The Adventure Begins For ODU Football

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NORFOLK--John Broderick called Tuesday "an exciting day for ODU on an athletic front," and thus started the press conference in which George Welsh and Dick Sheridan were announced as advisors to the Old Dominion football program.

Sheridan called the building of a football program "an adventure."

No matter the superlative, ODU football took one step closer to reality Tuesday, with the official announcement of the aforementioned advisors. President Roseann Runte said the hiring meant ODU was willing to do this the right way. "We decided we were going to do this--like you would do when writing the best novel, or the best symphony--to win.

"The students want football, the Board of Directors wants football. Everyone in the community is 100 percent behind ODU football."

Welsh was the first to speak, saying it was a privilege for him to have a hand in starting up the program. In his brief remarks, Welsh added, "It doesn't take a Rhode's Scholar to see the talent in this area."

The coach would know, having coached Navy and the University of Virginia to national prominence. He went 55-46-1 with Navy, making three bowl appearances. At UVA, he went 134-86-3. The five-time ACC Coach of the Year took the Cavaliers to 10 bowl games, and his 1998 team was nationally-ranked for 17 straight weeks. The native of Coaldale, Pa. also won ACC titles in 1989 and 1995.

In addition, Welsh played his college ball for Navy, which at the time hosted games at Foreman Field, the same stadium in which the Monarchs will kick off come 2009.

Sheridan was brought in, not simply because Runte believed "it wouldn't be appropriate to have just one advisor," but because he has experience coaching on the Division I-AA level and starting up a new program. The coach, best known for sending North Carolina State to six bowl games in seven years, spent eight years as head coach at Div. I-AA Furman, winning six Southern Conference championships and the 1985 I-AA national title.

Sheridan was also a consultant for Coastal Carolina four years ago, when that school began its I-AA football program.

"I-AA is the perfect situation," he said of ODU. "The potential here is tremendous."

Closing the press conference, athletic director Dr. Jim Jarrett outlined a timetable for ODU football. In addition to the fall 2009 kickoff, Jarrett said, the Monarchs will begin competing for the Colonial Athletic Association championship in 2011. Scheduling is already underway, and by 2011, Jarrett says ODU will have eight conference games automatically built into the schedule.

Jarrett expects a head coach to be announced in either December 2006 or January 2007. He would not comment on possible candidates, but did say the school had received a lot of interest.

According to the timetable, ODU would begin recruiting players in the high school graduating class of 2008, and that all ODU football players would redshirt in 2008, concentrating that time on practicing and developing a team dynamic. Then, by 2009, the team hopes to be competitive. Jarrett said an NCAA rule stating athletes have five years to use their eligibility made the 2008 widespread redshirt possible.

But for the time being, Jarrett likes where the team is going.

"Hiring these consultants," he said, "it speaks for itself. We want to be the best."