Who Does Bird Get?

[CRF4Dan]

If you have not seen the breaking news today on the front page, LC Bird's David Bedwell is stepping down to become AD. So with that said there will be much speculation as to who the next coach at Bird is... I've heard five names mentioned in just the last 4 hours alone. Anyone have any thoughts on the next hire and where do you think Bird goes from here?

 

[BleedingNavy]

I was hoping you could shed some light on this topic Danny. Not sure if Bedwell has someone on staff he prefers or will look outside. If he decides to go outside I would think Henderson (if interested) at Monacan, Mills at Dinwiddie (Hope not. May not be the right time) would be sound outside candidates. It seems to bee as 7-7 have started, so I look for it to be an inside offer.

 

[CRF4Dan]

I was hoping you could shed some light on this topic Danny. Not sure if Bedwell has someone on staff he prefers or will look outside. If he decides to go outside I would think Henderson (if interested) at Monacan, Mills at Dinwiddie (Hope not. May not be the right time) would be sound outside candidates. It seems to bee as 7-7 have started, so I look for it to be an inside offer.

Honestly I don't know. Talking to fans and alumni of the program today they would like it to be someone familiar with the program. I've heard many names from people with ties to the program to rivals of the program. This job will be attractive to not just within the 804 but across the state. When Bedwell came to Bird, he had no ties to the program so anything is possible as far as a hire. Any coach would be crazy to turn it down but it's gotta be the right fit for that coach just as it does the program.

The sense of urgency is going to be the biggest factor in the hire. As you say, 7 on 7's are underway and with school coming to a close soon and practice just a few short months away, you need someone in place soon so program doesn't miss a beat. I know assistants will help in the meantime and I'm sure Bedwell will do what he can but I would not think you can go into July not having someone in place. From what I am to understand, this has been in the works for a while, it's not a spur of the moment thing so I gotta believe Bedwell has names in mind. The fact that Bedwell will be in on the process helps tremendously I would think.

The fact that Bird is one of the premier programs in the region and state leads me to believe it won't be open long.

 

[BleedingNavy]

Should serve for some good gossip. Again, I hope he doesnt look South

 

[OCBoy]

I just can't see a guy with his caliber not coaching. I can see Bedwell returning to coach in a few years. Another possible thing does he do what Linns Lafayette did andcask to remain on for one year until a replacement can be named?

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Nah, never happen. Coach Bedwell will not be the coach this fall. Bird will virtually have their choice of top coaches. Also, the AD job at a school the size of Bird is more than a full time job.

I believe that Coach Bedwell would never have walked away from his players if he wasn't certain they would be in good hands.

 

[OCBoy]

Nah, never happen. Coach Bedwell will not be the coach this fall. Bird will virtually have their choice of top coaches. Also, the AD job at a school the size of Bird is more than a full time job.

I believe that Coach Bedwell would never have walked away from his players if he wasn't certain they would be in good hands.

True, I just can't see him staying away that long

 

[DinwiddieProud]

I doubt it very seriously if Coach Bedwell sees himself coaching anywhere else right now. But, if it proves irresistible in a few years, it will be a lot easier for him to go elsewhere from an AD's position. It would have been a lot harder to lure him away if he was still the head coach.

 

[mbonape1]

The only job that could potentially rival the LCB opening would be if Oscar Smith was open. But even then, if you saw Danny's article on Bedwell's tenure at LCB, that job is no match for a school with 30+ years winning tradition. So for Bedwell, if he did decide to coach again anything in the state of VA would be a step down outside of taking over sideline duties for Bird again. I seriously doubt Bedwell gets a speeding ticket off of courthouse and Iron bridge rd. That would be very hard to duplicate anywhere else.

 

[DinwiddieProud]

You may remember me mentioning that I had a chance to chat with Coach Bedwell at our scrimmage with them last year? I got drafted into working the sticks, and of course I was on the visitors sideline. I had a blast talking with Coach. I found him to be extremely polite, very considerate, and funny as hell. We exchanged a few emails as the season played out, and it was always enjoyable to converse with him.

Bird has a heck of an ambassador in Coach Bedwell. He has the respect of the coaching community and his input as an AD at District, Regional, and State meetings will be well received.

