Lepche has left St Francis
- Thread starter BigGroff
- Start date
Groff,
I won't get into what a mess it is over there and I won't say anything about the old coach. I just hope the school takes some time to look at some really good candidates in the league. I have wanted a certain coach from a certain school in Lombard for two years now and I know he is in the running for a job nearby now.
The school has hired two good coaches in the past 10 years and both guys have showed SF can be a great program WHEN THEY HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE!
Yes, difficult situation for any coach. Maybe not a great fit, but he is a good coach.
edgy,
Yes. This guy was hired really late. I think around June or early July. He walked into a really tough situation, but he did a few things to make matters worse.
I am hearing he will end up at Benedictine.
Tim, Yes this was a late hire. But Lepsche was a terrible coach with the kids. Saying things that he thought less of them , etc.... Never bonded withthe kids. The kids never liked him and is no loss for Francis. If hes going to Benedictine I'm sorry for them. It got so bad that Francis wasnt going to be able to have a Varisty team next year as many of the kids were not coming out. Will still be lucky to roll out a Varsity team for 2017. With only 5 Seniors!!!
I think the right coach will invigorate some energy and optimism. No doubt there are more than 5 seniors who want to play football. I'm sure there will be 10+ seniors playing football if a good coach is hired.
Keep us updated with news/movement on coaching search.
I heard the AD met with the football team and told that winning doesn't matter. Went on to brag about the school winning 4 Sportsmanship awards! What he failed to mention is Sportsmanship awards are given out at the state finals. You get to the finals by winning.
When the AD stresses that winning doesn't matter, needless to say the wrong message is being sent. I think there needs to be a shift in the culture at St Francis.
When the AD stresses that winning doesn't matter, needless to say the wrong message is being sent. I think there needs to be a shift in the culture at St Francis.
Sounds like a serious culture problem for st. Francis. Poor leadership has lead them to this point, hopefully they can rebound. Great history.
Hopefully they move quickly. Last time the process took 5 weeks. If you have a good coach make the move hire him and give him the resources to build a program.
I've been around the school for decades and have nephews and nieces there now.
The school has always been known as a volleyball school. I can't even tell you about all the talent wasted due to poor head coaches in the last 40 years. When the school hires a good coach, SF always reaches their potential. I don't blame the administration as much as some and the administration when I was there was awful. I think the school has better leadership now than they did years ago.
There was always the chance Fitzgerald would leave because he was a young guy with a new family, but I think the timing of his leaving left SF in a real bad spot.
This is the best time to hire and I hope the school looks around carefully.
Cat
The coach needs support. That's why they lost Coach Fitzgerald. It's not the hire as much as it is helping and allowing him the resources to succeed. He will need players, good assistants in the building and people that care about football. All are presently absent. New stadium no team has become a possibility. It's not fair to the students. This will affect present and future male enrollment.
If your daughters play soccer or volleyball they will be fine. Football is treated like a stepchild.
How can football be treated like a stepchild and win a 5A state championship? What's changed in the last few years?
Looking at the history of St. Francis football on IHSA.org, the Spartans have had more losing than winning seasons and a .450 record (211-252-6) since 1961 when football started. I've also noticed they've had 7 different coaches since 2000. Some stability at the top of the football program would be helpful.
Just curious. Who was the coach from 1970-1992? No name is listed.
He racked up a 61-113-1 record and .355 winning percentage over 23 years. Talk about rewarding poor performance...
Since 1978 there have been 12 head coaches. That's an average of about three years a coach. In between 1978 and 1992 there were four coaches but I don't know who was around before 1978.
The best people they've had are Greg Purnell who won 5A in 2008 and Mike Fitzgerald who coached SF to the semifinals in 2014.Outside of that, the guys who SF have hired weren't worth a crap. Its a long running joke in the conference before SF went to the CCL that SF had always screwed up when hiring head football coaches.
I hope SF gets this hire right. Its a good time of the year to hire and I think there are some good coaches out there that they can pick from.
