CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -Mike Hamrick has come full circle at Marshall.
Hamrick officially takes over as Marshall’s athletic director this week to find the football program without a winning season since 2003, a shell of its high-octane days when Chad Pennington, Randy Moss and Byron Leftwich racked up record after record.
The last time Hamrick was part of the Thundering Herd, he was a linebacker in the late 1970s during the school’s somber streak of 18 straight losing seasons.
So he knows about the struggles – but this time he believes he can do something about it.
Hamrick is taking a wait-and-see approach, particularly with coach Mark Snyder. Snyder is 16-31 in four seasons and Marshall is picked to finish near the bottom of Conference USA’s East Division again this season.
te coaches and their programs.
“It’s no secret that it’s important that we have a successful football season this year.”
Hamrick was hired on July 20 after six years as AD at UNLV. He spoke with Snyder briefly then and again by phone later. Hamrick noted that Snyder, too, is a former Marshall player and badly wants to get the program back on track.
“There’s no agenda on my part,” said Hamrick, who is scheduled to appear with Snyder at a fan rally in Charleston on Wednesday. “I’ve said that from Day One. As soon as I get in there, I’ll sit down with him and see what we need to do to give him every opportunity to be successful.”
Things haven’t always been this sour.
When Hamrick was athletic director at Arkansas-Little Rock in 1991, he drove his wife and three young children nearly 700 miles to watch his alma mater play the first game in its new stadium. Those were much happier times at Marshall, part of a run of 20 consecutive winning seasons that included Championship Subdivision national titles in 1992 and 1996.
The success continued after Marshall transferred to the Bowl Subdivision in 1997. Marshall went 13-0 and earned its only top 10 national finish in 1999 and eventually won five straight bowl games.
Then came 2005. Bob Pruett retired before the start of spring practice, Snyder was hired and Marshall moved from the Mid-American Conference to Conference USA.
n all downhill since.
Marshall lost the mojo it enjoyed at home. Attendance slipped to 24,766 last season – the lowest under Snyder.
Snyder is 13-10 in games played in Huntington, while his two predecessors, Pruett and Jim Donnan, went a combined 91-7.
Marshall showed signs of improvement in 2008, but a 3-1 start was followed by a 1-7 finish.
But Snyder is excited about this season.
Offensive coordinator John Shannon and defensive coordinator Rick Minter have a year in Snyder’s system and Marshall returns 15 starters. Snyder said there is a continuity to fall camp in terms of leadership and everyone knowing what to expect.
“We haven’t changed,” he said. “That’s the advantage of being around for a while. You see the coaching staffs who have had consistency without things changing, that’s why they continue to win.”
The teeth of Marshall’s lineup are the nine starters on defense, led by defensive end Albert McClellan. Seven of the top 10 tacklers return.
“We do feel like our defense is going to be the strength,” Snyder said. “Probably the most talented, fast defense we’ve had around here at Marshall in quite some years.”
needs 88 receiving yards to become the top tight end in school history.
Although he has been suspended for the season opener due to a drug arrest, Darius Marshall returns at running back after rushing for 1,095 yards and five touchdowns last season.
“We’ve got some marquee players and that’s what it takes,” Snyder said. “We’re a very veteran football team and we’re excited to get this thing going.”
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