.

The further problem, perhaps the greater problem, is trying to repeat the success of UM in the same state, a motive borne out of sheer envy and not because the school had any kind of a tradition in it; just if "UM did it" then we have "decided" we are also an "elite" program, that should be "in the top 10 every year" just because of the power of projection and delusion, and little else.

Yes, like MSU hadn't won three national championships before the Griz ever even appeared in one.

Get off your high horse.

 

[Grizzlies1982]

In contrast, other than Pflugrad, when was the last time a Griz football coach left for another reason besides a better job offer or retirement?

You have to go back to 1980-1986 coach Larry Donovan with only one winning season.
Go Griz!

Hey now... be nice...

Larry, I was there in the stands singing "Goodbye Larry" with the student section at your final game.

It was bitter sweet.
Well, no it wasn't.
I believe it was just bitter.
We were bitter you'd not been sent packing earlier.
FWIW, alcohol was involved. Good times. Yeah, good times.

 

[CatzWillRise]

You don't think the 1984 NC at MSU had any affect on UM? Oh wait, WA-Griz stadium was built two years after the Cats NC! I wonder, just maybe, if UM saw what MSU did and decided to step up their game?

I'm not keen on the history of Griz coaches, but it appears you fired your coach in 1985, built a new stadium in 1986.

So to recap:
Cats win NC in 1984
Griz fire coach in 1985
WA Griz stadium built in 1986

 

[grizindabox]

I do find it odd that Griz fans have been all over Ash for years, questioning his coaching abilities, pointing to the "November kitty meltdown", etc, and then we take the only logical step to try and better the team and now we'e delusional, irrational fans living in a fantasy world. Well which is it? Were we bad with Ash, or is he a just a really good coach who is a victim of a delusional fanbase?

I wouldn't have been upset if Ash was retained, I was a supporter all year because he's had a fairly impressive body of work, but since McGhee's (2013) senior season we have't been a good football team.

No one is expecting to be in the NC game every year, but yes we do expect playoffs. We expect to be competing for the conference championship every year. We expect to have a better defense than nearly dead last in the country.

I don't want to do a huge write up here, but basically going 19-16 in the last 3 years to DI opponents is one of the biggest reasons. 2-4 in playoff games in his career, with many of our "big" games ending in blowout losses, 4-14 combined record against EWU and UM.

As I said I've been a big supporter of his all year, because the grass isn't always greener on the other side. We have a clean program, good APR, and competitive teams. During the Ash era we had unprecedented growth in stadium improvements. Things were good, but he is the victim of his own success. He can't coach when it matters, in the big games. He'll never take us past the 2nd round in the playoffs. And going the playoffs every other year just to lose isn't good enough anymore.

Seems to me that Cat fans were delusional, irrational and living in a fantasy world from day 1 of the Ash tenure....but honestly, I am not sure how anyone can fault MSU for wanting more...yet some Griz fans seem to want to spin it...

 

[CatzWillRise]

I do find it odd that Griz fans have been all over Ash for years, questioning his coaching abilities, pointing to the "November kitty meltdown", etc, and then we take the only logical step to try and better the team and now we'e delusional, irrational fans living in a fantasy world. Well which is it? Were we bad with Ash, or is he a just a really good coach who is a victim of a delusional fanbase?

I wouldn't have been upset if Ash was retained, I was a supporter all year because he's had a fairly impressive body of work, but since McGhee's (2013) senior season we have't been a good football team.

No one is expecting to be in the NC game every year, but yes we do expect playoffs. We expect to be competing for the conference championship every year. We expect to have a better defense than nearly dead last in the country.

I don't want to do a huge write up here, but basically going 19-16 in the last 3 years to DI opponents is one of the biggest reasons. 2-4 in playoff games in his career, with many of our "big" games ending in blowout losses, 4-14 combined record against EWU and UM.

As I said I've been a big supporter of his all year, because the grass isn't always greener on the other side. We have a clean program, good APR, and competitive teams. During the Ash era we had unprecedented growth in stadium improvements. Things were good, but he is the victim of his own success. He can't coach when it matters, in the big games. He'll never take us past the 2nd round in the playoffs. And going the playoffs every other year just to lose isn't good enough anymore.

Seems to me that Cat fans were delusional, irrational and living in a fantasy world from day 1 of the Ash tenure....but honestly, I am not sure how anyone can fault MSU for wanting more...yet some Griz fans seem to want to spin it...

Well we had just come off our first playoff win in 22 years, and a quarterfinal loss to the eventual champs App State, so yes, the fanbase was excited (before the Kramer firing anyway).