University of Richmond Athletics
Quotes From Danny Rocco's Introductory Press Conference
Danny Rocco Introductory Press Conference
Jim Miller, Athletic Director
Introduction...
Before we start the official proceedings, I would like to take just one minute and recognize the job that Wayne Lineburg did here this past season. He took over under very difficult circumstances, and I know that I speak for many of us in saying that we're very proud of the job Wayne did.
Speaking of the search, very quickly in the search process we discovered there was a clear need for a proven, successful head coach to come in at the time to the University of Richmond. And I'm glad to introduce to you just that person, Danny Rocco.
Head Coach Danny Rocco
Opening Statement...
Thank you very much. I'm really very excited to be here today. Humbled, blessed to be the 35th football coach here at the University of Richmond. This is truly a special day for me and my family. I want to thank Jim here for his professionalism and for his commitment; his commitment not only to UR Athletics, but the commitment that he's made to me and my family. I want to publicly thank him at this time.
I also want to thank President Ayers for his support in this decision and for the vision that he has and that he shared with me for the University of Richmond and the vision for the community that combines academic excellence with Division I Athletics. I'm very grateful to be in the position where we can do that. This truly is a great day and a great honor, and I'm very humbled.
I've got a number of things I do want to say today. I want to have an opportunity to just express some of my thoughts and some of my ideas, and I'll work off an outline that I have here today. I first want to acknowledge my family. As you all know, they ride this roller coaster with the head football coach more than anybody. I know that as fans, alumni and as supporters, we all take a vested interest in the program, but nobody is more vested in the program than the coaches, the staff, the administration and the families of those people.
I want to thank my wife, Julie, for all of her support throughout our 23 years of marriage. I would like to acknowledge and thank my son, David, as well. David is a sophomore at Liberty University studying sports management. I also want to acknowledge our daughter Amy. Amy's a first year at the University of Virginia.
We've been very, very appreciative of the warm welcome that we have received and this here today as I see the crowd gathered here really excites me. Since the announcement, or even rumors of the announcement, I've had many, many people reach out to me: UR alums, fans of the program and families living in the Richmond community that have expressed support and encouragement as we decided to make this decision.
I want to offer a little timeline right here so that I can define what it is that brought me here today to this decision to be the head football coach here at Richmond. I met with Jim and David Walsh this past Saturday in the luxury boxes of the stadium. We were together for approximately four or five hours as we discussed ideas for the future of Richmond Football.
After we shook hands, I had an opportunity to get on campus. I walked and drove the campus. I really wanted to take a look to see what the feel was here on Richmond's campus. I was really impressed with what I saw on that day and very much impressed today as I brought my family in.
On Sunday, my wife and I returned to town here and had an opportunity to meet with President Ayers. Julie and I were at his home and listened to his vision for an academic experience unique and special to what is the University of Richmond. That in and of itself really captured my attention.
After returning home that night, Julie and I did a lot of research online. Now, I have researched the football program and did my due diligence in the area of the roster, recruiting, needs, records, scheduling and those types of things. But I wanted to do a little more research on the university. And what I found is that this truly is one of the more unique and special academic institutions in the country. And that's a big, big reason that I chose to come and be a part of this community.
As we studied online, I came to see that the major competitor to Richmond were schools like Wake Forest, Boston College and the University of Virginia. I am a graduate of Wake Forest University. I was a captain there in 1983 and played for Al Groh. I coached at Wake Forest for three years. I spent three years at Boston College under Tom Coughlin. I coached the defensive line up there. I spent five years at the University of Virginia as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under Al Groh. So again, I've accumulated more than a dozen years of experience at very strong academic institutions. I began to believe that maybe, just maybe, I might be the perfect fit as the football coach here at the University of Richmond. This decision obviously validates that Jim and President Ayers shared those same feelings.
You know, as I move forward it's always bittersweet to leave behind something that you have worked so hard to build. Liberty University was a special place for me and my family. Yesterday was a difficult day for me and for my family. Chancellor Falwell and our athletic director, Jeff Barber, were very supportive of our efforts. We accomplished numerous things at LU with our football program. We changed the culture. We built a program from the ground floor. We put LU football on the map, winning 70% of our games in a six-year period; winning four conference championships and earning four consecutive top-25 finishes.
