BREAKING NEWS: Mullins steps down as Tech's coach

[SouthpawSensation]

Steve Mullins announced his resignation today, and it was accepted by the Board of Trustees.
He will remain at Tech as the school's athletic director.
Search for a new coach begins immediately.

[Big Fan]

Saw this on the 6 o'clock news....interesting.....

[phdefense]

Even though at the end some people were not happy with Mullins. I still think he is leaving Tech in better shape than he found it.

I heard Gruden in on the short list. 

[Big Fan]

Even though at the end some people were not happy with Mullins. I still think he is leaving Tech in better shape than he found it.

I heard Gruden in on the short list. 

It will be BP....he saw the volleyball team.

[x14113]

Mullins has done a great job as AD.  Very good to know he will now make that his sole focus.

By no means should he be ashamed of where he took Tech football, but giving the reigns to someone who can help bring the program to greater heights is the best move he can make at this point.

I wonder if a certain coach in the Shoals will show any interest...

[Big Fan]

Mullins has done a great job as AD.  Very good to know he will now make that his sole focus.

By no means should he be ashamed of where he took Tech football, but giving the reigns to someone who can help bring the program to greater heights is the best move he can make at this point.

I wonder if a certain coach in the Shoals will show any interest...

You're right the best thing to happen to Tech football was a Weevil....lol.

[Lionheart88]

JL Smith to ATU?   

[fitness13]

MUCH needed move!  Kudos to those who helped force this move along.  While it's appreciated what Mullins had done in the past this is a "what have you done for me lately business" and not much had been done lately.  Excited to see change is in the air!

[athletic supporter]

I nominate Todd Cooley as the new head coach of ATU

[phdefense]

MUCH needed move!  Kudos to those who helped force this move along.  While it's appreciated what Mullins had done in the past this is a "what have you done for me lately business" and not much had been done lately.  Excited to see change is in the air!

What of that business. What have you done lately other than complain? Are you a supporter or just a critic?

[Valleysports]

fitness13, I retrieved some records for you.  It is fair to question the direction of the program when they (we) have struggled the last couple of years.  Waiting to hear details from my sources    Mullins has had a great run for TECH! 

We should wait until the new coach is announced, before starting a thread on where TECH is headed.  Close to 12,000 students next fall, major investments in infrastructure, academics, and athletics.  Have you seen the baseball comlex lately?   

[Valleysports]

The first landmark win of the Mullins era came on Oct. 17, 1998, when the Wonder Boys went to Conway and defeated arch rival University of Central Arkansas 16-15.
Little more than 12 months later, Arkansas Tech became the first football program from the Natural State to win the GSC football championship outright.
The Wonder Boys finished the 1999 season with a 9-3 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time in school history.
In 2000, Arkansas Tech finished 7-3 overall and was the only team to defeat eventual NCAA Division II national champion Delta State University.
The 2001 Wonder Boys were 8-2 overall, and their two losses were by a combined total of four points. Despite a 33-28 win at UCA on the final day of the regular season, Arkansas Tech was denied an opportunity to compete in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
The Wonder Boys returned to the postseason and made more history in 2004. Arkansas Tech opened the season with nine consecutive wins and attained its highest ranking ever in the American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II top 25 when it was ranked No. 6 on Nov. 2, 2004.
Tech defeated Catawba College (N.C.) 24-20 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs on Nov. 13, 2004, in Russellville. It marked the first time that a school from Arkansas had ever hosted and the first time that a school from Arkansas had ever won an NCAA Division II Playoffs game.
Arkansas Tech finished the 2004 season with a 10-2 overall record.
The Wonder Boys became the first program in Arkansas to make three NCAA Division II Playoffs appearances when they reached the postseason again in 2009 and finished with an overall record of 9-3.  In 2009 the Wonder Boys established new school records for total offense (6,329 yards), passing yardage (4,635) and scoring average (40.8 points per game).
Arkansas Tech earned its second all-time win in the NCAA Division II Playoffs when it defeated the University of North Carolina Pembroke 41-13 in an opening-round game at in Russellville on Nov. 14, 2009.

[fitness13]

Clearly I'm being Mr. Negative here, but I just don't get the obsession over someone who was barely above .500 for a 16 year career.

During his 16 year tenure Mullins' teams only averaged 6 wins vs. 5 losses - his career winning percentage was .555.  His conference record was only fractionally better at .561  His teams qualified for the playoffs only 3 times in 16 years or just 19% of the time and his teams only won a conference championship 1 time or 0.06% of the time.  The Wonderboys are now 3 full seasons removed from a winning season and have 1 winning season in the last 5 years. 

