Jan. 10, 2014
Introducing Head Coach Jeff Brohm | Talking Brohm | Rise of Brohm | Through the Years
WKU Head Coach Jeff Brohm
Opening Statement
"It is definitely an honor to be here, an honor to be the leader of this football program. I'm truly thankful for that opportunity. I also want to thank all of the supporters for coming out today - all the fans, players, coaches, administration and their families. It truly is an honor to be up here in front of you. The first person I want to thank is our President, Dr. Gary Ransdell. I've had the chance to spend some time with him the past few days and I can tell you without question, he is the best president in the entire country and we're very lucky to have him. I also want to thank our athletic director Todd Stewart not only for what he has done and achieved before we arrived here, but for giving me the opportunity to lead this program and take them into the year 2014 and beyond.
There are obviously a lot of people to thank, a lot of coaches and people I have been involved with throughout my career, starting out in high school with coach Dennis Lampley at Trinity High School. He was a great mentor and leader. He was able to teach people to play extremely hard and they played hard for him on a daily basis. He taught me the importance of quality, integrity and leadership skills I will forever take into my career. Moving on, Coach (Howard) Schnellenberger at the University of Louisville was an outstanding football coach, outstanding leader and had the ability to mold programs and take them to levels they had never been before. Without question, I've learned a tremendous amount from him and am very, very thankful for what he did for me.
Going past that, I played for a lot of great coaches. It started off with the Super Bowl year in San Diego where Bobby Ross was our head coach. I went to San Francisco for three years with coaches like George Seifert, Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg, Jim Mora and Marc Trestman. I went to Tampa Bay and had Tony Dungy and Mike Shula, great coaches. In Denver, Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak. A few other stops in Cleveland, Washington and Orlando, I learned a lot from all of those great coaches and took a little away from every one of them. I'm definitely thankful for the opportunity to play underneath those guys. I also want to thank the players that I played with, great players at every level. Especially when you get to the National Football League, to get to play under players like Steve Young and Jerry Rice and learn how to go about your business, work and be a champion - it's something I will be forever grateful for.
I also want to thank Coach (Bobby) Petrino).He's a guy I've coached with for a long time. He is a proven winner and I have a great deal of respect for him. I appreciate everything he has done. His ability to motivate players to achieve their best, be detailed oriented in everything you do, he's definitely somebody I take a lot of components from.
Without question, I want to thank my family and they are here today. My wife Jennifer for all of the support she has given me. She gives me the opportunity to come to work quite a bit and do something I love with a passion, which is football. My son Brady, he is the biggest WKU fan there is. You can ask any of our staff, they'll tell you. He's excited as he has ever been. He likes to be around the players and it is a special time for him, at his age, to be around our guys and feel a part of it. He definitely bleeds red. My daughter, Brooke, I'm surprised she is sitting down but she is tremendous but she has energy and I hope our team plays with that amount of energy.
I want to thank my mother and my father. They have definitely given me guidance. They have brought me up the right way and instilled the values that I believe in today that will carry me a long way and out me in an environment to succeed. They really were with me along the path. When you get a chance to play at a high level you don't always win. There are times when you're low. Teams may not want you to play quarterback and you've got to have people to rely on that support you. They have definitely been there for me. My brother Brian is here as well. He has achieved a great deal as well and I was able to get a chance to coach him. I wouldn't trade that memory for a long time. My brother Greg and Kim are not here but I'd like to thank them as well. I'm truly blessed to have the chance to lead this university. It is something as a player when you work hard and finally get a chance to achieve something and play at the highest level, it is a remarkable time. I cherish those memories. To work hard and get a chance to coach at the highest level here at Western Kentucky University is something I'm proud of and I will do my very best to put a great product on the field. I'll give it everything I've got to make sure that happens.
I'm excited about this day. It is another step forward. Yes, I am a new head coach and it is something I'm eager and willing to hit the ground running full speed. I know our staff is as well. We are looking forward to this challenge and will give it everything we've got on a daily basis. What makes this just as special as well is to coach in my home state, the state of Kentucky. Without question, I take a lot of pride in that. I not only grew up in this state, but played college football in this state and have been able to coach in this state. I believe there is a lot of talent in this state. It is a great place to live. This is a tremendous university as you can see. The facilities are second to none and they have done a great job of growing this program.
