LSU can be considered one of the top places to coach and a dream job for a coach to obtain – especially a football coach.
But in addition to drawing a lot of coaching attention to Baton Rouge, LSU provides an opportunity for coaches – particularly assistants – to build their resumes for the future when other job openings arise.
Former Michigan State baseball coach David Grewe accepted a job as an associate head coach for LSU coach Paul Mainieri a week ago, saying the chance to work at LSU with Mainieri made stepping down from the lead role an easy choice to make.
“This job is such a great job,” Grewe said. “It’s going to create a sense of energy and a sense of excitement that helps you show up to the office every day.”
Grewe replaces former Tigers associate head and pitching coach Terry Rooney, who announced his departure June 12 and accepted the head coaching job at Central Florida.
Rooney said he looks back at his time with the Tigers favorably.
“To walk into LSU was just a fantastic situation,” Rooney said. “No. 1 – LSU is the most storied college baseball program in the entire country, and to have those resources available – I mean resources from a coaching aspect.
“Obviously I’ve worked with coach Mainieri and a great set of assistant coaches, but then had the opportunity to talk baseball with Skip Bertman, Dan Canevari and all types of people.”
Rooney said he has no doubt his stint with LSU helped prepare him to be both an attractive candidate for the Central Florida opening as well as a successful coach now that he has the job.
“Your goal is to get to the highest level of college baseball possible,” Rooney said. “At LSU this past year, we experienced that. No. 1 – we went to Omaha, and that’s as far as you can go in college baseball. No. 2 – we played in the SEC, which is widely regarded as the No. 1 baseball conference in the country. And No. 3 – I coached at LSU, which is the No. 1 program in the country.”
Mainieri said in addition to gaining coaching experience at LSU, coaches learn to deal with one of the most expansive fan and media bases in the country – talking with media, fans and boosters and doing a lot of public speaking.
“All of those things are qualifications for somebody to be a head coach,” Mainieri said. “So when you’re an athletic director, and you’re looking for a coach, why not go to a school where the coaches have to deal with all of those kinds of areas?”
Mainieri said the ability to coach and have success in situations faced by an LSU coach has been a huge boost to the resumes of past Tigers assistant coaches in multiple sports.
“In coach Rooney’s case, coming with me to LSU and for us to have success this year and go to the College World Series is obviously a big feather in his cap,” Mainieri said. “It makes him even that much more marketable for a job … When a team has success, then a lot of other teams want to emulate that success that you had at LSU.
“And they feel like if you hire one of those coaches that was a very big part of that success, you can bring that knowledge to the new school.”
Mainieri mentioned former Tigers defensive coordinator Bo Pelini as an example of an LSU coach from a sport other than baseball who moved on to a head coaching job.
The 2008 season will be Pelini’s first season coaching the Nebraska football team, one of the most storied programs in college football history.
Pelini’s former staff-mate, former offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, also moved on to another promising position as Florida State’s offensive coordinator.
While Fisher has not yet used his experience at LSU to gain a head coaching job, FSU has dubbed him the heir to the Seminoles’ throne when 78-year-old coach Bobby Bowden retires.
LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva, who succeeded Skip Bertman on July 1, said he was impressed by the LSU athletic program during his time as Duke’s athletic director.
“We at LSU have an outstanding athletic department,” Alleva said. “We have outstanding coaches. And competing in the Southeastern Conference, which in my opinion is the best conference, the coaches are getting tremendous exposure and tremendous experience toward becoming head coaches.”
While LSU’s lead assistants gain the opportunity to become head coaches at other schools, some of LSU’s younger assistants have also received the opportunity to step into leading assistant jobs at other schools.
LSU’s former hitting coach Cliff Godwin is heading to Central Florida to be Rooney’s top assistant and recruiting coordinator.
Former LSU assistant basketball coach Chad Dollar moved on to be the lead assistant at Arkansas State for former LSU coach John Brady.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to be the associate head basketball coach at Arkansas State,” Dollar said. “This is a great opportunity for me career-wise, and also it’s an opportunity to be with coach Brady and learn the ins and outs of not only just recruiting but also other aspects of running a Division-I program.”
Dollar said having LSU on his resume probably helped him obtain the Arkansas State position and will “carry a lot of weight” as he continues his career.
“One thing that is always good about being at LSU is it’s the major university in the state of Louisiana,” Dollar said. “You’ll get a lot of attention and a lot of exposure, so being in a situation like that helps you grow as a coach and helps you grow as a person.”
Dollar said his time with the Tigers was the “experience of a lifetime” and he will cherish the time he spent in Baton Rouge.