But mostly, what I'll miss are the kids. I coach because I care about these young people. I want to make an impact in the lives of these young people. I want to add value, I want to educate and I want to motivate, and I'm committed to teaching these young student-athletes the value of winning both on and off of the field.
I was asked by media members yesterday as I left Lynchburg, "Why did you take this job?" "Why are you going to Richmond?" "They were 3-8 and 0-8 in conference play."
I want to be crystal clear as to why I am here today as your head football coach. I was extremely motivated by the academic reputation and excellence that is part of the culture here. This football program is only three years removed from winning a national championship; competing in the CAA, the best conference in FCS Football. My confidence in the leadership of President Ayers and our Athletic Director, Jim Miller, and the city of Richmond were all reasons that we decided that this is the best thing for our career and for my family. I'm ready to go to work, I'm excited to be here and I look forward to getting off to a fast start.
On plans for coaching staff here...
I certainly have definitive plans for putting the staff together. I sat down with all 10 of my coaches yesterday at Liberty. I've offered a job to a number of them, and I anticipate them accepting the jobs. I'm meeting tomorrow morning with the staff here. I'll interview every member of the current staff, and I am very excited about retaining a number of coaches from the current staff here at Richmond.
When I took my first head coaching job six-plus years ago at Liberty, I kept five of the coaches that were on the previous staff. I'm certainly hopeful to have some continuity here and hire some people who have experience here recruiting to Richmond and understanding the landscape of the CAA and recruiting to this great university.
On coaching turnover's impact on current players and implementing his system differently based on that...
Well, that's a great point. I have a certain philosophy that I believe in and a presentation on how I try to introduce myself to the team and what I try to accomplish on the front end. I really want to try to work hard here at the beginning to earn the trust of the student-athletes that are here at Richmond. I want to offer them a vision, a vision that will allow them to see themselves once again in a winning mode; in an attempt to show them that we are capable of accomplishing great things.
Turnover is difficult. When I left Liberty it was very difficult for me and difficult for the players on that football team. I think that what we'll do here starting this afternoon at 4:00 when I meet the team is to offer a pretty clear vision of where I want to go; offer some energy and some motivation so we can get this thing kick started and get the kind of results that we're looking for from our program.
On how transfer students will factor into the program moving forward...
We would change our emphasis in that area. We would no doubt be interested and active in the transfer market. I believe, just like I did like when I was at some of those institutions I mentioned earlier. There's a real legitimate pool of talent out there that have an interest in what Richmond offers. There are some high school athletes and families that place great value on the combination here of academic excellence and the Division I football opportunity. I am excited about getting into the homes of these high school student athletes and getting in with their families. We have a great institution to sell. I think we will be a little bit more based out of our high school recruiting but pretty much our intent will always be up to the transfer market. It is one of the unique advantages of being an FCS football program. You have the ability to reach out and bolster your roster immediately in order to fulfill specific needs.
On a three-four defense and a spread offense...
I will have to do some personnel evaluation and that is part of what I reference as phase one. I have seven different, very specific points that I want to get here by signing date. One of them is the evaluation of our talent. I think the three-four offers some legitimate match up issues that are very positive in playing a variety of different offenses. We became very multiple at Liberty, the last couple of years. I have to evaluate our talent here before I commit to that.
I've never been a spread offense guy. We've been in the spread a bunch. When I first went to Liberty we were two backs, a pro-style run with power and authority, play action pass type of football team. We kind of evolved into more of a spread team because of the talent we had, in particular the quarterback that we had. I really think we have to assess our talent before we make any definitive decisions with our systems or style of play.
On long-term commitment to the program...
