UDPride Discussion Forums    
     

Go Back   UDPride Discussion Forums > LATEST ARTICLES > UDPride Articles

UDPride Articles Published content from your UDPride staff

» Log in
User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
» Advertisement
Comment
 
Article Tools Display Modes
A Difficult Decision
A Difficult Decision
John Mad Dog Churan
Published by John C.
02-11-2008
Smile A Difficult Decision

COLUMBUS (OH) -- After nearly 30 years at my current employer, I faced a rather difficult decision. Should I stay in Ohio, where I have lived my entire life or should I move to Arizona for a better job, more money and less snow? If it wasn’t for my family, friends and the Dayton Flyers, it would have been an easy decision. Yet, those side issues crept into the decision. I ended up deciding to go, but it wasn’t easy.

I was in my basement Saturday night trying to get it respectable enough for someone to buy the house when my cell phone rang with Tim Horsmon on the other end. Tim and I had become friends after meeting four years ago when I did an article about him and the rising Flyer volleyball program. Because of my need to get the house ready in a hurry before reporting to the new job I had entered a media blackout, not even knowing that Tim had resigned the day before.

In some ways I was surprised, in others ways I wasn’t. You don’t go 33-2 and not get noticed. Horsmon truly loves UD despite the fact that he will be leaving. It isn’t often that you have an opportunity to work at a place like the University of Dayton. It is a place of great tradition and great people and that isn’t lost on Tim.

Yet it was a decision that made a lot of sense. Maryland is his home territory and friends and family are hard to replace. Although he put off the officials at Maryland for several days, the lure of going home was too much. They say you can never go home, but this was his one opportunity to do just that. Just like my leaving only the second real job I ever had, when you are my age, you only get so many opportunities. In Horsmon’s case, they usually don’t give you a second chance when you turn them down the first time.

My wife and I made the trip to Arizona for the interview, just hoping that I would get an indication that there was enough interest that we should look at the real estate market. Things did go well and I knew before I got home that I had a job offer in my grasp. My biggest concern at that point was how my son, Justin, would take the news. He will be a senior in high school next year and I knew that it would be devastating for him to hear the news. Although I wanted to avoid the conversation, I knew it needed to be done. By the time we were through, the inventory of Kleenex in the house had shrunk significantly.

When Horsmon sat down with his team, he told me there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. I’m sure his was among the wet ones. This was an extremely hard decision for a young man that has become heavily invested in both the job and the people. Aside from his fellow coaches, there probably aren’t a whole lot of people that he feels closer to than his girls. When you are a young guy with no family in the area, the team becomes your family.

Yet, it was a decision that both of us had to make. For me it was career and the chance for my two sons to play baseball 12 months of the year, for him it was family. It is a decision that is easily second-guessed and it doesn’t matter how good the opportunity is, you still want to question if you made the right choice. I felt some of that on the phone with Tim and I really had to fight the urge to try to convince him to stay. He is a great person and a great coach that will not be easy to replace, but it was something he needed to do..

Tim is the kind of guy that really has it all. A great looking guy that probably has the moms wanting their daughters to go to UD just so they can get their picture with the coach. He has a great personality that could warm up dry ice. He has the work ethic of the kind of guy that you love to have working for you and he is the kind of coach that can make a B player an A and good team a national contender.

I wish him well with little concern that he will succeed. I feel certain he made the right decision for the right reasons and I hope he can move on and not look back.

On the other hand, Ted Kissell has a difficult decision to make. Does he bring in an experienced coach with a good track record or does he keep one of Horsmon’s assistants, Tami Ores or Jason Oliver. In the past, this might not have been a difficult decision in that both are excellent coaches that had a great deal to do with the success the team has had during Horsmon’s stay. Now, however, UD is just too good to hand it over to someone without needed experience. The staff has done such a good job of making Dayton a power; it might have aced one of them out of a promotional opportunity.

Kissell is a smart man and he certainly had a list of potential replacements from the moment the last point was scored in the MSU NCAA Tournament game. His problem will be finding a replacement that can continue the potential juggernaut that Horsmon has put in place. The team coming back is almost certainly going to be better than the team that lost just 2 games, yet duplicating that type of a season will be almost impossible. I wish whoever takes over the best of luck because they will have one heck of a large set of shoes to fill.
Article Tools
  #1  
By UD_NY on 02-11-2008, 12:35 PM
Nice article John C. Good luck in Arizona. Enjoy the warm weather. Those kind of decisions are always difficult.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
By Bill McPeek on 02-11-2008, 04:41 PM
John...we are sorry to see you go but we certainly wish you the best of luck. Same for Tim. Both you and he are class individuals. And you know what.......the kids, meaning yur kids, handle these situations better than the adults! you can take the boy out of Ohio but you can't take Ohio out of the boy!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
By New Guy on 02-11-2008, 08:16 PM
My biggest concern is coming up with anew title for my articles, obviously I won't be in row J anymore. sniff
Reply With Quote
  #4  
By Avid Flyer on 02-12-2008, 12:07 PM
Good luck to you John. What you say about taking the boy out of Ohio etc is true. I left Dayton in 1972 for sunny California. Even though I was a student at UCLA when UD took them to triple overtimes, I was and still am a Flyer through and through.

I am sure it is true for Horsman as well. We will never get a coach lilke Tim. He is one of a kind, but we will get a great coach.Tami would be a great replacement, great recruiter and knows her x and o's but not sure she would want or be ready for the headaches of a head coaching job.

What you say about TH is true. Great individual, coach, and representative of the university. I loved his style as a coach and believe the girls did as well. I wish him well at Maryland and will follow his team. Even though he has left Dayton I will still consider him as family, once you are part of the Dayton family you are for life.

Gut wrenching decisions and hopefully the right ones for all concerned. While TK is looking at some experienced head coaches, he might want to consider top assistants of top 25 programs too. Right now the Dayton job is the best job in vball period. A chance to even improve on what we have. Good luck to everyone.

Sure glad I got the vball shirt signed by Coach Tim Horsman when I did.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
By MinnesotaFlyer on 02-13-2008, 04:12 PM
Smile Congrats on the move!

There are growing UD Alumni clubs in Phoenix and LA so you will find many Flyers in your new hometown!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
By redbengal on 02-23-2008, 09:50 PM
Welcome to Arizona!

Hi, John. It'll be a pleasure to have you here in the great state of Arizona. At least you'll have some time to settle in before the 126-degree days of summer come upon us. Will you be in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff ("Flag" as the locals refer to it), or somewhere in between. We live on the northern outskirts of Phoenix and love it. We arrived on Independence Day weekend '06 and it was boiling hot!

I've been to a few alumni events out here including a Xavier game watch last year. It would be nice to meet you. Welcome again!
Reply With Quote
Comment

Article Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.1

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:03 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement System V2.6 By   Branden

Article powered by GARS 2.1.8m ©2005-2006

     
 
Copyright 1996-2012 UDPride.com. All Rights Reserved.