Miami's Berry interested in UNT vacancy

jperg2 · December 4, 2006

SOURCE: http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/...4.4f30709d.html

College football: Miami's Berry interested in UNT vacancy

11:21 PM CST on Sunday, December 3, 2006

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

Miami quarterbacks coach Todd Berry confirmed on Sunday that he has contacted North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal to express interest in the school's opening for a head coach.

Berry was the head coach at Illinois State from 1996-99 and Army from 2000-03. He spent two seasons as Louisiana-Monroe's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2004-05 before joining the staff at Miami.

Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker was fired on Nov. 24.

"I initiated some contact with Rick Villarreal about the job," Berry said. "It's the best job in the Sun Belt Conference. You need two things to have success: a recruiting base and a university that you can sell to recruits. North Texas has both. It is an excellent university and is close to some of the best high school players in the country in the Dallas area. That gives you a chance to win."

UNT is looking for a replacement for former head coach Darrell Dickey, who was fired on Nov. 8 during his ninth season at the school.

Berry said he talked to Villarreal once and tried to set up a meeting while he was in Dallas recruiting recently. Berry said scheduling conflicts prevented him from meeting with Villarreal.

Berry said he has yet to hear from Villarreal since their initial conversation.

Berry is one of several college assistant coaches who have either expressed interest in UNT's opening or been mentioned in connection with the job.

Georgia Tech running backs coach Curtis Modkins has expressed interest. South Carolina defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix talked with Villarreal about the job but has since pulled out of the running.

Southlake Carroll head coach and former UNT offensive coordinator Todd Dodge said he would talk with UNT officials about the job after the Dragons’ season that was extended another week on Saturday with a win over Odessa Permian.

Carroll will play Colleyville Heritage on Saturday in the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinals.

UNT could be looking for a head coach to bring some life to its offense that has struggled the last two seasons. Berry was a quarterback at Tulsa from 1979-80 and has spent most of his career coaching on the offensive side of the ball.

Berry coached Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, who ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an average of 183.9 passing yards a game. He also coached one of the most prolific quarterbacks in Sun Belt Conference history at ULM in Steven Jyles.

Berry turned around a struggling program at Illinois State that had won more than five games in a season just once in the previous 10 years before his arrival, guiding the Redbirds to the 1999 Gateway title, the Division I-AA semifinals and an 11-3 record.

Berry, who finished 24-24 at Illinois State, was unable to replicate the success he enjoyed late in his tenure with the Redbirds at Army, where he finished with a 5-35 record in just over three seasons.

Berry has been known for running a wide-open offense throughout his career that also included stints as an offensive coordinator at East Carolina (1992-95), Southeast Missouri State (1991) and Tennessee-Martin (1986-88).

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

MeanGreenBuzz · December 4, 2006

I know Army is a hard place to win at because you can't recruit but 5-35 is not what we need here.

NT80 · December 4, 2006

Berry said. "It's the best job in the Sun Belt Conference.
Berry, who finished 24-24 at Illinois State, was unable to replicate the success he enjoyed late in his tenure with the Redbirds at Army, where he finished with a 5-35 record in just over three seasons.
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He had some positive things to say, but "the best job in the SBC" sounds almost like a back-handed compliment to me, is it? It's like "you're the best of the worst conference in the country". And 5-35 at Army? No thanks. Next.....

Cowtown · December 4, 2006

I think he was just being honest, and I think he sees all the positives about NT.

That given our location, size of school, what is happening with the athletic complex, and competition in the Belt, that this is a good job.

There is no reason for us not to have 7 wins every year and be hunting for a bowl.

If you are a coach looking for a stepping stone, we are a good one.

jtcozy · December 4, 2006

This wouldn't be a bad hire. He is familiar with the conference and the big time at Miami. I will give him a pass at Army, its tough to win there. He's been pretty good other than that.

Baby Arm! · December 4, 2006

Somebody do some research on this guy and find out how he knows RV! If this guy has ANY connection with Villareal then its a CRONY HIRE!!! and we all know how we feel about those.

Lets see, they guy with head coach experience, a current assistant on a periennial to 25 team, is familiar with the conference and the situation at UNT....yeah we don't wan't someone like that. Afterall he was unsuccessfull at Army where nobody has won since the 50's.

Edited December 4, 2006 by Baby Arm!

Harry · December 4, 2006

user posted image

http://ulmathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-foot...rry_todd00.html

Here is his bio.

PlummMeanGreen · December 4, 2006

First of all: Sort of amusing to hear coaches turning down a UNT HFC's job that hasn't even been offered.

Second of all: Are we already down to position coaches now applying? Maybe from a major football program that might be OK, though?

This hire we just cannot screw up this time if we're ever going to have a Boise State-type football program in Denton. NOTE: 31 years after our big win over the University of Tennessee (and others) when I was junior has me to a point whereas I cannot believe I am even saying this about BSU.

Yet I hope BSU has proven to all who may not have previously understood that there really can be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for non-BCS football programs that become perennial Top 25 ranked programs. All prior Top 25 talk on GMG.com was not just pipe dream talk for Mean Green football, either.

Boise State didn't get into this years BCS Championship Series based on this season alone, but rather they've been working on reaching this plateau for several years with many Top 25 appearances in those years leading up to this one.

Still, I think Todd Dodge would be more than worth the wait when his team's UIL play-offs are over.

Short term loss (maybe in some of our recruiting but not necessarily)---but whatever the wait for long term gain?