 

[GilliamRatings]

Not many schools have the opportunity Bird has to pretty much go after any coach anywhere in the state, and probably most coaches in the country. However, the late date makes it hard to do a gigantic coach search.

I have been predicting a bit of a down year for Bird this year (just haven't been hearing about studs in the pipeline like I usually do), but for Bird that means 8-2 regular season with a second round exit in the playoffs.

I think all bets are off right now.

I can tell you that historically, programs that have been super successful under one coach who end up hiring an assistant do not fare well. There are lots of cases of it, I won't go into them all but you probably can think of them yourselves.

Bird has been remarkable in that they have been successful under all of their coaches and particularly under their last three.

Schrotenboer was the result of a nationwide search and was hired after winning a couple of state titles in Michigan.
Paquette actually had a better winning percentage than Schrotenboer and was Schrotenboer's assistant.
Bedwell, of course, had an even better winning percentage, and was one of the most attractive coaches in the Richmond area when he came over from Henrico.

I followed all three men (and worked with two of them). Their secret? They had a philosophy they believed in and they worked their butts off. I honestly have never seen any coaches anywhere else work as hard as any of these three. I know there are others who do, of course, but I really haven't seen any that worked like that in the other programs I have followed closely.

 

[CRF4Dan]

You may remember me mentioning that I had a chance to chat with Coach Bedwell at our scrimmage with them last year? I got drafted into working the sticks, and of course I was on the visitors sideline. I had a blast talking with Coach. I found him to be extremely polite, very considerate, and funny as hell. We exchanged a few emails as the season played out, and it was always enjoyable to converse with him.

Bird has a heck of an ambassador in Coach Bedwell. He has the respect of the coaching community and his input as an AD at District, Regional, and State meetings will be well received.

A lot of people as you well know hate on Bird but there is no denying how great of a coach and person Bedwell is. Even before I went to work for the site when I was merely a fan of the game he was always willing to offer anything I needed regarding info pertaining to Bird. He was an even better person when I had the chance to meet him myself.

I think too many times fans of opposing teams see the opposing coaches as the persona they see on the field on Friday nights and not who they truly are.

 

[CRF4Dan]

Not many schools have the opportunity Bird has to pretty much go after any coach anywhere in the state, and probably most coaches in the country. However, the late date makes it hard to do a gigantic coach search.

I have been predicting a bit of a down year for Bird this year (just haven't been hearing about studs in the pipeline like I usually do), but for Bird that means 8-2 regular season with a second round exit in the playoffs.

I think all bets are off right now.

I can tell you that historically, programs that have been super successful under one coach who end up hiring an assistant do not fare well. There are lots of cases of it, I won't go into them all but you probably can think of them yourselves.

Bird has been remarkable in that they have been successful under all of their coaches and particularly under their last three.

Schrotenboer was the result of a nationwide search and was hired after winning a couple of state titles in Michigan.
Paquette actually had a better winning percentage than Schrotenboer and was Schrotenboer's assistant.
Bedwell, of course, had an even better winning percentage, and was one of the most attractive coaches in the Richmond area when he came over from Henrico.

I followed all three men (and worked with two of them). Their secret? They had a philosophy they believed in and they worked their butts off. I honestly have never seen any coaches anywhere else work as hard as any of these three. I know there are others who do, of course, but I really haven't seen any that worked like that in the other programs I have followed closely.

The timing of this is a huge factor in the coaching search. As you said, it's a bit late in the game, I mean all the jobs had been filled in the Richmond Region and by now most teams have made a hire.

Change is a scary thing, even for a program as successful as Bird. You know what you got with Bedwell, you don't know with the next guy. It's hard to imagine Bird falling off that much this season but as you alluded to, we have seen it at other programs. This for me is the biggest story going into the 2017 season... who is Bird's new coach and can he keep it going?

 

[GilliamRatings]

Tony Nicely was chosen as interim coach. He's been with Bird a good, long time. Spent some time as Meadowbrook's head coach. He's a class guy, and will do a first rate job.

 

[CRF4Dan]

Tony Nicely was chosen as interim coach. He's been with Bird a good, long time. Spent some time as Meadowbrook's head coach. He's a class guy, and will do a first rate job.

Had a chance to speak to him for the first time this afternoon and he sounded exactly as you put a class guy and he had some great stories. Bird is in good hands, even if it for one year.