Like I said, this is a growing program. It is ready to take on new challenges. We have great facilities, great people around this program and to me that is the difference. When you have great people to work with that are committed to winning and working hard to achieve greatness, it truly is remarkable. The administration has been great. There is a great foundation here and I am ready to build upon that.
One of the most important things I believe in is that every player that comes to WKU stays here, plays here and wins here. Also with that, receives a degree and prepares himself for the future. That is the difference in college and professional level. You have a chance to be hands on with kids that not only need guidance on the field but in the classroom, community, how to go about their business, how to work hard and as a former player that is what got me into coaching. I can relate to these guys. I've been where they are now and experienced what they have experienced, the highs and the lows. I think guys need someone who has been there to be there to pat them on the back when they need it and be able to push them when they need it as well. You have to be able to do both. I feel like that is an advantage I have and something I have with all of my players.
I want a program here that is exciting for our fans, innovative, creative, always cutting-edge, always working hard to put a great product on the field and be ahead of the curve. I think with this staff that we have you will see that. Guys that are committed to winning, guys that put in the time and are willing to experiment to stay ahead of the curve. That is something that is special to me and something that I really work hard on doing.
Every year we want to come out as a team and a program to win a conference championship. That will be a goal of ours, no question. We will work hard to do that. I'm excited to be in Conference USA. It's a challenge, a lot of new teams but we are ready to take on that challenge. Our players are ready and eager to get to work. As we progress, we want to make this a program on the national level, make it high profile. You do that by playing exciting football, by being dominant on both sides of the ball and special teams and showing enthusiasm for your work. We will definitely do that.
The four big areas we concentrate on as coaches with these players is firstly, with academics. We want to make sure they graduate and have all the support they need, not only from the support from the support staff, but from us as coaches to make sure they get their degree, stay on track and do things right in the classroom. Spiritual growth is important to us as well, as is social responsibility and obviously play on the field. To achieve these goals and get where we want to be, it will come from hard work on a daily basis. I believe we all need to strive to be a champion on and off the field. We need to pursue greatness through commitment to excellence. In our program that means winning championships and treating people in a first class manner. We must have a passion to be the best and a daily commitment to winning. Success happens when preparation meets opportunity. I want to thank you again for this opportunity. I can't wait to get started. I'm extremely excited and am looking forward to leading your program.
Before I end, I want to make sure an acknowledge someone who is in this room, someone who played a great role in our success this past year. He has done tremendous job. He has coached at a high level at numerous colleges for years. He is not only a great coach, but a great person and a great teacher, great motivator and cares about his players deeply. He's got a great wife, Julie, and a great family. We are lucky to have as our defensive coordinator, linebacker coach and associate head coach, Nick Holt.
On changes that he will make as head coach
"I think we definitely have a strong foundation, a systematic belief of what we believe in as a staff and as a football team. We will keep that core. We are going to try and stay cutting edge, ahead of the curve and being creative. That's one of the things as a coach that I take pride in is studying not only ourselves but the best teams in the country, making sure we aren't missing out on what other teams do to make sure our players have the best chance to succeed."
On the past year preparing him for the head coaching role
"I loved my first year here. This is a great place with tremendous facilities. They did a great job and I was excited to come here. When I came with Coach Petrino I wanted to get back and see how he ran a program, see up close and personal the things he did on a daily basis. I studied that and paid close attention to it as we were coaching our team and trying to win games. I am looking forward to it and learned a great deal this past year.
On the quality of football teams in Conference USA
"I think it is a quality conference and we are excited to be in it. I think it will bring a lot of energy to our fans to play news teams, to experience going to different places. I think we fit in just great. Our players are excited to play in it. We are going to go out and compete. Without question, our goal is to go out and win the conference championship."
