Eastern Washington has new football coach

Beau Baldwin didn’t get the chance this past season to enjoy the most recent fruits of his labors at Eastern Washington University.

That’s because he was too busy creating a little bit of history of his own as head coach at his alma mater, Central Washington University, as both the Eagles and Wildcats finished the 2007 season among the top eight teams in their respective classifications.

After one season at the helm of the NCAA Division II Wildcats, Baldwin is returning to Eastern as head coach of a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision program as the announcement was made Jan. 4 by athletic director Bill Chaves. Baldwin, 35, is EWU’s 20th head football coach and will lead the school in its 100th football campaign this fall.

More here.

Hoskins reflects on the Clemons and Sperbecks

Citizen: Talk about these men who were very much a part of your career:

Ray Clemons (former Sac State coach for whom Hoskins played as a center) : “He taught me all about life. Took care of me as I was going through life. He was a great motivator.”

Mike Clemons (now coach of Sac City College): “We were teammates at Sac State. He was the fullback and I played center. We were immediate friends and have been friends for 40 years.”

Dick Sperbeck (former coach of Christian Brothers who hired Hoskins as an assistant in 1970): “He’s the one who taught me how to organize, how to discipline, pay attention to detail. He was doing things in the 60’s, they are doing today.”

Marshall Sperbeck (current Sac State coach, former quarterback for Hoskins at Valley): “I watched him grow up. I respected him enough to send my son to play for him at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Glad to see him get his chance at Sac State. He’ll do very well if he gets the right athletes in there.”

For more, click below:

Q&A: Hoskins reflects on his high school coaching career

Remember Lennon?

No, not the Beatles’ John Lennon but Dale Lennon.  One of the first major decisions athletic director Terry Wanless made was to fire football coach John Volek.  In his prolonged search for a replacement, Wanless brought in North Dakota’s Dale Lennon as a prospective candidate.  Lennon came and went faster than you can play the Beatles’ shortest song Her Majesty (all of 23 seconds). 

Southern Illinois, who just made a deep run into the playoffs, has hired Dale Lennon to replace Jerry Kill who went to coach MAC’s Northern Illinois. Interesting that Lennon did not want to stick around to oversee UND’s transition from Division II to Iaa. But then the Least West Conference doesn’t look to appealing.

New Message Board

For all thirty Sac State fans, there exists a new message board thanks to a couple of Hornet faithful. Thank you!

FAU’s bowl run adds to Schnellenberger’s legacy

Read the following ESPN article on Schnellenberger and marvel at a legend who took football programs declared dead and turned them into national wonders.  Think Miami and Louisville and now Florida Atlantic University as they play their first bowl game tonight and in 2010 will play in a new 30,000 seat on-site stadium.

Read article here. 

Signings

Two other Sierra players who keyed a 9-2 season, a national ranking and a berth in the Hawaiian Punch Bowl/Northern California championship signed with Big Sky Conference schools. Offensive linemen Clint Lessard of Rocklin is off to Sacramento State, and Anthony Patterson of Oakmont is headed to Montana State. Sierra safety Dan Hart of Del Oro is headed to UC Davis.

Sacramento State also signed offensive lineman Peter Lenz, a 6-3, 300-pound guard from City College of San Francisco.

“We felt he (Lessard) was one of the top kids in Northern California,” Sac State coach Marshall Sperbeck said. “We’re very excited to sign him.

“(Lenz) is another kid we had rated real high.”

Sperbeck said he expects to sign one or two more players in the next few days.

Other ARC players to sign included tight end Brad Walker of Woodcreek (Idaho State) and defensive back Shane Scott of Del Campo and linebacker Treston Teague of Cordova (both Southwestern Oklahoma State).

The first day high school football players can sign national letters of intent is Feb. 6.

Rest of story here.

Remember K.C.?

K.C. Patterson is a young man in perpetual motion. One school to the next.

But Patterson has a new home now – at Division I-A Akron in the heart of Ohio – and the quarterback grins at the notion of finally unpacking for more than a few months. Patterson is a vagabond athlete if the area ever has seen one, having experienced every bit of the business of football while getting a nifty tour of the country.

He started his academic and athletic career at Granite Bay High School, then switched to nearby Oakmont for a fresh start and a chance to start. He started as a senior in 2004. He was so motivated to get a head start on college, he graduated in December of that year, weeks after football and months before the rest of his class accepted diplomas. Patterson attended the University of San Diego and dreamed of playing for former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.