While he might be a nice guy and while he might do a good job as AD (that's harder to quantify) he was just an average (maybe slightly above average) football coach. 

[done]

Clearly I'm being Mr. Negative here, but I just don't get the obsession over someone who was barely above .500 for a 16 year career.

During his 16 year tenure Mullins' teams only averaged 6 wins vs. 5 losses - his career winning percentage was .555.  His conference record was only fractionally better at .561  His teams qualified for the playoffs only 3 times in 16 years or just 19% of the time and his teams only won a conference championship 1 time or 0.06% of the time.  The Wonderboys are now 3 full seasons removed from a winning season and have 1 winning season in the last 5 years. 

While he might be a nice guy and while he might do a good job as AD (that's harder to quantify) he was just an average (maybe slightly above average) football coach. 

You are an idiot.

At Tech:
When Steve Mullins became the 14th head football coach in Arkansas Tech University history in the summer of 1997, he inherited a program in transition. The Wonder Boys had posted just six winning seasons and one conference championship in the previous 20 years, and they were in the infancy of a new era as members of NCAA Division II and the ultra-competitive Gulf South Conference.

15 football seasons later, Tech has accomplished feats unmatched by any of its fellow conference members from Arkansas. The Wonder Boys were the first Gulf South Conference football program in Arkansas to ever win the GSC title outright (1999), the first GSC football program in Arkansas to host an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004) and the first GSC football program in Arkansas to win an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004). In addition, Tech is the only Arkansas Division II school to host and win two playoff games as they picked up a 40-13 win over UNC Pembroke in the first round of the 2009 NCAA D-II Playoffs. Mullins enters the 2012 season as the winningest active football coach in the in the state of Arkansas with 91 victories and is all-time winningest coach in Tech history, a mark he passed during the 2009 season after leading the Wonder Boys to a 9-3 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA D-II Playoffs for the second time in school history.

Those deeds have earned Mullins three Gulf South Conference coach of the year awards (1999, 2004 & 2009) and two NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year honors (2004 & 2009).

"It means a lot to me personally, and it means a lot to our program as well," said Mullins when asked about the awards. "When we go out to sell this program and this university, it gives us more credibility. Coach of the year awards are just like playing quarterback. When things are going great, you get too much credit. When everything is going poorly, you get too much blame. So, I guess when things do go well you need to accept them and enjoy them while you can. It's truly a team award. So many people contribute to a successful football program. I hold the position of head coach so I get all that credit, but there are countless people who worked very hard so that I could win those awards."

Go troll the softball pages.

[fitness13]

Clearly I'm being Mr. Negative here, but I just don't get the obsession over someone who was barely above .500 for a 16 year career.

During his 16 year tenure Mullins' teams only averaged 6 wins vs. 5 losses - his career winning percentage was .555.  His conference record was only fractionally better at .561  His teams qualified for the playoffs only 3 times in 16 years or just 19% of the time and his teams only won a conference championship 1 time or 0.06% of the time.  The Wonderboys are now 3 full seasons removed from a winning season and have 1 winning season in the last 5 years. 

While he might be a nice guy and while he might do a good job as AD (that's harder to quantify) he was just an average (maybe slightly above average) football coach. 

You are an idiot.

At Tech:
When Steve Mullins became the 14th head football coach in Arkansas Tech University history in the summer of 1997, he inherited a program in transition. The Wonder Boys had posted just six winning seasons and one conference championship in the previous 20 years, and they were in the infancy of a new era as members of NCAA Division II and the ultra-competitive Gulf South Conference.

15 football seasons later, Tech has accomplished feats unmatched by any of its fellow conference members from Arkansas. The Wonder Boys were the first Gulf South Conference football program in Arkansas to ever win the GSC title outright (1999), the first GSC football program in Arkansas to host an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004) and the first GSC football program in Arkansas to win an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004). In addition, Tech is the only Arkansas Division II school to host and win two playoff games as they picked up a 40-13 win over UNC Pembroke in the first round of the 2009 NCAA D-II Playoffs. Mullins enters the 2012 season as the winningest active football coach in the in the state of Arkansas with 91 victories and is all-time winningest coach in Tech history, a mark he passed during the 2009 season after leading the Wonder Boys to a 9-3 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA D-II Playoffs for the second time in school history.

Those deeds have earned Mullins three Gulf South Conference coach of the year awards (1999, 2004 & 2009) and two NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year honors (2004 & 2009).