On how long being a college head coach has been a goal
"I grew up loving to play the game and play sports. It's something I did for a long time and I tried to do for as long as I could. As long as the teams would keep me, I kept playing. I really enjoyed competing, regardless of what sport it was. I got into coaching. It was an adjustment as a player to put in the hours, how hard you had to work, the meticulous details and realize that as a player yourself you may have been a little more talented, but with other guys you have to teach them the small details on how to win on a daily basis and get better every day. The more and more I got into it the more and more I wanted to do that. This past year, without question, was a preparation stage to try and get back to learn exactly how we did it before we were together. It is something I followed very closely."
On discussions with Bobby Petrino to become the offensive coordinator at Louisville
"That was obviously always in the discussion. Coach knew what I wanted. There were some opportunities that came up before this that I had a chance to do but we sat down and talked. Coach said he knew I had a great opportunity to be the head football coach here if you do things right. We have had the discussion before but he knew the best thing for me was to be the head football coach at Western Kentucky University. To coach a team in my state, that I truly love, that has continued to make tremendous strides, I want to help take it to higher levels."
On how long he intends to be here
"That is always the goal, you want to win. Winning doesn't just happen, you have to make it happen. I tell our guys all the time that the difference between winning and losing is this much. You have to do the extra each and every day. I want to come in and teach our guys to win in everything they do. If you teach them to win in everything they do, on the field, off the field and in the classroom, it carries over. You get a sense of pride in knowing that you aren't going to let your teammates down, you're going to find a way to get it done. That is what makes it special. That's my concern, teaching these guys to be winners in everything they do."
On the recruiting effect with staff continuity
"That's huge. I feel very comfortable with them and they continue to do a tremendous job. I think our recruiting is going extremely well. I feel really good about it. We really haven't missed a beat. We have gotten great response. We work at it on a daily basis. We are in communication with our guys. Recruiting is about not only evaluating talent, but building relationships. As assistants, you usually have a better relationship than the head coach. A lot of that has been very good. We are excited about it. It looks very good and we are going to finish strong."
WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart
Opening Statement
"As everyone knows, yesterday Bobby Petrino was named the Head Football Coach at the University of Louisville. I want to thank Bobby for his tremendous dedication to our football program and the tireless work ethic he exhibited from the very day he was hired. While only serving as our head football coach for 13 months, Coach Petrino and his staff elevated our program to its high water mark since we made the decision to transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2007. Our 8 wins in 2013 were a program best during this time period and the most for WKU in any year since 2004, and our four wins over bowl eligible teams last season were more than the previous five seasons combined. We were one of only 8 teams to rank in the nation's top 30 in both total offense and total defense, and we set an all-time program high for average attendance per game.
Jeff Brohm deserves much credit for playing a leading role in this success. Under Jeff's direction as offensive coordinator last season, we broke 18 school records on offense including posting 5,502 total yards, the most in our program's 95- year history. WKU was also the only team in the nation to have an individual break both the school's single season passing and rushing yardage marks in the same season.
Jeff's total body of work prior to coming to WKU is significant. He has previously held assistant head coach and offensive coordinator positions, and his 11-year FBS coaching career includes experience in the Big East and Big 10 Conferences in addition to a season at both Florida Atlantic and UAB, both of whom will be future WKU opponents in Conference USA. A common theme from each of these stops was consistent offensive success and excellent production from the quarterback position. Jeff also brings post-season experience, having coached in six bowl games and winning four of them including a 2007 Orange Bowl victory while at Louisville.
His playing career included seven seasons in the National Football League and an appearance in Super Bowl 29 with the San Diego Chargers along with two seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization. He wrapped up his four-year collegiate career as one of the most prolific offensive players in Louisville's history and was twice voted the team's Most Valuable Player. His extensive roots in the Commonwealth of Kentucky began with his youth, a period that culminated with him being named Kentucky's High School player of the decade for the 1980s.
Quite simply, Jeff Brohm exhibits a multitude of successful and winning attributes. He has an excellent football pedigree marked by success at each playing and coaching stop during his career, and he has a terrific football mind with vital leadership traits. I have no doubt he will be an outstanding head coach who will build on the momentum we currently have in our football program and take us to even greater heights.
It is great to have Jeff's wife, Jennifer, son Brady and daughter, Brooke with us today, along with his parents and other family members, and it is my great pleasure to formally introduce Western Kentucky University's new head football coach, Jeff Brohm!"
