For the first time in seven years, the Wabash football team will be led by someone other than Chris Creighton. Little Giant football staples like “Camp Creighton” and the hoarse, fiery screams resonating from the Monon Bell Chapel talk are officially things of the past as Wabash moves into a new football era.
On December 2, Creighton announced he would be leaving Wabash for Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. This announcement was made after on of Creighton’s most successful campaigns at Wabash, with the Little Giants earning their third straight NCAC title and two playoff wins, finishing 11-2.
“We were all shocked, of course,” said junior defensive end Daryl Kennon. “He was a father figure to all of us. But we’re happy for him. He’s going to do the very best he can and make (Drake) a great place to play football.”
Creighton’s heir will certainly have some big shoes to fill. While at Wabash, Creighton was 63-15 with four NCAC titles and three playoff appearances in seven years. He also produced 13 All-Americans and earned NCAC Coach of the Year honors in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
Initially, the head coach position was offered to defensive coordinator Neil Neathery, who earned AFCA DIII Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2007. But Neathery decided to remain on Creighton’s staff and make the move to Des Moines.
So, around Christmas, Wabash announced the position opening at head football coach and began the process of finding Creighton’s heir.
The response was huge, as over 80 coaches from around the country applied to become the next coach of the sixth winningest football program in Division III.
“I think it says a lot about Wabash,” said Dean of Students Thomas Bambrey who is heading the committee that is charged with the task of finding the applicant who best fits the position. “We’ve had football success, and we’re in a good conference. (Potential coaches) also know about the academic standards here. It’s a highly desirable position.”
Other than Bambrey, the committee consists of five faculty: Vernon Mummert, Larry Griffith, Walter Blake, Tobey Herzog, and Jonathon Baer; and two players: Kennon and Tony Neymeiyer, who were chosen by the team.
The committee has already been busy with initial interviews, and narrowing down the candidates. “We’re moving forward as fast as we can,” Dean Bambrey said. “We’ll make a more public announcement of which candidates should come for a full interview soon.” Bambrey said the announcement should come within a month.
With all the applicants, the committee is confident that Creighton’s successor will be the right man for the job.
“The interviews are going great,” Kennon said. “We have a lot of highly qualified, highly decorated coaches. The guy we choose will be the best guy for Wabash, not ‘well, we wanted someone else, but this guy will do.’”
As far as the desired qualities of the future coach, Bambrey stressed character over success on the field.
“The most desirable characteristic is someone who will represent Wabash well,” Bambrey said. “We want a good leader who can lead us forward to even further success and someone who instills work ethic. Someone who knows the rules and constraints.”
Bambrey also said skills as a recruiter will also be crucial.
“Football is a big part of our total recruiting,” Bambrey said. “We need someone who can get the kind of people we want here.”
As far as “X’s and O’s”, Bambrey said that, although it’s not necessary, it would make sense to bring in someone who runs a similar offense to Creighton’s wide-open system since the team has recruited players for that system the last few years. “We just need a coach who best uses the players we have,” Bambrey said.
The Creighton era was certainly a prolific one for Wabash football. The bar has been set awfully high, but the committee feels confident that the next coach will be able to raise the bar even higher.
“Hopefully (the next coach) will take us to the next level, which is a National Championship.”