Penn State's Defensive Coordinator Bob Shoop should be a familiar name to many of you. Ten years ago, if you had asked those around the program where the former TOB staffer would be today, many would have predicted he would be the Head Coach at BC. For a long time Shoop was on that path. But things never go according to plan.
After TOB's first staff started getting better jobs, TOB started backfilling with other young, rising coaches. One of those hires was Bob Shoop. The DBs coach had just spent a year at Army, but had the perfect checklist of stops prior to BC: worked as a GA with TOB in Virginia, worked with Gallup at Northeastern and worked with Gene at Villanova. Well regarded and a great recruiter, Shoop exceeded most expectations. But with Spaz firmly in place as DC, the growth opportunities were elsewhere. When Columbia came calling with its head coaching position, Shoop had to take it. Although it had been a career killer, Columbia's bursts of success in the '90s and Shoop's familiarity with the Ivy League gave hope that he could consistently win there. Shoop understood that this was just a stop on the way up and knew that networking and relationships were going to remain important, so it didn't hurt that he hired John DeFilippo and Mike Siravo for his first Columbia staff. Shoop would learn to be a head coach and in a few years a bigger better job would come calling.
Shoop had two issues at Columbia. The team didn't win on the field and his personal life got mixed up with his work life. He was fired after three seasons. There was always talk that he might come back to BC. However, the timing and staffing was never right. After Columbia he worked under Don Brown at UMass and then worked his way back up the ranks. He was James Franklin's DC at Vandy and followed him to Penn State. He now coaches one of the best defenses in the country.
Shoop will probably get another shot at being a head coach. He can explain away the losing at Columbia ("no one wins there") and can also explain the off the field stuff. The opportunity for him to coach BC is probably gone but that is how this sport works sometimes. If Gene were still around pulling strings, who knows what might have been. Regardless, Shoop brought in a lot of great players to BC and I am glad he's bounced back.
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4 comments:
As the DC at William and Mary, Bob was a parishioner at the local RC Church. Saw he and family frequently at Sunday Mass. Aware of the Columbia issue, it struck me that he was a reconciled man at peace with his family and faith.
Wisconsin now needs a coach... Seems like that one could be a legit fit for Daz vs. the other majors that have been discussed on the blog
GP11
They've lost 2 good coaches in 2 years. The first one I understood, big bucks from Arkansas. This ones a head scratcher. Maybe these guys are leaving because Alvarez is tough to work w/? I really don't want to lose Daz, so I'll cling to that. We'll never know the real story, but if Bates is fielding offers that creates a conflict of interest in trying to get Daz a new deal to lock him up more. Anyway I'll be nervous till the coaching carousel stops.
I could be a sucker but I think Daz and Bates are pretty high on BC, more so Daz though. The way he talked at the Pinstripe Bowl presser about being a local guy, about bringing his family to games at Fenway and Yankee Stadium.. it seems like the exact shpeel we say he should be able to use to keep recruits from New England at BC.
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