UCF makes perfect hire in Greg Lovelady
When Terry Rooney resigned as UCF baseball coach last week, it was widely celebrated by UCF fans. Rooney had grown stale within the fan base and the results on the field did not match the hype that Rooney had sold to the fans. The Knights have not made the post season in 2 years. The Knights have never won a conference championship under Rooney. The only time they came close was in 2012 when the Knights came in 2nd. But what had become a common staple for UCF under Rooney that season ended up in disappointment. Yes, Rooney had sent several players into the MLB, but that never translated into post season success. So when Rooney was given the poison pill of a one year contract at UCF and Rooney choose to to leave, it was celebrated by UCF fans.
The question became who would UCF pick to be the replacement? Of course there were some initial favorites: FSU pitching coach Mike Bell, Chipola head coach/ad Jeff Johnson, etc. The prospects all seemingly had better resumes then when Rooney was hired. UCF was going to be better off then when they hired Rooney. As we moved into the weekend 2 more names emerged in the search: Hall of Fame former Clemson manager Jack Leggett and Wright State head coach Greg Lovelady. The Knights could not lose with any of the choices. Well they might have ended up with the best option out of the bunch.
Greg Lovelady was not the first choice, hell he may not have even been the second choice according to reports. But oh he is the best choice. Lovelady's has only been a manager for 3 years at a non traditional baseball power at Wright State. In those 3 years, he complied a 124-56 record with a Horizon League championship thrown in. Oh and he was named regional coach of the year. His team is coming off their best season at 46-17 where the team lost in the Louisville Regional Final to the overall #2 team in the country. Let me say it again he almost beat Louisville on the road with friggan Wright State. Go watch his press conference after Wright State was eliminated. The passion and love he had for his players efforts and the respect they had for him. It is a thing of beauty. The Wright State news ran an article at the start of the season describing Lovelady's work ethic. The man is a workaholic who takes an analytic approach to the game. From the article:"You’ve got to be mentally tough. This game is a failure-based game." That is a different approach than Rooney, who was more traditional.Lovelady played at UM where he won 2 national championships, then turned around and won 2 more as an assistant coach. Oh and he's only 37. He has it all that UCF fans wanted: the resume, the Florida connections, the passion, and the ability. His hire is a homerun on so many levels, UCF fans should be thanking their lucky stars that they ended up with Lovelady.
So why the hell are some UCF fans not happy? Why do they have to constantly bitch? Well the majority of fans wanted UCF alumnus Jeff Johnson to be the head coach. Johnson has had success at JuCo Chipola. And some wanted him just because he went to UCF. When Johnson wasn't just handed the job, many of these UCF fans cried and bitched about how UCF wasn't hiring alumni in the athletics program. Hell some MENSA members even claimed a conspiracy to spite messageboard posters. Well to those people I want you to lean in real close, cause I have some news for you. You aren't that important, you aren't big baseball donors or baseball power players. There is no conspiracy against you as you aren't important enough. Also maybe Johnson sucked in his interview. After all he hasn't been a head coach anywhere else, but at a JuCo and his name has only been connected to the UCF openings and not other jobs. Maybe he thought the job was just going to be handed to him. And if that's the case, well then I for one am glad he didn't get the job. So continue to bitch and moan, as the new era ushers in changes.
Greg Lovelady wasn't the first choice by UCF. But he was probably the best. A coach with a hell of a pedigree and experience. He has won every where he has been. And given his connections, well UCF might be the perfect fit for him. Danny White struck gold again.
