Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508300005
SECTION: COLLEGE FOOTBALL PAGE: CF-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Alex Wood's football roots are as traditional as they get. He grew up in Massillon, Ohio, and played football at Washington High School. Paul Brown first made Massillon into tigers on the gridiron.
Now, in his first job as a head coach, Wood takes over a program where the only tradition has been inconsistency. James Madison hasn't had three consecutive winning seasons since 1974-76, the first three varsity seasons for the Dukes. This season, JMU will be playing to equal that, and more.
The Dukes are picked not only as the best among the state's six Division I-AA programs, but among the nation's top 10 in the preseason. Wood, a 17-year college assistant, takes over for Rip Scherer, who added to his lengthy resume by moving to Memphis for his first Division I-A head coach's job.
Scherer took JMU to its first 10-victory season and the second round of the NCAA playoffs last season. With the Dukes picked to win the Yankee conference title and with 14 starters returning, including quarterback Mike Cawley, Wood inherits a solid situation. He also faces a tough schedule.
It should be an intriguing year in state I-AA football. If JMU can't win the Yankee, then William and Mary might. The Tribe has more returning starters than the Dukes. Liberty plays VMI for the first time, and the Flames think they have a shot at their first playoff bid.
Richmond has a new head coach in Jim Reid, who returns to the Spiders' staff after a season and an Aloha Bowl trip as Boston College's defensive coordinator. And this season there's an addition to the I-AA club: Hampton moves up from Division II and CIAA success for a tougher test. The predominantly-black college arrives in I-AA at the same time as Wood, the first black head coach of a Division I football program in state history.
Wood spent last season as the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest. The previous nine seasons, he was an assistant to Dennis Erickson, first at Wyoming, then Washington State, then Miami (Fla.), where the Hurricanes were 44-4 with two national titles (1989 and '91) with Wood on the staff.
``To be honest, I wasn't really looking to be a head coach at any particular time,'' said Wood, who also has coached at Iowa, Kent, Southern Illinois and Southern (La.). ``I thought I was ready. I've been an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator and a recruiting coordinator. Being a head coach is about the only thing I hadn't done.''
He didn't seek the JMU job. The Dukes went after him.
``I thought I was ready to be a head coach long ago,'' said Wood, 40. ``But I didn't pursue this. I'm probably batting .000 on jobs I pursued. In football, if you get in the right circles and people learn about you, people get to know who you are.''
His attractiveness was rooted in his varied experience at the Division I level, in programs that run from the national championship picture to Southern Illinois, which ``was a Division I-A program but probably shouldn't have been'' when Wood was there in 1981.
``I think they saw that I was someone who wouldn't come in and get frustrated, whatever the situation,'' said Wood, who doesn't seem to be a coach who loves a pulpit. ``I was interested in an opportunity where I thought there was a chance to win, a place where the administration was interested and excited about the program. I saw that [at JMU].''
Wood was a walk-on running back at Iowa, where his hard work and toughness were rewarded with a scholarship. He played three seasons before foot and knee injuries put him on the sideline in more ways than one. He became as assistant coach. ``I knew I wanted to be a coach all along,'' he said.
He's going to find out early just how good the Dukes can be. After a Sept.2 home opener against Morgan State, JMU goes to William and Mary, then plays McNeese State in Harrisonburg. The Louisiana school is ranked among the top five in preseason I-AA polls, while JMU is seventh in one poll and eighth in another.
``This being our first year, I'd like to say that's our goal: to be a consistent winner,'' Wood said. ``Then, when you look at the history, it's right around .500. It's been a roller coaster here. So, we'd like to get to that point, but nobody else has been able to do that.
``What we need are a couple of back-to-back winners, but whether we're ready to do that, I can't make that statement yet.''
by CNB