For the past few decades in Atlantic university sports, one of the most stable and respected operations has been Saint Mary’s football.
Since Larry Uteck turned around an ailing program in the early 1980s, the Huskies have generally been an AUS powerhouse and often a member of that elite group of Vanier Cup contenders.
Uteck, then Blake Nill and most recently Steve Sumarah headed programs that were expected to win.
The Huskies uncharacteristically struggled last season, and their four-season streak of winning the conference was snapped by Acadia. But a second-place finish and a loss in the conference final really shouldn’t make anyone panic.
Yet athletic director Steve Sarty announced in early December that Sumarah wouldn’t be rehired.
No public explanation was given, which was surprising but not that unusual. Saint Mary’s had the right to keep its reasons private.
Yet since that announcement, the SMU football program’s stock has tumbled due to the inability to find a new coach in a timely fashion. It’s puzzling how the situation has been allowed to reach this point.
In hindsight, the Saint Mary’s administration made a mistake by not immediately starting a hunt to find Sumarah’s replacement, bringing closure to the Sumarah era and focusing attention on the new coach.
Instead, it was Carleton that got positive publicity by scooping up Sumarah to head its new football program.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s was finally supposed to have found a successor last week. When that didn’t happen, the only explanation given was general talk about the need for more due diligence.
This has been a costly delay.
Saint Mary’s is now dealing with constant leaks to the media and negative reaction from various quarters as everyone waits for a head coach to be named.
Though Saint Mary’s officials remain secretive, it was leaked that the search committee had narrowed the list to Leroy Blugh and Perry Marchese. Now there are all sorts of rumours floating around about which man is the favourite and which internal parties are backing which candidate.
The bottom line is that the university’s administration, by delaying the announcement, has only fed the speculation.
Meanwhile, many football supporters are wondering about the Huskies’ immediate future, with no head coach available to lead the recruiting at this crucial time and to reassure the returning players that all will eventually be well.
Tuesday’s Chronicle Herald had a story about star local quarterback Jesse Mills pondering a transfer to Carleton to play for Sumarah.
CTV News also had a story Tuesday, with an alumni team funder and a veteran player openly expressing concern about the state of the football program.
Such frustrated talk from those inside the program indicates this hiring process is seriously affecting the team.
It has turned into another needless problem for Saint Mary’s sports. Just like the attempt last March to cut the women’s hockey team to save money, this is an issue that can become more contentious as it is allowed to continue. And even if the Huskies announced their new coach after this column went to press, I’d say plenty of damage had already been done.
The public relations problem — with alumni and players openly questioning the way business is being carried out in this once formidable program — is already obvious.
Chris Cochrane is a sports columnist with The Chronicle Herald and the author of Inside the Game.
