Boston College AD Brad Bates: Eagles Want Football Coach Who 'Makes All Our Alumni Proud'
BOSTON -- New Boston College athletic director Brad Bates has been on the job for less than two months, but he's already tasked with the tall order of finding a new head football coach.
A program which ranked as high as No. 2 as recently as 2007, the Eagles have fallen on hard times since former AD Gene DeFilippo fired Jeff Jagodzinksi for interviewing for an NFL job. The Eagles replaced Jagodzinski with Frank Spaziani, who led the team to a 21-29 record in three seasons, leading to his firing over the weekend.
Now, Bates is looking for a new head coach, and he spoke with Damon Amendolara on Monday night to discuss what he's looking for.
"I think if all else is equal, clearly the past experience and knowledge of BC is advantageous but ultimately, we need someone that's going to come in here, sustain the high retention and graduation rates of this institution, represent us as an ambassador to the entire community and to our alumni base and fans, and win," Bates said. "And [he must] do it with an energy and an enthusiasm that makes all of our alumni proud."
Bates was asked if he'd be OK with hiring a coach who may only be interested in being at BC for three to five years before moving on.
"If all else was equal, you would clearly want continuity in your program. At the same time, I can't predict the future," Bates said. "We're going to create a situation here that's going to be, in our opinion, a destination-type situation, a place that gives a coach every opportunity to have the high level of success and achieve that vision of excellence that we strive for within our football program."
Bates said that there is a specific type of head coaching candidate who will be drawn to BC, which could lead to a long-term hire.
"There's a lot of great coaches out there, [but] I'm not sure every great coach is a great fit for every institution," Bates said. "The coaches that are going to be excited about BC, that can sell the product of Boston College, are people who are going to be aligned with the values of the institution. And so when you have a situation professionally when you can strive toward your vision of the program, where you can work with highly intelligent and talented students in a community that really is a family, then yes, I think if you can find that person then the tenure is going to be longer than one might expect."
