Ohio State University Head Track & Field coach to Retire

Its about time. Time for OSU to step up onto the national scene! Keep the talent in the state!

No opinion on Rogers as a track coach, but I interviewed him along with Butch Reynolds when I was a sports reporter for the Columbus Dispatch years and years ago, and I thought he seemed decent. He gave his time to a cub reporter, and I was greatful. Greatful to Butch also. Seems like a good reason to retire. Good luck to him and his mother.

runohio wrote:

“I need this time to spend with my mother,” Rogers said.

A friend of mine in the athletic department told me Friday at the high school state meet that Rogers was told that morning to "retire" or "be fired", so spending time with mom probably isn't such a bad idea. It's about time and all the other Big 10 coaches must be thinking that they may have another school to deal with in a few years.

make no mistake, got his butt fired and it should've been a decade ago. Playing golf, not recruiting Ohio, and screwing kids over were his primary jobs. I bet they split the programs; who gets this great job?

srettple wrote:

make no mistake, got his butt fired and it should've been a decade ago. Playing golf, not recruiting Ohio, and screwing kids over were his primary jobs. I bet they split the programs; who gets this great job?

Ageed concerning Rogers. The program was split until Russ, so that is an interesting notion. I have no information, inside or otherwise, on what direction they plan to go.

"Grateful" I meant both times of course.

Want to have OSU become just a nasty track and field power in DI? Hire Ted Ginn Sr.

Ohio State has always been a sleeping giant. If they hire somebody who can keep the midwesterners from going south, watch out!!!!!

Maybe Robert Gary can convince Greg Oden to run XC for the Buckeyes.

hail to the kingdom (rodger)!!![quote]pizzaisgood wrote:

this might be THE GREATEST THING i have ever read on letsrun.

best wishes to robert gary. i hope he gets the program.

moose & squirrel wrote:

this might be THE GREATEST THING i have ever read on letsrun.

best wishes to robert gary. i hope he gets the program.

the greatest thing ever?

listen, despite the fact that you run distance, much of track and field is not about distance running. gary may get the program, but do you think he's going to lead ohio state into the top 5 in track?

russ rogers might not be a distance runners dream, but he's put up some pretty good results at ohio state. the idea that every program in the country must cater to 5k/10k guys is absurd.

i hope roger kingdom gets the job.

Although the person you responded to was a bit over the top you clearly have no clue of how bad things have been at OSU in Russ Rogers time. Talk to any of the athletes on the team. He was never around, he never cared, he never did any good. Good results came from athletes working hard with their real event coaches and pushing themselves. Russ Rogers had very little, if any, to do with any of the success that OSU has had within the past 10 years.

I don't think Robert Gary would want the head job and I don't think they would give it to him. The team will be a powerhouse in a couple years if they hire right. There is no way the program could be any worse than it has been recently under Rodgers.

srettple wrote:

make no mistake, got his butt fired and it should've been a decade ago. Playing golf, not recruiting Ohio, and screwing kids over were his primary jobs. I bet they split the programs; who gets this great job?

Hopefully Beth Alford Sullivan.

I agree...Gary would best serve the team by just staying focused on the distance kids.

If youre going to bet whose going to be the next coach, the smart money will

be on his former coach at TCU.Daryll Anderson.If Smith hires him,the Big Ten

is going to become a bitch to survive in.Oh what a world!!!!

Don't get me wrong in what I'm writing. Roger Kingdom is a great person and an even greater hurdler. He is not even close to being the best person for such a position. He's not even proven himself to as a head DII coach yet (he's only been a head coach for one year).

Being a successful coach in the Big 10 requires you to be adept in your dealings with several groups including: recruits, hs coaches (particularly in the state the school is in!), the alums, the athletes (and not just ones in the events you coach, the administration etc. Not everyone is great with all of those groups, but the great coaches at that level are and Ohio State should be one of the dominant forces in CC/Track and Field.

It would probably be wise to split the programs in order for both to be great.

Daryl Anderson (Cleveland) and Mike Holloway(Columbus) are the two names that come to mind first as possible replacements. Doubt if the programs will be split (as that is not the trend) unless there is title IX pressure.

They told us at the mtg. today the programs would be split. They don't know who of the coaches will be back. As for Coach Gary, I believe he would do a great job with the men's program, but I also know he would be perfectly happy being a head cross country coach and an assistant track coach under a competent head coach. Coach Gary has put up with a lot of crap working with Russ that we all wondered if he would stay on when other opportunities were available. We would support him in whatever decision he makes; it would be a real mistake to let him go altogether.