Bring Rocky back to NDSU

[SDSUFAN]

Prior to hiring the current Craig Bohl, there was a website dedicated to the rehiring of Rocky Hagar at NDSU. Well the site let the Bison Faithful have their say, but Rocky was not hired. At any rate Coach Hager is coming back to Fargo this season. Jeff Kolpack has an article about the game in this coming season game with Northeastern in Mass. It also mentions the guarentee that NDSU is paying to Northeastern and also the possiblity of a game in Boston. That could be great exposure for NDSU and we need to follow what happens there if and when it occurs.

Here is the link:

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/ind...460§ion=Sports

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Bring Rocky back to NDSU

Here is the article as I am not sure how long the Forum preserves its links.


The return of Rocky
By Jeff Kolpack, The Forum
Published Friday, July 01, 2005

The winningest coach in North Dakota State football history will prepare for another game in the Fargodome.

Rocky Hager, however, will be on the visiting side of the field.

NDSU and Northeastern University (Mass.) agreed to play a Sept. 9, 2006, game in Fargo, which brings Hager back to the stadium for the first time since he was fired in a battle with the NDSU athletic administration in 1997.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Hager said. “North Dakota State is a great place to come back home and play and I’m sure there are a few relatives who will not have to fly to Boston to come and see us.”

The game was jump-started almost two years ago when Bison athletic director Gene Taylor called Northeastern athletic director Dave O’Brien suggesting a possible game.

“And we concurred,” O’Brien said.

The one-year contract includes a $70,000 guarantee for Northeastern. Both Division I-AA schools are open about NDSU playing in Boston at a future date.

“Rocky speaks so highly of North Dakota State as a university and a community that we would like to get them back out here,” O’Brien said.

Hager, who grew up in Harvey, N.D., was 91-25-1 in 10 years at NDSU. He won NCAA Division II national championships in 1988 and 1990 and five North Central Conference titles, the last in 1994.

Hager was fired in 1997 when he refused to sign his contract because of a loyalty clause stipulated by then athletic director Bob Entzion.

Hager, who received support from a number of boosters, joined the football staff at Temple in 1996 and became the head coach at Northeastern in 2004.

The Huskies, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, went 5-6 last year.

They will play one of Division I-AA’s toughest schedules this year, something that is an emphasis for the program, O’Brien said.

So playing NDSU in the Fargodome fit Northeastern’s philosophy, he said.

“Rocky knows the local terrain pretty well and he knows what we’ll be experiencing,” O’Brien said. “But, at the end of the year, all of those kinds of experiences prepare you to be a successful team. Yeah, we’re willing to go anywhere to playing anybody at any time.”

Hager won’t be the only one coming home. Former NDSU linebacker Paul Schaffner is the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Huskies. Schaffner was a standout linebacker from 1988 to 1991 and still holds the record for most assisted tackles in a game with 21.

Moreover, Hager could be facing three of his former players who are now Bison coaches: Defensive coordinator Casey Bradley, defensive line coach Todd Wash and quarterbacks coach Brent Vigen.

“There are still plenty of ties there,” Hager said.

And there’s still plenty of time until the game.

“It’s not a priority thing now,” Hager said. “Heck, the only game I’m worried about is Georgia Southern on Sept. 3. That has a chance of being very special for us.”

NDSU also scheduled Division I-AA, Southland Conference member Stephen F. Austin University (Texas) in 2006. The Sept. 23 game will be played in Nacogdoches, Texas.

It will be the third straight year and fifth time NDSU will play a Southland team. The Bison faced Northwestern State (La.) and Nicholls State (La.) in 2004 and host Nicholls this year.

NDSU will play at Northwestern in 2006. Combined with Stephen F. Austin, that means NDSU already has six games for the 2006 season with Great West Football Conference games against California Davis, Southern Utah, South Dakota State and California Poly.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546

[ndsubison]

Re: Bring Rocky back to NDSU

We still love Rocky. Good man. Great coach. Too many off the field incidents and a weirdo named Bob Entzion did him in. Either way, Rocky will be a Bison forever and we welcome him back with open arms. Northeastern goes home to the tune of a 45-21 beatdown. Bison still rule.