Football: Quotes From Tom Amstutz's News Conference
12/12/2000 12:00:00 PM | Football
Dec. 12, 2000
Toledo Head Coach Tom Amstutz
General Comments "I told the players before I left, to have faith. (UT Athletic Director) Pete Liske is a smart man. He has wisdom, but I didn't know he was a genius. I'm following in the footsteps of (former UT head coaches) Chuck Stobart, Dan Simrell, Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel. They were leaders of young men and they developed winners. They stressed players graduating and I'm going to continue that."
"I believe in winning and graduation. I want young men to come here, and when they're done with their playing careers I want to look their mothers and fathers in the eyes and say this is your son. He's a better man, a better person and a winner. That's what I want to stand for."
"It's an honor and a privilege. I want to be a servant to the university and to the city of Toledo. I want to encourage fans to buy their season tickets early, because we're going to be the best show in town. I guarantee we're going to have an enthusiastic team, and we'll be prepared for every game. We're going to battle to the very end and not stop fighting no matter what the score is. I want the community to come out. I want to thank everyone who has supported, called and prayed for me. I appreciate that. Thank you very much."
"I've prepared 21 years for this and I'm ready. There's no doubt about it. Our preparation is going to be like never before. We have high standards and we're expecting to win."
On the last couple of days: "It's been a very confusing time for me. I went to the University of Missouri and was recruiting for them. I thank Gary Pinkel for the opportunity to let me go there. Missouri is the second-best place I've ever been. You know what's first. I was working hard for them, but my heart was still in Toledo and I'm just happy to come back."
On waiting 21 years to become head coach at the University of Toledo: "When you stay and work hard, good things happen. That's a good lesson for the players to look at. I started at Toledo by bringing in the coffee and rolling up the mats. I was a position coach, then a coordinator, assistant head coach. It's just hard work and believing in the program. That's why I'm here."
On what he was feeling when he found out he was going to be named head coach: "It's hard to describe what I was feeling. I love coaching and I'm going to do that anywhere. But when you're heart is somewhere, that's hard."
On what it meant to be the players' choice to be head coach: "There are two sides to that. One is that I'm honored, because they have faith in me, they like me. But they also might think they're going to have it easy. So I'm going to take it as a challenge from the players. I'll be tougher on them and get after it. Believe me, we'll have fun doing that."
How does his philosophy differ from the previous head coaches (Stobart, Simrell, Saban and Pinkel) he's worked for: "Each of the four coaches have great strengths. They were all winners. As I think back to the kind of visualization that I have of a program. I think about the strengths of each one of those guys and their personality traits. I look at how they led the team. Each one of them had something I want to fall back and use as we develop our program. There's parts of each of them that I really like. Each one of them was different and I am different so I'm going to be different than each one of them. I learned a lot by following each one of them seeing their leadership and coaching styles. Part of each of them is still in me."
On assembling his coaching staff: "That's something that I have to tackle. That's one of the big chores that I have ahead of me. I want to put together a class staff. A staff that is for the players. I want a great variety of leaders that the players will gain great knowledge from, be motivated by and do everything they can to get us another championship and more wins. I do know that (current Rocket assistant) Dave Walkosky is going to be on the staff after hiring him today. Dave does a great job and is a Toledo man. He was a tough-nosed player here and he's done a great job coaching the outside linebackers. He's a great recruiter and he's Toledo all the way."
Toledo Player Quotes
David Gardner:
"It's good for us to have an internal person hired that we're familiar with. Even though we won't know the type of offense we'll be using, we'll still be using the same defensive system. It's been great to play for Coach Amstutz the last two seasons and I'm happy for him."
Greg Grothous "I think it was great to keep Coach Amstutz here. It is always good to basically keep things the same, which I think will happen here. I think there will be some change, but I think it will be a change for the good. For the most part though, I think things will stay the same."
Chester Taylor "Coach Amstutz recruited me back in high school and I am very happy for him today. It is good for him to get a chance to show what he can do. I am looking forward to next season and the challenges that we will encounter."
Manny Johnson "I think it was a good move to hire someone internally. When you can keep things the same, I think it will be the best for everybody. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Jehu Anderson "He is a good players' coach. I think it was best for Toledo to keep things the same. I believe it was a very smart move. I also think that it was the only move that they could have made. Anything else could have been detrimental to the team and the school."
UT Adminstration Quotes
UT Interim President William Decatur "This is truly a great day for the University of Toledo and the entire Toledo community and for Rocket fans everywhere. Our football program is an important part of this university and we know that it is important to our community as well. UT's long tradition of excellence in football is a real source of pride for our students, faculty, staff and our community. It brings us together and it adds a great deal to the total experience for campus life here at the University of Toledo. Today, we are here to tell you that we are going to continue that tradition of excellence. Tom Amstutz is a major force behind that great tradition. Tom has a real passion for winning, and maybe even more important, he has a passion for helping our players grow and develop as athletes and as young men. Tom has given a lot to this university over the last 21 years. He knows what it takes to be successful, and he will provide the kind of leadership that will keep this program one of the best in the nation."
UT Board of Trustees Chairman James Tuschman "On behalf of the board, the administration and the entire University, our congratulations to our new head coach, Tom Amstutz. Tom, welcome home! Tom is the 24th head coach in the university's history. Our football program is well supported and is very important to our university and certainly to our community at large. It builds pride in our university, enhances the quality of student life, and of course enhances the college experience. It enlivens our spirits and brings us all together. With Tom Amstutz at the helm, Rocket football is still alive and well and residing in Toledo, OH. "
UT Athletic Director Pete Liske "We're thrilled to have Tom Amstutz as our head coach. When you add it all up, Tom was the best fit for this job. Tom has been a big part of the success of our program for many years. His appointment keeps the continuity and momentum of a great program going strong."
