Pre-Snap Read

Coaching Moves

Grading Miami (Ohio)’s Coaching Move

By Paul Myerberg   //   Jan 21, 2011

B.C.S. conference experience: check. Head coaching experience — at least to a degree: check. MAC experience: check. Experience at Miami (Ohio): check. What’s next, you’re going to tell me Don Treadwell graduated from Miami (Ohio)? He did? You know, it’s simply lovely when a plan comes together like this. There was talk that once Mike Haywood departed for Pittsburgh, Miami had two candidates for the open position: Treadwell was one, Nebraska’s Shawn Watson the other. Let’s be honest: there was no way that Treadwell wasn’t getting this job. The relationship simply works too well, as you can see.

Positives I’ve already listed his positives above, but here they are again. For starters, Miami was able to land a coach with coordinator experience on the B.C.S. conference level — not just any experience, but time spent molding Michigan State into one of the most consistent offenses in the Big Ten. This past season tested Treadwell, as it did the entire team: once Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack, Treadwell had to coordinate the offense while serving as the team’s interim coach. That’s one heck of a balancing act, a test Treadwell passed with flying colors.

No, he has yet to be a full-time head coach on the F.B.S. level. Still, Treadwell drew nothing but raves for the job he did maintaining Michigan State’s hot play once Dantonio was lost on Sept. 19. Dantonio missed all of two games and, one would think, was not back to full health until at least mid-October, if not later. Treadwell kept the ship afloat, further boosting his already strong credentialss.

Treadwell has experience in the MAC, dating back to his time as a Miami receiver and his early days as an F.B.S. assistant at his alma mater. He parlayed two seasons — from 1992-93 — as Miami’s running backs and receivers coach into more than 15 years as an assistant on the B.C.S. conference level, with stops at Cincinnati, Stanford and Boston College joining two separate stints with the Spartans. His coaching experience in the MAC also includes one season as Ball State’s coordinator in 2003, Brady Hoke’s debut campaign with the Cardinals.

Quite simply, Treadwell has earned this opportunity. That he’s a seasoned veteran, a coach with a MAC background and ties to the university, made him the easy choice for the open position.

Negatives Let’s do a little digging to find the negatives. What about the fact that Treadwell hasn’t been a head coach prior to being hired? Yeah, we could cite that as a negative… if not for one thing: the last Miami hire to have been a head coach prior to his first game with the RedHawks was Buck Ewing, who coached at South Dakota State before being hired — in 1922. In between, Miami hit on first-time coaches like Gillman, Hayes, Parseghian, Pont, Schembechler and others. Not to put Treadwell in that class, not by a long shot. Still, as I’ve said many times this week: you have to start somewhere.

Grade A+. On nearly every level, this relationship works. Treadwell comes from the Big Ten. He was a key figure in Michigan State’s 11-win season, running the ship with aplomb when Mark Dantonio missed a handful of weeks with health issues. He has worked in the MAC before, both at Miami and at Ball State. He’s a Miami alum. What’s not to like? Of all the coaching changes in the F.B.S. following the 2010 season, none made more sense for all parties involved.

Tags: Don Treadwell, Miami (Ohio), Mike Haywood

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