Tom Gilmore.

Back-to-back PL champs 2016 and 2017.... but need to get back to relevance in the national FCS scene.
Sundayamqb
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by Sundayamqb » Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:54 pm

Lehigh74 wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:35 pm I watched the press conference and Gilmore said all the right things. I was disappointed no one asked him to explain what went wrong at Holy Cross that led to him being replaced mid season. Two great follow up questions would have been what did he learn from that experience and what will he do differently this time around. I would feel better about the hiring If I heard his answers to those questions.
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Sundayamqb
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by Sundayamqb » Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:03 pm

In case you missed it, the Sterrett intro and Gilmore discussion ....

Offers lots of insight ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5H-vCfWii4
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:51 pm

Sundayamqb wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:52 pm
RichH wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:39 pm Presser was better than I anticipated in some ways.
TG very clear on his expectations. PL titles and playoff Ws not just appearances. He wants the same level as he expeienced in his 1st 2 yrs at LU. Undefeated seasons and playoff Ws. Highlighted routing W,Illinois.
I didn't see it all, but was impressed. More energy than I thought.

Let's give him a chance.

An easy choice; someone Joe can trust who can hopefully focus on building a sustainable Defensive legacy this time around. The O will come.

Some people can learn from their past ...
The skepticism is absolutely understandable and warranted imo. While the Higgins and Lembo hire might have gotten a few weird looks there was no data to suggest there would be failure or struggle. Higgins was 39, Lembo was 31. They were the young, ambitious coaches that programs seek. Andy Coen was a known commodity. He was a rising star in the coordinator world. Coen was 41 when Sterrett hired him. With Gilmore, you have a 54 year old former head coach that has 14 years of data to use from his time at a peer program. He was legitimately fired for his failures. While there's a high level of nepotism with his hire it's nothing like the previous 3.

He needs to control his emotions and learn how to win close games. There were several references to his fiery personality during his press conference. This was a comment about him "intimidating staff" when he walked in. If you look at his face it clearly made him uncomfortable. People might love his fiery personality but it worked against him at Holy Cross.

I firmly believe that Lehigh is a better program than Holy Cross. As a result the foundation for success is stronger. I'm of the belief that Sterrett thinks the program is healthy and simply wants one of his guys to captain the ship. If Gilmore has indeed changed then there's no reason he can't succeed. Like with Coen, he's going to lean on his coordinator heavily.

Ultimately, if this is Holy Cross Gilmore then It won't work. As fans the best we can do it go with it. Trust the program's ability to produce 6 straight successful coaches going back to Dunlap. I know some like to knock Small, and while I was young, I thought Lehigh was pretty good and fun to watch under him.

If it doesn't work then hopefully Sterrett or whoever the AD is in 3-4 years pull the plug.
valleypatriot
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by valleypatriot » Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:56 pm

After thinking over this decision for a while, I've concluded that there has to be something that we don't know about why Gilmore was hired. I refuse to believe that he was one of the first logical choices. Reminiscing about the dominance of our program's offense and play making 6 years ago, there has to be a hidden reason why people like Cecchini weren't hired.

Edit: Needless to say, I'll give him a chance, but not willingly because I don't think the next few years are going to be any better than the last ones.
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by Hawktalker » Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:39 am

I watched the news conference. JS referred to the "Lehigh football family." Gilmore is family. Of the defensive candidates, he was the only "family" member. Look at the coaches of all the sports. There's a lot of "family" members. That doesn't mean it won't work. I wish him all the best. The news conference was a good start
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by valleypatriot » Wed Jan 09, 2019 12:39 pm

Hawktalker wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:39 am I watched the news conference. JS referred to the "Lehigh football family." Gilmore is family. Of the defensive candidates, he was the only "family" member.
I know he’s not defensive, but the first thing I think of when you mention family is Chick :roll:
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by ngineer » Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:59 pm

I believe Sterrett had indicated early on that one important factor would be he ability of the new HC to make as smooth a transition as possible. That also means as small of a learning curve as possible. Familiarity with the school, with the Leage and the region was probably a major winnowing element. I also got the distinct impression that Joe got very strong recommendations from Higgins and Clawson, as well as some 'in the know' as to what transpired between Tom and the former AD at the Cross.