Edited December 4, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

twodogs · December 4, 2006

Coach Berry recruited Zach and Blake Burris when he was at Army. The man impressed me and was very forthcoming and frank about the situation at Army. He was in a very tough situation there and I felt bad for him and his staff when they were fired. If it hadn’t been for the 5 yr commitment after graduation and the distance from home I know Zach would have signed with him. His successor, Ross, hasn’t faired much better. I think he is a very capable coach, runs an exciting brand of offense and is great in the homes of recruits as I can personally attest to. I think if given the opportunity he would be successful in a situation such as UNT.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · December 4, 2006

Berry'd be a good hire. He's recruited all over the country. I didn't expect his name to pop up. He and his wife are from Oklahoma, so maybe part of his motivation is to have the family closer to their roots as well as have a opportunity to bring UNT back to bowl contention. I'd support the hire of Berry.

Cr1028 · December 4, 2006

If Berry got hired, would he keep his pal Etheridge even though the offensive line was a rather big problem this year?

Edited December 4, 2006 by Cr1028

jtcozy · December 4, 2006

I was reading the bio on Berry and saw he worked for Steve Logan at ECU, now that (Logan) would be a great hire!

jtcozy · December 4, 2006

Steve Logan's bio from the ECU website; he was fired after the 2003 season:

One of the goals Steve Logan has had since he became the head football coach at East Carolina has been to instill an increased level of consistency in the program. Consistency builds tradition and tradition is what the great college football programs all possess. The 46-year-old Logan sees that kind of opportunity with the Pirates. And signs say the prgoram is well on its way.

Logan, who is entering his 10th season as head coach (51-40, .560), has also added much needed stability to the coaching staff. Not since Clarence Stasavich guided the ECU program for eight straight seasons in the 1960s have the Pirates had a head coach for as many consecutive years.

After recording his sixth winning season in the past seven years, East Carolina is on the brink of a major breakthrough on the national level. The 1999 Pirate squad turned in one of the school`s best seasons ever and ranked in both national polls from the fourth week of the regular season until the final poll. The Pirates also earned their third bowl trip under Logan, playing TCU in the inaugural Mobile Alabama Bowl.

With ECU`s win over N.C. State in the final regular-season game of 1999, Logan also became the program`s winningest coach with 51 wins as he moved ahead of Stasavich on the Pirates` career coaching list.

The Pirates have long been a respected squad in the minds of opposing coaches.

ECU has continued to gain some well-deserved attention and respect across the country. During the 1999 season, the Pirates added to their list of "high-profile" victims in recent years with victories over West Virginia, South Carolina, Miami (Fla.) and the instate Wolfpack.

Logan approaches his job with an intensity rivaled by few in the business. He is a competitor who challenges his players to excel on a daily basis. But whil logan has well-defined expectations of his players, he also has a genuine interest in their lives away from football.

He takes great pride in the ECU football family and its closeness. It`s no surprise that so many of the Pirtes` recent signees, when asked why they chose to attend East Carolina, simply say they felt comfortable in what they perceived as a great, family atmosphere.

There is no doubt that Logan is overseeing one of the fastest-moving programs in the country. One can point to ECU’s recent entry into Conference USA, the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium expansion project, or its ever-growing television exposure — including its unique five-year arrangement with ESPN — as signs that Pirate football is finding a significant place on the college football map. In 1996, ECU handed the Miami Hurricanes their worst loss (31-6) in the Orange Bowl in 12 years -- and the event was viewed by a national audience watching ESPN.

Over the past six seasons, Logan’s Pirates have compiled a record of 44-25 and earned a pair of invitations to the St. Jude Liberty Bowl in Memphis, as well as last year`s berth in Mobile.

In 1995, Logan and his team culminated a banner year by finishing with a six-game win streak which included a 19-13 win over Pacific 10 power Stanford in the St. Jude Liberty Bowl. The Pirates were ranked No. 23 in the final USA Today/CNN poll.

Logan developed much of his coaching philosophy through the influence of several head coaches. He worked on the staff of current Ohio State coach John Cooper at Tulsa, with former Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson at Oklahoma State and with Bill McCartney, formerly the head coach at Colorado, and with Bill Lewis at East Carolina. Logan is widely recognized as the architect of the potent Pirates offensive attack of the 1990s. His ofensive ideas were implemented into the ECU system when he served as offensive coordinator during the 1990 and `91 seasons. In 1991, East Carolina finished the season with an 11-1 mark and reached a top-10 national ranking. The grand finale that year was a thrilling, come-from-behind 37-34 victory over N.C. State in the Peach Bowl.

While holding the position of coordinator, Logan tutored quarterback Jeff Blake, who after a sensational senior season in 1991, has gone on to become an NFL All-Pro signal-caller for the Cincinnati Bengals. Most recently, Logan coached the two quarterbacks who shattered all of Blakes ECU records in Marcus Crandell and Dan Gonzalez. Present junior David Garrard broke 16 ECU passing records in 1998 in his first season of action.

While Logan earned a name for his offensive creativity, hehas been determined to upgrade East Carolina`s defense. In Logan`s eight seasons as head coach, the program has made huge strides defensively. First-year defensive coordinator Tim Rose built on the momentum on the defensive side in 1999 as the Pirates improved in ever defensive statistical category.

Logan came to ECU in 1989 after serving as quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State for two seasons. During his first season with the Pirates, he coached the running backs.

His coaching career started in 1974 as an assistant coach at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. He began in the collegiate coaching ranks in 1980 as a tight ends coach at Oklahoma State under Jimmy Johnson and moved to Hutchinson Junior College the following year.

In 1983, he became offensive coordinator at Tulsa under John Cooper, who is currently head coach at Ohio State. Logan left Tulsa for Colorado in 1985 and coached the Buffalo running backs for two seasons before going to Mississippi State, where he coached the Bulldog quarterbacks.

Leaving Union High School, Logan coached tight ends at Oklahoma State and it was there he became hooked on the college game.

Logan and his wife Laura, are the parents of two sons - Vincent (19) and Nathanel (17).