Reisman: We are going to move quickly

Tarleton athletic director hopes to hire new football coach by early December

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Tarleton plans to move quickly in hiring its next head football coach after the resignation of Cary Fowler Monday. || TheFlashToday.com photo by BRAD KEITH

By BRAD KEITH

TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL

STEPHENVILLE (November 17, 2015) — Tarleton athletic director Lonn Reisman says plans are to move quickly in finding a new head football coach.

“We are going to move quickly and keep this transition period to a minimum so that we do not get behind in recruiting,” said Reisman Tuesday morning. “We need to get somebody on board as soon as possible because, preferably by early December. We would like him to get to meet with our student-athletes before they go home for Christmas, and we want him to have the opportunity to meet with and interview the existing staff before the Christmas break.”

Reisman was not surprised when candidates began expressing interest in the job immediately after news broke at noon Monday that Fowler had resigned.

“I think Tarleton State University is a university on the move. We have grown, we have $300 million worth of construction going on, we have a lot of vision for the future of our university and part of that vision is $24 million in renovations to our football stadium,” Reisman said. “When you look at where we are with our athletic department and as a university and see the success going on across the board, we definitely have a very attractive position.”


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Reisman offered a general idea of what he considers a quality candidate for the job.

“I’m looking for someone with experience and who understands the Lone Star Conference and what this conference means to the football world. This is an elite conference for football, and we’re in the state of Texas,” he said. “We want to make sure we get somebody we feel like can take our program to the next level into the NCAA Championships and get us to the point where we’re competing not only for Lone Star Conference championships but also national championships.”

Tarleton was 80-33 from 2000-2009 then 30-32 the last six seasons under Fowler, though he did direct the texans to a share of the LSC championship for the third time in 2013. The Texans were 3-7 this season, capped by a 48-47 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State last Saturday.

“This is a good position and it’s also a very important position for us,” Reisman said. “It is crucial that we expedite this process, but in doing that, we must still perform our due diligence and make sure we find the right leader for our student-athletes and our program.”

Reisman declined to discuss pay for the head coach or staff, simply saying, “Everything is negotiable.”

Reisman named Mason Miller interim head coach. He was associate head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach under Fowler.

“The main thing I’m concerned about for our student-athletes is their academics, and I’m confident Coach Miller and our current assistants will do a good job in making sure they are taken care of. They are student-oriented coaches, I know that, and I have full faith in them to be there for our student-athletes and to continue to work their recruiting lists, which is also very important.”

Miller was head coach at McMurry before coming to Tarleton in 2014. Reisman did not indicate if he is a candidate for the head coach vacancy, and did not disclose any candidates of interest.

Fowler became head coach following the 2009 season, when Sam McElroy left to become a position coach at Texas Tech. Fowler was defensive coordinator at Tarleton in 2008 and 2009, and was previously defensive coordinator at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, where he was named NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2005.


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