I am certainly committed to making a difference in the University of Richmond to the best of my ability. I am committed to re-establishing our program to the highest possible level. This is your university, as you know; it is very attractive. It is a very special place to be. There are elements of a university like this, a program like this, a program that won a national championship three years ago, and a community that you certainly could consider being here for the duration of your career. I am committed to moving forward. Jim, if it is okay to announce, I am committed to a five year contract. I am certainly committed to seeing that contract through. I meet the team today at four o'clock and we will get started. I meet the staff here tomorrow and try to get things moving one day at a time. I talk to our players all the time about winning today and the attitude of "win today." It means a lot of different things. This is out of season, "win today" could mean do well in school, do well on your test, or do well in the weight room. The more consecutive days that we can put together of winning individually and winning collectively, the best chance we have of putting the product on the field that we would all like to put on the field.
On the challenge of coming to a CAA school...
It's a great challenge, it's a great league. You prefaced your question with coming from a six year head coach from an FCS program but I had never been in FCS football prior to that. The twenty odd years before I went to Liberty, I was always at Division IA and BCS programs. The adjustment of me going to Liberty was very significant; I wasn't a guy that was well versed in a lot of the nuances in FCS football. To some extent, I learned a lot of that on the run. Obviously we made some good decisions because we built a program and we had success. As I enter this job, my second head coaching job, I have been in FCS football for six years as a head football coach so I have a much greater understanding of the landscape. In answering that question, I have a much better understanding of how and why the CAA has gotten five teams into the post season in maybe two of the last five years. It's because it's the best conference out there in FCS football. The challenges are real; the challenges are week in, week out, pretty much regardless of what the name of the team says on the other team's helmet. What I am excited about is that I'm recruiting to that same element. I'm recruiting that same conference and that same opportunity with an addition that the academic excellence and reputation of this university. There's a beautiful new stadium and a commitment by administration. So I think that therein lays a lot of the reasons that I am very attracted to this opportunity.
On the high academic standards...
I grew up in a family where my dad was a high school teacher and coach all the way through my graduation from high school. My dad then went on to Penn State University where he worked for Joe Paterno for seventeen years. My mom and dad are retired in State College. My brother Frank is a football coach and athletic director. My brother Dave is a football coach and assistant athletic director. That's kind of how we were raised, placing value on education.
I think the next thing that is really important to me, is that you are dealing with families and student athletes that desire to succeed. When you go into homes where kids are highly motivated to do well in school, they are also highly motivated to do well in life. They see themselves as being successful, their parents are successful. They see opportunity out there, after graduation. They are able to equate hard work and school, a degree from this university, into a lot of successes in life. When you have that card in your pocket, I think it's powerful. And as you deal with families and parents and counselors at schools, and you walk in there and you communicate that message to these people. It's a powerful message and by the way they won a national championship three years ago. There is a really special combination right there. That really excites me and I appreciate the question to be given the opportunity to expound upon that because that is the essence of my excitement about being here right now. It's the combination of the two, at the highest level. And I think that allows for an awfully, awfully high ceiling.
On where the University of Richmond was on his radar before taking job...
I certainly had familiarity and had awareness and an element of interest, especially with the hiring of some people that I have known. Mike London and I are very good friends. I spent four years with Mike at the University of Virginia. When I was in New York with the New York Jets, Mike was up there during the summer working with the staff. So, when Mike came here, there was an increased interest on my part in terms of tracking and following.
You start following a little closer when you have a friend or peer involved in a program. It was the same thing with Latrell [Scott] and the same thing up to now.
I have seen an increase in the reception out there in recruiting across the state. I think the addition of the on-campus facility to play your home football games is very significant. In my eyes, which I mentioned to Jim over the weekend, it was really important to me that that was part of this package. When I came and met with David and Jim, I was very impressed. It was first class all the way.
Numbers are numbers; it's just a number. You win with people; that's what you win with. You have to surround yourself with good people, good kids and good leadership. And you have to have facilities that represent who you want to be. First class all the way.
Those were probably some of the subtle things in the recent years that have changed the program. I know Jim Reid really well. When Jim was at VMI, they were in the Big South Conference and we coached against Jim for a few years. I have great admiration for Jim, and I have great admiration for him when he was here. So there is some legitimate history in my mind as I came down here to look at this program.
Thank you very much. I appreciate everyone in attendance today. Thank you very much.