The alumni will need to step up $$ and resources for this guy to be successful or any staff for that matter. I heard the Alum believe they should be able to compete with SJP.
O’Hara HC Search???
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that would be a surprise pick, keep hearing O’Hara wants/needs to recruit like private schools. Thought assistant head coach would be next in line for Ridley job
Heard the same thing about recruiting. seems odd if they pick a Public school guy with no recruiting experience. again, alum need to raise money and a lot. What they didn’t give to Hogan, they need to give to the new guy. I gather Hogan had a lot of unmet promises from the alum.
The school will have to support the new head coach with financial aid. There are too many good schools in the area that are top public schools. Not including any of the top private schools. With tuition being close to 11k, especially now a days, it is going to be tough to get top players. The previous staff had solid game plan with this, the school would not commit to what was needed. Some of the alumni have unrealistic expectations, Catholic schools have changed from 10-20-30-40 years ago. Look forward to hearing who the new HC will be.
I assume you are talking about bob ewing? Are they really picking a guy based off what someone in his family did 40 years ago. That seems a bit silly. Has he coached in a Catholic or private school. Don’t know much about him other then someone on the board saying he is next in line for Ridley.
Fan you seem to have very reliable info
Can you comment???
I am hearing if candidate gives up needing additional income, they will be named the new HC that is what is holding up announcement.
Heard job was offered/accepted today. Team will be notified and announcement will go out.
Admin didn’t have much control on firing Hogan. Heard it was a certain Alum that wanted him out. So not a surprise to hear that alum controlled who got the job. Hopefully new coach can keep his friends close and enemies closer. Because it sounds as if there are a few snakes around the program.
He is still the AD. They wanted him to resign from the coaching position, he said he wouldn't resign and they would have to fire him. Real decision was based off an alum who had a personal issue with Hogan. The whole situation lacked any respect or professionalism.
Seems like Alum have most of the say there. Which happens sometimes, but admin have to control what’s going on. Firing and hiring based on personal relationships with alumni. Might be strong but seems sort of a dumpster fire over there. Hopefully admin gain some control back.
People who think about these archdiocesan schools in terms of administration don't understand the realities of situation. The administration changes like underwear. The administration main role is raise enough funds to keep the doors open. Plus there is the weird dynamic between the school and downtown archdiocese. How much independence etc you get from downtown is widely debatable.
All of this, every single piece of this is a money game. The school, athletics, the play etc. It's how much money can the school raise, how much of a total discount can they provide to students through BLOCS, direct alumni support, financial aid, etc, etc.
You either find enough people to pay the full tuition expense or you have to come up with ways for them to attend cheaper. If O'Hara, Bonner, Carroll, insert school name here fields a football with a team full of full tuition payers, one thing is certain. They will not win a game. Knute Rockne wouldn't win a game. And because of the dynamic with the Archdiocese the school can't just say we won't charge 14 football kids and we will win games. If you are a private school you could theoretically not charge a kid and make it up in your own budget. Not in archdiocese. You have to cover it through fundraising and programs.
I personally believe all of this is not sustainable. O'Hara or anyone else for that matter can be fantastic at football tomorrow. You have a 400,000 a year budget and say we want to win and we are going to fund the program and buy players. Just think getting there is impossible.
Hogan is a very good football coach. The school, the program, the alumni did not give him enough financial support to be a big winner. He also isn't a pied piper sales guy or a snake oil salesman who would promise kids aid that never got delivered. So ultimately the players that were coming weren't going to be enough to win big.
There are forces in the alumni that think that can rectified with new leadership and that winning will garner more financial support. They also provide financial support. Ultimately in these scenarios where the entire school is dependent on financially well off alumni to run, those folks have more power than any "administrator". The administrator's job is to keep those guys happy and checks coming.
What happened to BJ Hogan is a shame. He's a good coach, a good person, and really ended up in a very difficult job. He wasn't provided what he hoped for when he took the job. Certain alums expect way better than the results and in their opinion another person is better equipped to attract kids to the program and they are willing to write checks and try to attract funds etc. So a change is made.
I wish Mike Ewing the very best. Pop Pop and Dad would be thrilled. I think any Catholic League Archdiocesan head coaching job is an absolute beast. You have to be a coach, a mentor, a fundraiser, a recruiter, a diplomat, a representative of the school at all times and you have to win games. If you lose, it's ultimately your fault. You can't say you didn't have the horses because the primary role of the job is to get the horses. It's a brutal task.