"It means a lot to me personally, and it means a lot to our program as well," said Mullins when asked about the awards. "When we go out to sell this program and this university, it gives us more credibility. Coach of the year awards are just like playing quarterback. When things are going great, you get too much credit. When everything is going poorly, you get too much blame. So, I guess when things do go well you need to accept them and enjoy them while you can. It's truly a team award. So many people contribute to a successful football program. I hold the position of head coach so I get all that credit, but there are countless people who worked very hard so that I could win those awards."

Go troll the softball pages.

And the bolded comment is EXACTLY what is wrong with Arkansas Tech University!!!!!!!  You completely supported my biggest complaint about ATU with that statement.  You and the vast majority of Tech supports are happy as a lark to be "the best" Division II in the state of Arkansas.  Which given the MAJOR advantage of number of students and money available really should be expected not championed!!!!  This program - across the board in all sports - should compete at the very top of the conference year in and year out and should look to repeated conference championships, playoffs, and national championships as true accomplishments.  The Tech volleyball team is the perfect example last year going undefeated in the conference, losing only 3 games all year playing a weak schedule, but nationally they were the lowest seed in their regional and they were destroyed in the first round of the playoffs in three straight sets.  Yet, everyone talked about how great they were - yep, locally they were talented, but they were nothing on a national type stage.

I guess the big difference here is how you define success and accomplishment.  One conference championship in 16 years, 3 playoffs in 16 years, and a 55% winnings percentage is not my definition of successful.  And saying "they had just one conference championship in the previous 20 years" really isn't proof of a successful campaign for Mullins given his 1 championship in 16 years and the fact that I would literally bet my next 4 years salaries combined that he wouldn't have won another championship in the next four years would make his era exactly like the previous 20 years.....

[phdefense]

Clearly I'm being Mr. Negative here, but I just don't get the obsession over someone who was barely above .500 for a 16 year career.

During his 16 year tenure Mullins' teams only averaged 6 wins vs. 5 losses - his career winning percentage was .555.  His conference record was only fractionally better at .561  His teams qualified for the playoffs only 3 times in 16 years or just 19% of the time and his teams only won a conference championship 1 time or 0.06% of the time.  The Wonderboys are now 3 full seasons removed from a winning season and have 1 winning season in the last 5 years. 

While he might be a nice guy and while he might do a good job as AD (that's harder to quantify) he was just an average (maybe slightly above average) football coach. 

You are an idiot.

At Tech:
When Steve Mullins became the 14th head football coach in Arkansas Tech University history in the summer of 1997, he inherited a program in transition. The Wonder Boys had posted just six winning seasons and one conference championship in the previous 20 years, and they were in the infancy of a new era as members of NCAA Division II and the ultra-competitive Gulf South Conference.

15 football seasons later, Tech has accomplished feats unmatched by any of its fellow conference members from Arkansas. The Wonder Boys were the first Gulf South Conference football program in Arkansas to ever win the GSC title outright (1999), the first GSC football program in Arkansas to host an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004) and the first GSC football program in Arkansas to win an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004). In addition, Tech is the only Arkansas Division II school to host and win two playoff games as they picked up a 40-13 win over UNC Pembroke in the first round of the 2009 NCAA D-II Playoffs. Mullins enters the 2012 season as the winningest active football coach in the in the state of Arkansas with 91 victories and is all-time winningest coach in Tech history, a mark he passed during the 2009 season after leading the Wonder Boys to a 9-3 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA D-II Playoffs for the second time in school history.

Those deeds have earned Mullins three Gulf South Conference coach of the year awards (1999, 2004 & 2009) and two NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year honors (2004 & 2009).

"It means a lot to me personally, and it means a lot to our program as well," said Mullins when asked about the awards. "When we go out to sell this program and this university, it gives us more credibility. Coach of the year awards are just like playing quarterback. When things are going great, you get too much credit. When everything is going poorly, you get too much blame. So, I guess when things do go well you need to accept them and enjoy them while you can. It's truly a team award. So many people contribute to a successful football program. I hold the position of head coach so I get all that credit, but there are countless people who worked very hard so that I could win those awards."

Go troll the softball pages.

And the bolded comment is EXACTLY what is wrong with Arkansas Tech University!!!!!!!  You completely supported my biggest complaint about ATU with that statement.  You and the vast majority of Tech supports are happy as a lark to be "the best" Division II in the state of Arkansas.  Which given the MAJOR advantage of number of students and money available really should be expected not championed!!!!  This program - across the board in all sports - should compete at the very top of the conference year in and year out and should look to repeated conference championships, playoffs, and national championships as true accomplishments.  The Tech volleyball team is the perfect example last year going undefeated in the conference, losing only 3 games all year playing a weak schedule, but nationally they were the lowest seed in their regional and they were destroyed in the first round of the playoffs in three straight sets.  Yet, everyone talked about how great they were - yep, locally they were talented, but they were nothing on a national type stage.