That marriage didn’t last long. After one season on the bench, Patterson departed for a better depth-chart situation and a chance to play at home at Sacramento State in 2006. He arrived as a walk-on and landed a scholarship under coach Steve Mooshagian. But he was on the move after Mooshagian was let go following the 2006 season.

More here.

Can you go back home again?

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Former Montana State football coach Mike Kramer said he plans to apply for the head coaching job at Eastern Washington, now that coach Paul Wulff has been hired at Washington State.

“I’m going to give it a shot at Eastern and see where it goes from there,” Kramer told the Great Falls Tribune Tuesday. “I’m trying like heck to find an opportunity for myself and my family.”

Kramer was fired by Montana State University in May, a day after a former MSU wide receiver was arrested on federal drug charges, one in a string of several arrests. The team had also lost scholarships for failing to meet NCAA academic requirements.

Kramer was at MSU from 1999-2006 , posting a 40-43 record and sharing three Big Sky Conference titles.

Gettin Nasty

Kramer files lawsuit against Montana State University

Former Montana State University football coach Mike Kramer filed a lawsuit against the university Thursday, claiming that the school wrongfully fired him earlier this year and ruined his reputation around the country.

Chronicle file photo

Ex-MSU football coach Mike Kramer. The 33-page lawsuit, filed in Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, also named MSU Athletic Director Peter Fields, President Geoff Gamble and the Montana Board of Regents as defendants.

Kramer alleges Fields and Gamble conspired to use him as a scapegoat after the arrests of several former football players on drug and homicide charges, according to the suit.

The men then tarnished Kramer’s reputation nationwide, saying he lacked leadership, character and discipline, according to the lawsuit. And they falsely claimed that Kramer failed to perform his coaching duties and caused the team to lose football scholarships.

“The leadership crisis that did exist at that time involved defendants Fields and Gamble,” the lawsuit states, adding that the men were trying to protect their own jobs. “The truth of the matter is that coach Kramer was in no position to deter the highly irresponsible acts of those who were no longer connected to MSU’s football program.”

However, one of the players, Andre Fuller, was on the team when he was arrested on drug charges in December 2006. Kramer’s attorney, Cliff Edwards of Billings, was also not available to answer questions Thursday.

Kramer also accused the Board of Regents of unfair treatment because it allowed him to be treated differently than University of Montana football coach Bobby Hauck, who has had the ongoing support of UM officials amid the arrests of seven players on a variety of criminal charges.

“UM did not terminate the UM head football coach’s employment contract or even criticize the head football coach. Instead, UM, as it should have, supported the head coach,” the lawsuit states.

“Coach Kramer was fired, humiliated, and his professional career completely decimated by the Montana State University system while the other head football coach was endorsed and supported.”

Kramer has expressed interest in the head coaching job at Eastern Washington, but the lawsuit stated that MSU officials have negatively affected his future employability.

MSU’s attorney Leslie Taylor told The Associated Press that the university intends on defending the lawsuit.

“We’ll file a response with the court,” she said.

Fields referred questions to the university relations office. Gamble and university relations director Cathy Conover could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Kramer started coaching at MSU in 1999. He coached the team to five winning seasons, a share of three Big Sky Conference titles and three playoff appearances. He was the coach when the team won its first playoff game in 22 years in 2006.

On May 18, Fields gave Kramer the opportunity to resign or be fired, according to the lawsuit. Kramer was shocked and told Fields he wouldn’t resign.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of libel, slander, breach of contract, constructive fraud and state constitutional violations, among other things. It asks for general and punitive damages to be determined by a jury.

New Message Board

As you faithful Hornet fans who read this blog know, the Sacbuzz message board no longer exists.  At least two of  you have commented below that you would donate to get one up and running again.  Thank you for stepping up.  I see a few things needing to happen to make the board materialize.  They are as follows:

1) We need a project manager to oversee its resurrection.  Takers?

2) We need research on host sites, board options and costs.  A good place to begin starts at Portland State Fans, SpartanThunder (Scout), and Eagsports.com(Rivals). Email the moderator and get the information on affordability and ease to get one started.  Takers?

3) Once a host for the right cost has been determined, how do we coordinate and collect the monies from those who want to contribute? Ideas?

As Godfather said in III, “Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” May it not be so!

Comment below or email the SacRat at sacstatehornets@gmail.com