Non-AQ Report: MAC Coaches are Garnering Attention

Filed under: Brigham Young, East Carolina, Northern Illinois, MAC

Miami-Ohio has long been known as the cradle of coaches, but that moniker could easily be applied to the Mid-American Conference as a whole.

In the past two seasons, the MAC has sent five coaches to major programs. Last season, Turner Gill left Buffalo for Kansas and Butch Jones went from Central Michigan to Cincinnati. This year, Jerry Kill left Northern Illinois for Minnesota, Al Golden chose Miami over Temple, and on Thursday, Miami-Ohio coach Mike Haywood (right) declared he was leaving for the greener pastures of Pittsburgh.

It's not surprising that these coaches have gotten opportunities at bigger schools. All but Golden had won their MAC divisions and three had won the conference title. What is surprising is that the MAC doesn't get more credit as a good non-AQ league.

"This is a very, very competitive conference," Miami-Ohio athletic director Brad Bates said. "The gap between first and last is much narrower in my observations than a lot of other conferences across the country."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden Tiger woods David Beckham LA Lakers