I guess the big difference here is how you define success and accomplishment.  One conference championship in 16 years, 3 playoffs in 16 years, and a 55% winnings percentage is not my definition of successful.  And saying "they had just one conference championship in the previous 20 years" really isn't proof of a successful campaign for Mullins given his 1 championship in 16 years and the fact that I would literally bet my next 4 years salaries combined that he wouldn't have won another championship in the next four years would make his era exactly like the previous 20 years.....

Okay so this answers my question. You are not a supporter you are just a discontent critic. Nothing to see here. Move along.

[fitness13]

Clearly I'm being Mr. Negative here, but I just don't get the obsession over someone who was barely above .500 for a 16 year career.

During his 16 year tenure Mullins' teams only averaged 6 wins vs. 5 losses - his career winning percentage was .555.  His conference record was only fractionally better at .561  His teams qualified for the playoffs only 3 times in 16 years or just 19% of the time and his teams only won a conference championship 1 time or 0.06% of the time.  The Wonderboys are now 3 full seasons removed from a winning season and have 1 winning season in the last 5 years. 

While he might be a nice guy and while he might do a good job as AD (that's harder to quantify) he was just an average (maybe slightly above average) football coach. 

You are an idiot.

At Tech:
When Steve Mullins became the 14th head football coach in Arkansas Tech University history in the summer of 1997, he inherited a program in transition. The Wonder Boys had posted just six winning seasons and one conference championship in the previous 20 years, and they were in the infancy of a new era as members of NCAA Division II and the ultra-competitive Gulf South Conference.

15 football seasons later, Tech has accomplished feats unmatched by any of its fellow conference members from Arkansas. The Wonder Boys were the first Gulf South Conference football program in Arkansas to ever win the GSC title outright (1999), the first GSC football program in Arkansas to host an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004) and the first GSC football program in Arkansas to win an NCAA Division II Playoff game (2004). In addition, Tech is the only Arkansas Division II school to host and win two playoff games as they picked up a 40-13 win over UNC Pembroke in the first round of the 2009 NCAA D-II Playoffs. Mullins enters the 2012 season as the winningest active football coach in the in the state of Arkansas with 91 victories and is all-time winningest coach in Tech history, a mark he passed during the 2009 season after leading the Wonder Boys to a 9-3 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA D-II Playoffs for the second time in school history.

Those deeds have earned Mullins three Gulf South Conference coach of the year awards (1999, 2004 & 2009) and two NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year honors (2004 & 2009).

"It means a lot to me personally, and it means a lot to our program as well," said Mullins when asked about the awards. "When we go out to sell this program and this university, it gives us more credibility. Coach of the year awards are just like playing quarterback. When things are going great, you get too much credit. When everything is going poorly, you get too much blame. So, I guess when things do go well you need to accept them and enjoy them while you can. It's truly a team award. So many people contribute to a successful football program. I hold the position of head coach so I get all that credit, but there are countless people who worked very hard so that I could win those awards."

Go troll the softball pages.

And the bolded comment is EXACTLY what is wrong with Arkansas Tech University!!!!!!!  You completely supported my biggest complaint about ATU with that statement.  You and the vast majority of Tech supports are happy as a lark to be "the best" Division II in the state of Arkansas.  Which given the MAJOR advantage of number of students and money available really should be expected not championed!!!!  This program - across the board in all sports - should compete at the very top of the conference year in and year out and should look to repeated conference championships, playoffs, and national championships as true accomplishments.  The Tech volleyball team is the perfect example last year going undefeated in the conference, losing only 3 games all year playing a weak schedule, but nationally they were the lowest seed in their regional and they were destroyed in the first round of the playoffs in three straight sets.  Yet, everyone talked about how great they were - yep, locally they were talented, but they were nothing on a national type stage.

I guess the big difference here is how you define success and accomplishment.  One conference championship in 16 years, 3 playoffs in 16 years, and a 55% winnings percentage is not my definition of successful.  And saying "they had just one conference championship in the previous 20 years" really isn't proof of a successful campaign for Mullins given his 1 championship in 16 years and the fact that I would literally bet my next 4 years salaries combined that he wouldn't have won another championship in the next four years would make his era exactly like the previous 20 years.....