As an aside, if Chick has an existing contract through 2020, then you were talking a significant buy out that may have put the kabosh to that option. As reported that the extension was given in 2016, there was no inkling at that time that a vacancy was anticipated here. We don't know whether Cecchini had an 'escape clause' such as Santoro did at Maryland that carved out an exception to the contract length if the Lehigh job came a-calling.
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by ngineer » Wed Jan 09, 2019 2:06 pm

valleypatriot wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:56 pm After thinking over this decision for a while, I've concluded that there has to be something that we don't know about why Gilmore was hired. I refuse to believe that he was one of the first logical choices. Reminiscing about the dominance of our program's offense and play making 6 years ago, there has to be a hidden reason why people like Cecchini weren't hired.

Edit: Needless to say, I'll give him a chance, but not willingly because I don't think the next few years are going to be any better than the last ones.
Word was out several weeks ago that Joe was interested in a HC that would be more defensive oriented, since that certainly has been our achilles heel over the past three years. And I strongly believe that if you are going to win championships and be successful in the playoffs, you must start with defense. We don't have the depth to win many track meets with schools from the SoCon, MVFC,or BSC. A good defense will keep you in a game to where a couple of key plays or turnovers can flip the table.

While we will miss Mish, it was reported that the rising senior, Devine, had improved significantly from 2017. We have also recruited a P/K, I see, though I don't have any details on his ability.
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RichH
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by RichH » Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:00 pm

TG will be on Matt and Tom's show tonite at 6pm.
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sader1970
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Re: Tom Gilmore.

Post by sader1970 » Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:36 pm

[/quote]He needs to control his emotions and learn how to win close games. There were several references to his fiery personality during his press conference. This was a comment about him "intimidating staff" when he walked in. If you look at his face it clearly made him uncomfortable. People might love his fiery personality but it worked against him at Holy Cross.
[/quote]

As I have posted often on Crossports, my first encounter with Tom that we both remember vividly was at a local Holy Cross alumni club meeting which I hosted - the first he attended - perhaps within a couple of weeks of him being hired as our head coach.

We had heard about his fiery personality so after the AD and he spoke and time for Q&A, I said: "You come here with a reputation for being 'intense,' would that be an accurate description?" He looked at me and he was caught just momentarily off-guard that someone (who he could break in half) would have the temerity to ask him that. But then he said, "I would rather think of it as being 'focused'." Often we would be at other alumni events in which he would laugh and say, "Tom (me), do you remember the first time we met and the first question you asked me?" and then regale the other alums about our encounter.

We were "friends" (more like close acquaintances, never went out for a beer with him) over the rest of his time at Holy Cross and we were always honest with each other - good and bad.We had a trust. He has always been gracious and polite and warm with me and my wife (who loves him for his honesty . . . . and maybe his good looks too).

I know that I never played for him, being many years older, but I have spoken to some of his former players, after they were "safely" away from him. Without fail, they all said that he turned them from boys to men and they respected him. Tom told me that his job was more than just a football coach but saw his role as preparing his players for their lives after college where they would find as hard as football was, life afterwards was harder. Not everyone can either take that or see that. Maybe I just encountered those who could. He comes from Irish immigrants and had to work for everything he got. Perhaps he is a throwback to another era?

He had justifiably been seen (I've known a number of coaches at Holy Cross) as the hardest working guy on campus - coaches or anyone including faculty and staff. He is a workaholic (his poor wife!) and hates to lose. I have no doubt that he is tough on his assistants and hard to work for because he is as demanding of them as he is on himself and many can't take that pressure.

So, you understand where I am coming from, I've analyzed why I like Tom and wish him success at Lehigh, except when you guys play the Crusaders. I wasn't a coach but a manager/leader/executive for many years. I often heard from my former subordinates (again, after they were "safely" away from me and no fear of retribution) that I was a "tough, demanding boss" who they often said was the best they ever had because I drove them to accomplish things they thought was beyond their capabilities. They also said, "You were demanding but never asked anyone to do anything that you wouldn't do yourself and you listened to us and would change your mind if we had a convincing argument."

That's what Tom Gilmore is like. He definitely is not for everyone. Yep, he's emotional but as he said in the press conference, he thinks he has matured. The Tom Gilmore I know will go out of his way to prove that this was the best decision that Lehigh could have ever made.

I admit my bias but I think you got a good one.
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