• aggie6thman
    December 3, 2016
    Davis, CA - When ESPN’s Brett McMurphy first broke the news that Dan Hawkins was the next UC Davis head football coach, you could almost feel the excitement building in town. Hawkins, the former Aggie fullback under Jim Sochor, former Boise State and Colorado head coach, and short lived offensive coordinator at Florida International, marks a turning point for Aggie athletics.

    UC Davis athletics has been in a state of uncertainty for the better part of two years. It all started in April of last year when then-chancellor Linda Katehi announced athletic director Terry Tumey would not return for the final year of his contract. Interim athletic director Teresa Gould, wife of former football coach Ron Gould, was asked to assume the head spot in the department. From the outset of her new position, Theresa Gould maintained that she would not seek the permanent post.

    Six months after Tumey was released from his contract, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi was forced to resign after alleged misuse of student funds and the hiring of firms to boost her online reputation. Then came the search for a new athletic director. Aggie football alum, and former Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross threw his hat in the ring.

    Gross became the immediate front runner among football alums and many in the UC Davis community. However, Gross did not make the final cut, and the search committee recommended Kevin Blue. Many football alums were not happy that a former Aggie with an impressive resume was overlooked.

    To make matters worse, football was slogging through its sixth straight losing season, almost unheard of in Davis. Interest in the program was dropping, fans were staying home, and a once proud program was struggling for answers.

    Then came the expected unexpected. Many in town believed that Ron Gould would return for the fifth and final year of his contract. Blue wasted no time firing Ron Gould and wrote a lengthy Medium post outlining his vision for the next football coach. One that was so detailed Blue was either shooting for the moon or had a candidate in mind.

    It appears Blue had his sights set on Dan Hawkins before the season ended. Hawkins was the perfect candidate to unite the fan base and generate excitement in the program for the first time in years. Browsing through Hawkins’ Twitter feed is like jumping back and forth between a philosophy class and a motivational speaker seminar. He has retweeted Pope Francis, Zen accounts, Native American proverbs, and sports accounts.

    But his coaching style is markedly different from past Aggie coaches. Hawkins made national news when he went on a rant about an anonymous email he received from a parent regarding the amount of time off their son was receiving while at Colorado. The epic rant, included Hawkins telling the gathered media that Colorado was Division I football and not intramurals. It is hard to imagine Bob Biggs or Jim Sochor yelling at the media about anything, but Hawkins brings a breath of fresh air.

    Since Hawkins was officially announced as head coach on Monday morning, he has rode Unitrans, swiped students into the Segundo DC, visited Shields Library, met students in the Coffee House, and wished students good luck on their finals. For the first time, football season tickets are on sale and the department has a home page that allows visitors to the site to donate directly to the football program.

    On AggieSportsTalk.com, numerous first time posters and message board staples are describing their excitement for football season. The excitement is real and in the words of Coach Hawkins, “…this train is rolling, and it’s rolling the right way.”
  • PortlandAggie
    November 29, 2016


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  • aggie6thman
    November 29, 2016
    Davis, CA - UC Davis athletic director Kevin Blue is set to name former UC Davis fullback Dan Hawkins as the next head football coach. Hawkins was previously the head coach at Willamette University, Boise State, and Colorado with an overall record of 112-61-1. Hawkins was recently hired as the offensive coordinator at Florida International by Butch Davis.

    Prior to being hired at Florida International, Hawkins served as the head coach of the 2015 USA national football team where he won a gold medal and as the offensive coordinator for the Vikings Vienna, a European football team.

    Hawkins also served as the head coach of the Montreal Alouttes of the Canadian Football League.

    Blue announced on Monday, November 21 that former head coach Ron Gould would not be brought back for his fifth year. Later that day, Blue posted a pseudo job description on Medium that outlined what characteristics he was looking for in the next head coach. Hawkins fits many of those characteristics, including "affinity for UC Davis."

    Hawkins was a fullback for UC Davis from 1981 to 1982 under legendary coach Jim Sochor.

    A request for comment has been made to Athletic Director Blue.


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  • aggie6thman
    November 25, 2016
    On Monday, UC Davis Athletic Director Kevin Blue announced head football coach Ron Gould would not return for his fifth season. The announcement came two days after the season finale against Sacramento State in the Causeway Classic, and the day after the team banquet.

    Since Blue's announcement, more details have emerged about the decisions that led to Gould being fired, Gould's buyout, and the search for his replacement.

    Late Tuesday night, Blue tweeted a message announcing a group of individuals who are advising him on a "confidential basis." The list includes former Aggie quarterbacks Ken O'Brien and J.T. O'Sullivan, football alum and significant donor Bruce Edwards, former Aggie coaches Bob Biggs and Bob Foster, Associate AD Josh Flushman and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Kelly Ratliff, among others. On Wednesday night, Enterprise reporter Bruce Gaulladet announced that Gould's buyout was $117,500, money that was secured via donations. Given these proactive measures and their timing, it is hard to imagine Blue secured donations to cover Gould's buyout and put together an advisory council that includes football alums, former Aggie coaches, donors, and administrators in less than 48 hours. It is apparent that Monday's events had been planned weeks or months ago.

    Blue also wrote a lengthy post on Medium detailing why he released Gould and what he is looking for in the next football coach. In a post that reads more like a job description, Blue lays out ten characteristics candidates must have; "Upstanding character...Expertise on how to recruit highly accomplished student-athletes...Head coach or extensive coordinator experience...Strong intellect and communication skills...Expertise with program-building...Understanding of how to win at UC Davis...Track record of building 'winning habits'...Coaching for self-sufficiency rather than dependency...Embracing the importance of academics and student outcomes...Affinity for UC Davis".

    Prior to Blue announcing the firing of Gould, posters on Aggie Sports Talk began to speculate on who the next coach could be. Names include former Aggie fullback and assistant coach Dan Hawkins, former Montana head coach and current San Diego State assistant Bobby Hauck, former Folsom High School head coach and current Eastern Washington passing game coordinator Troy Taylor, and Sac State football alum and UCLA recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach Angus McClure. Several posters, tongue-in-cheek, included current Washington head coach and former Aggie quarterback Chris Petersen.

    One thing is certain, Blue must act quickly. With nine known verbal commitments and signing day just three months away, time is of the essence.

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  • PortlandAggie
    November 21, 2016
    After more than 9 years with Yuku, we have decided to move our message board to a platform that allows us to include custom content such as podcasts and blogs, as well as the ability to host our own site.  

    In the coming months, AggieSportsTalk.com will begin to publish our own articles with the intent to become a part of the credentialed media that follows UC Davis athletics.  We strive to become the leading site for objective, hard hitting news that covers Aggie athletics.

    We hope you enjoy the new, redesigned AggieSportsTalk.com, the pulse of Aggie athletics, and the home of Aggie Pride!
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