Okay so this answers my question. You are not a supporter you are just a discontent critic. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Please explain to me why someone who doesn't agree with everything that goes on in a program is "discontent" and should just be ignored?  Why can't I be a fan of Tech, want them to be successful and at the same time have high expectations and want better?  I guess just be happy with being the biggest school in the conference and being average (oh wait, best of the Arkansas teams) and kiss everyones butts and tell them how great they are....even if statistics prove differently.  I'm sure you blind loyalist would love for us more objective realistic viewers to just "move along".   

[Uncle Ivan]

JL Smith to ATU?   

What do you have against Tech?

[done]

I'll venture to suppose that this fitness13 poster was a former employee of ATU Athletics who left not of his own accord.  No posts before last spring, interesting!  This is old news now fitness, let yr bitterness go and drop it.  Tech has moved on and so should you.

[Valleysports]

Hey Jack!  Ha Ha  OK fitness does make some valid points,  let's try not to take them personal.  He has ties to TECH – writes too much, cares too much, and knows much (might know more than we're going to say in public). 

As you stated, TECH does have some advantages now, which I believe is why we win championships in the most sports.  The Volleyball Team isn't that great of an example though, after dominating at a higher level for a couple of years, they lost a lot to graduation.  Anyone, who knew the program, knew it was a rebuilding year and that it was just a matter of time before we played better competition.  Even though it was a rebuilding year, we were still able to beat the weaker competition of our conference.  And we're back in the Conference Championship game tonight at 7pm.  Should we pursue becoming the best Volleyball Team in the DII Nation?  Maybe I'm one of those "happy as a lark people".   Basketball Teams have lost a lot of great players, over the last few year, yet they're both going to be in the thick of it – IMO.

The advantages, of which you talk about, weren't always there.  Obviously you have ties to TECH and know this.  We've been growing 500-900 students a year for 7-10 yrs?  We have to be attractive to any coach comparing DII Schools in 2012.  Did you notice how much of a step up, we took, in hiring the new softball coach?  I'll say this – Mullins was  disappointed with this year, especially with the SAU game.  I was off about a few things before, when I was guessing.  Stay tuned -

[Karl Hungus]

 It seems as if coaching changes bring out the best and worst in people, depending on who's supporting the outgoing dude. Then again, decisions and legacies are ultimately made by people directly involved, not by anonymous supporters and axe-grinders.

While people may bicker over wins and losses, I'll submit that Mullins has been a superlative AD. Every single sport has gotten or is in the process of getting a facilities upgrade since he took over. The academic standing of almost every program has gone up and I'm going to venture a guess that Tech offers top-end salaries among its Great American Conference competitors.

Moreover, Mullins has shown a nuanced fearlessness when it comes to personnel. He pulled the trigger on two men who had never been head coaches at the four-year level - Mark Downey and Dave Wilbers - who turned around an atrocious program (Downey) and revived another that was flirting with being merely above average (Wilbers.)

Another first-timer, Doug Karleskint, was hired to replace Downey, and took Tech deeper into the men's basketball post-season than any other coach. Dave Dawson, a relative unknown, breathed life into the baseball program. Krsity Bayer had never headed up a program and built the volleyball team into a perennial contender.

I'll leave the guessing to everyone else...speculating on processes I am not involved in bores me. But I am absolutely convinced that Mullins is the right man to head the search for his successor. He's got a pretty good batting average.

[R. A.™]

I nominate Todd Cooley as the new head coach of ATU

He should be available.

[Lions84]

Those are going to be some big shoes to fill!

[mack]

I'm not going to speak to his coaching prowess other than to say he has performed well based on his history so eloquently outlined by Valley.
I'm going to tell you from first hand knowledge what I know about the man as an AD.  Many of you Tech fans know the debacle that was Tech Softball last year.  He could have just turned his back on the ladies and waited to hire a new coach, but that was not his style.  He doubled his support for the girls not only financially, but emotionally as well.  He made trips to out of town games,  he was in the stands cheering during home games.  My daughter was the only senior on that team.  He personally consoled her and said how sorry he was that she had to endure a senior season like that.  She had to attend summer school this past summer and her financial aid had run out.  He paid for it.  He did not have to do it, he didn't make a big deal out of it.  I believe he did it out of compassion for that senior center fielder.

Tech is lucky to have him as AD.

[Valleysports]

That's a real good post mack.. couldn't help but think of y'all when I drove by the Softball Field this morning.

[Lions84]

Well who got hired?

[x14113]

As was mentioned in the other thread, the new head FB coach is Raymond Monica, who comes to us from Kutztown.

[BIG_K]

did he retain any assistants?