Actually from what I hear, Women sports are the future at SF. Not sure they are calling the 5mm stadium a football stadium anymore. Not sure any male sports are the future there. The female to male quotient has been way out of balance the last couple of years for in coming classes. Not necessarily a bad thing, just an interesting observation.
That is my point. They don't care about balance and the male sports. They refuse to get creative when the HC needs coaches in the building. If the new assistant coach does fit perfectly into their job opening he doesn't get hired. Fenwick and Nazareth created new jobs for their head coaches and paid them public school money. They also give their team resources and support. The 2007 team was a great team and they caught lightning in a bottle. Three years ago the HC tried to hire an Oline coach hired as a permanent substitute teacher(20K). This kid was a great coach and volunteered the year before hoping that a spot would open, they dragged their feet and never hired him. He has now been at Marist for 3 years adding to their success and program. That is one example of many where they don't support the coach. They simply don't "get" football. What school AD tells your players that "winning doesn't matter?"
Epic, trust me there is very little support for football. They need a serious leadership and culture change.
Coach A is retired permanently. But yeah I actually know who you want there.
Wassup
Not sure about your first question but yes, he would be a good one!
Wassup
The school needs to understand that if they pay good money for a great coach, it will pay for itself easily.
Aurora Christian started a wresting program this year. They started by hiring a coach in the wrestling community with a highly respected reputation. Kids are coming to the school to wrestle for this guy and get the program off the ground - and its working big time.
Same with football - even more so. Hiring the right guy will result in families choosing St. Francis over other schools. With tuition at $12,000 per kid, it doesn't take a lot of new students to pay for a quality coach.
Make the investment in a quality coach and the athletes will follow. There is a wealth of football talent in the Wheaton/Glen Ellyn area. Francis needs to have the will to compete with Montini, Benet and Marmion on the private side and also WWS, Wheaton North and Glenbard West. Lots of talented kids playing football in those 6 schools. Heck, even Wheaton Academy is developing a nice football program (for a cool $16,000 per year). No lack of athletes or money. There truly are no excuses.
You took the words out of my mouth. They have plenty of empty seats to fill. Sometimes you need a business mentality. Good coaches want to part of great cultures. They would be amazed at the number of great volunteer coaches that would flock to a committed school. For years Wheaton South had a number of great volunteers that loved the culture. Glenbard North Wrestling has 10-11 coaches! Half our volunteers. Great academics coupled with great sports is a formula for long term strength and stability. I think with the right leadership and a culture change Francis could back on track quickly.
St. Francis is a sleeping giant...waiting for the right mix of coaches, players & administration to awaken it.
JL
JL
Isnt that the case with every school? If you can get the right mix of coaches, players and administration at any school you will be successful.
What is the total enrollment at St. Francis?
What is the male/female ratio?
Is enrollment on the rise, decline or holding steady?
What would be the new position Naz created. Racki is Dean of Students. Far from a newly created position.
Absolutely. It isn't rocket science. It's a decision. I've seen the Francis kids play on several occasions. They've got the ability. Great area to draw from. Culture simply needs to be tweeked.
I'm always amused by people who comment, "Winning isn't everything." They usually say things like that because they don't truly believe in their young men, or they believe that winning will make their lives too complicated. Winning is hard. Winning consistently requires exhaustive commitment. It's difficult to look in the mirror and admit that the way business is being conducted is no longer acceptable.
JL
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Don't forget about Bill Bartz....He only coached one year but too them to the Quarter finals!
Amen, brother. Winning consistently requires discipline. I love this 3 minute video from Navy Seal combat veteran, Jocko Willink, speaking on the topic of discipline. Gets me super fired up.
Cat,
Enrollment is real steady. About 820 kids. Testers yesterday were around 235 or so.
Don't agree. Too much competition from the publics and privates in that area. I see them as what they always been. A decent .500 program who occasionally will get a stud class and go places, I.e. With Barz, 2008, and 2014. They're in a football hotbed with not much tradition and other privates who are either better academically (benet) or athletically (montini).