However he has had very good success with the type of kids O'Hara is going to have to attract to win. O'Hara has to get Chester, Penn Wood, Academy Park, Ridley, Chi, Upper Darby, Sun Valley, Interboro kids to win. BLOCS can help there. But Humpty Dumpty ain't getting put back together again. The traditional footprint parishes aren't the answer. Not enough good players and a dynamic that has changed. If a kid is very good in those areas, Mom and Dad today have more money than 1980. They can pay for some or all of private school.
The ideal guy for a Catholic League job is a Joe Moglia or Biff Poggi. A guy who knows football, doesn't need a job to support their family, and is so wealthy they can throw 500,000 of their own cash at it every year to win. Best of Luck finding one of those. But I wish the best for both B.J. Hogan and Mike Ewing. I hope both find great success and I'm rooting for both guys.
All of this, every single piece of this is a money game. The school, athletics, the play etc. It's how much money can the school raise, how much of a total discount can they provide to students through BLOCS, direct alumni support, financial aid, etc, etc.
You either find enough people to pay the full tuition expense or you have to come up with ways for them to attend cheaper. If O'Hara, Bonner, Carroll, insert school name here fields a football with a team full of full tuition payers, one thing is certain. They will not win a game. Knute Rockne wouldn't win a game. And because of the dynamic with the Archdiocese the school can't just say we won't charge 14 football kids and we will win games. If you are a private school you could theoretically not charge a kid and make it up in your own budget. Not in archdiocese. You have to cover it through fundraising and programs.
I personally believe all of this is not sustainable. O'Hara or anyone else for that matter can be fantastic at football tomorrow. You have a 400,000 a year budget and say we want to win and we are going to fund the program and buy players. Just think getting there is impossible.
Hogan is a very good football coach. The school, the program, the alumni did not give him enough financial support to be a big winner. He also isn't a pied piper sales guy or a snake oil salesman who would promise kids aid that never got delivered. So ultimately the players that were coming weren't going to be enough to win big.
There are forces in the alumni that think that can rectified with new leadership and that winning will garner more financial support. They also provide financial support. Ultimately in these scenarios where the entire school is dependent on financially well off alumni to run, those folks have more power than any "administrator". The administrator's job is to keep those guys happy and checks coming.
What happened to BJ Hogan is a shame. He's a good coach, a good person, and really ended up in a very difficult job. He wasn't provided what he hoped for when he took the job. Certain alums expect way better than the results and in their opinion another person is better equipped to attract kids to the program and they are willing to write checks and try to attract funds etc. So a change is made.
I wish Mike Ewing the very best. Pop Pop and Dad would be thrilled. I think any Catholic League Archdiocesan head coaching job is an absolute beast. You have to be a coach, a mentor, a fundraiser, a recruiter, a diplomat, a representative of the school at all times and you have to win games. If you lose, it's ultimately your fault. You can't say you didn't have the horses because the primary role of the job is to get the horses. It's a brutal task.
However he has had very good success with the type of kids O'Hara is going to have to attract to win. O'Hara has to get Chester, Penn Wood, Academy Park, Ridley, Chi, Upper Darby, Sun Valley, Interboro kids to win. BLOCS can help there. But Humpty Dumpty ain't getting put back together again. The traditional footprint parishes aren't the answer. Not enough good players and a dynamic that has changed. If a kid is very good in those areas, Mom and Dad today have more money than 1980. They can pay for some or all of private school.
The ideal guy for a Catholic League job is a Joe Moglia or Biff Poggi. A guy who knows football, doesn't need a job to support their family, and is so wealthy they can throw 500,000 of their own cash at it every year to win. Best of Luck finding one of those. But I wish the best for both B.J. Hogan and Mike Ewing. I hope both find great success and I'm rooting for both guys.
Gang hit the nail on the head on this one. The only other thing I'd add is that all the archdiocese programs face that same issue. If you are in the suburbs and you are talking to families that can afford the $10k a year tuition, you are also competing with award winning school districts that are free. Add in what Gang already said about Private School options - Inter Ac or even Prep and LaSalle. I've been told that some of those schools will just tell families we will match the cost of your local archdiocesan HS. What parent in their right mind would pass that up? The problem the city schools face is affordability. How many families in the city can afford $10k a year? You need the alumni money, and money does not come without input and opinions. Wood has been one of the most successful programs in the state, they are on their third coach in 5 years?
I'm not sure of 7. I probably heard the same 3 as you Delco619. I'd hate to embarrass anyone but I can't stand coaches that jump around from staff to staff and act like they're "committed" or "all in" - this same coach is better suited as an assistant water boy than a LB coach, but I'm sure the alumni will love just how far he'll go to impress them.
I have Been told that the departures left a lot of hard feelings between the parties