On what made him know Jeff Brohm was the right coach
"I had the terrific advantage of almost looking at Jeff as a 12-month interview. Certainly when we hired Coach Petrino we knew there was a possibility he might not be here that long. We all hoped he would be here more than one year and I think that if Charlie Strong doesn't take the Texas job, Coach Petrino is still here today. We knew there would be a day, in all probability, he wouldn't be. Jeff, when we hired him (last year), was someone in my mind that I though could possibly be a head coach.
A few of the things that I have seen out there that are a little unfair to Jeff are the insinuations that all this was pre-ordained or agreed upon a year ago. When we hired Jeff (last year), I knew it was a possibility but Jeff Brohm earned this job by what he did over the past 12 months. I had the opportunity to observe how he worked, how he interacted with our players, how he handled himself with the media and the community, how he handled himself in practice. The more I saw, the more comfortable I became. Jeff earned this over the past 12 months and was a big reason why we won eight games and had quality wins among those eight wins. His overall resume is terrific. I wouldn't want anyone to underestimate what he did in the past 12 months because that was a vital part of this as well. It was his whole body of work that made me really comfortable to recommend him to Dr. Ransdell."
On timeline of events this week with Petrino's departure and interview Brohm "If something is not broken, don't fix it. I think it would have been a waste of time to talk to other people when I was convinced and Dr. Ransdell was convinced that the best person for us is the person sitting between us today. We didn't talk to anybody else about the job. One thing that eased my mind too was the continuity of the staff. Having Nick Holt as our associate head coach and defensive coordinator is tremendous because we had a top defense this year due to his leadership. The combination of Jeff being our head coach and Nick being our defensive coordinator positions us extremely well moving forward.
In terms of this week, I would compliment both Tom Jurich and Bobby Petrino for their respective communication to me all week long. I thought that was handled very professionally by both of them. That made my job easier because I knew where that process was the entire time as it unfolded. Tom called me Wednesday morning and told me that was the direction they wanted to go in. That's how we found out.
I had the opportunity to work with Jeff and watch him for 12 months, but honestly, we never had an in-depth conversation about him being a head coach prior to this week until after the regular season. I don't feel it Is appropriate to talk about a job that somebody else has. I never had any conversations with anybody being our head coach while Bobby Petrino was our head coach. When Jeff mentioned opportunities were starting to come up we talked a little bit about this after the season ended. We did meet on Tuesday and had a lengthy meeting. We met again on Wednesday and that was just diving a little bit deeper and going into more specifics than we had before just to be absolutely certain."
WKU President Dr. Gary Ransdell
Opening Statement
"Thank you very much for being here. This is an important day for us. I came to work Monday morning it was about 3 degrees outside and the day got colder as it went on. So we began to sort through what was unfolding around us - now it's Friday afternoon. As the week draws to a close, let me tell you what a good week it has been. It has been an easy week. I want to compliment Todd Stewart, our athletic director, for handling all the inquiries and things that have swirled around his office this week. He's kept me informed and it has been an easy job because I've nodded approval to every suggestion every step of the way this week.
When I had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with Jeff (Brohm) this week I was reinforced that we were indeed in a very fortunate position. This program is strong, competitive, operating in the right ways and I could not be more pleased or proud of the future of Hilltopper Football. That is what has made this an easy week. We've got a core of coaches that made this an easy decision. With Jeff's leadership and core of coaches making a commitment to this university going forward, we did not have to consider this a week of change. This is a week of continuity. This is a week of confidence. I'm very pleased that we were able to make, not even a decision, an easy process to flow through and work through.
I'm delighted at where we are at this time moving forward with Hilltopper Football program. I know everyone in this room can be proud of what this program has become and what is in the process of achieving. I think we are just getting started with Hilltopper Football at a high level. As we go into Conference USA we intend to be a leader not only in football, but across our athletic programs and every other measure. The Sun Belt banner has past and we are now in Conference USA. We are recruiting recruits that will play in Conference USA. We look forward going into Conference USA next year in championship form and I'm delighted with the leadership that is now in place to make that possible. Again, I want to thank our coaches and staff for what they have brought to this program and the commitment they are making to this program going forward."
