A New Coach @ I.U.P.
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THE CHOPS
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A New Coach @ I.U.P.
I.U.P. Hires Tepper to succeed Cignetti....
Tribune-Democrat:
The I.U.P. football program once again has a leader.
The school formally introduced former Illinois coach Lou Tepper as Frank Cignetti’s successor at a press conference Tuesday in Memorial Field House.
“The university searched nationally for someone who would be able to continue the strong winning tradition of IUP football, and we have now found that person in coach Lou Tepper,” IUP President Dr. Tony Atwater said. “He is the full package.”
Tepper, a native of Keystone, Westmoreland County, and a graduate of Derry High School, spent the past six seasons as head coach at Edinboro. Tepper posted a 40-26 mark during his six-year tenure with the Fighting Scots. During the past three seasons, Tepper’s squads shared the P.S.A.C. West title each year, made trips to the Division II playoffs in 2003 and 2004, and also defeated I.U.P. three straight times.
“We’re excited to come back home,” Tepper said. “I am honored to follow Frank Cignetti. He is truly a living legend and his impact at IUP will probably never be matched.”
Before coaching at Edinboro, Tepper spent nearly three decades on the Division I coaching scene. Tepper served as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Colorado, Louisiana State and Illinois before taking over as head coach for the Fighting Illini prior to the 1991 Sun Bowl.
He went 25-31-2 as coach of Illinois from 1991-96 and guided the Illini to two bowl appearances.
On Tuesday, Tepper discussed a clear mission that he has followed since his days at Illinois and that he plans to use at IUP.
The mission statement, as described by Tepper, included four points: Lofty academic goals, character that honors the university, striving to be champions and a family concept for the football team.
“When I first went to Edinboro in 2000, we had 56 players in our program and it was riddled with issues,” Tepper said. “Of those 56, 26 were either on academic probation or suspension. Five years later, we had 81 in our program and three on academic probation and none on suspension.”
Tepper stressed over and over again during the press conference that character is a major issue with him. It’s also an issue that has come up as recently as a year ago with the IUP football program, where a number of players were kicked off the team after legal problems.
“We want to foster character that will honor the university, and it begins with recruiting,” Tepper said. “We will recruit consistently character and talent. If he has great talent and does not have character, then we will go right on by him.”
“I treat our team as my adoptive sons, and that means they are going to get equal amounts of love and discipline,” Tepper said. “I think a lot of coaches make errors because they think there’s got to be distance and space between them personally because they can’t discipline guys if they have a close relationship. Yet that is really against what we know as fathers.
“When my son was 10 years old, I would wrestle with him on the floor and have a great time with him, but when he stepped across the line and didn’t do what he was supposed to do then I’d turn him over my knee and spank him,” Tepper said. “Although I’m probably not going to put (offensive tackle Jason) Capizzi (6-foot-9, 315 pounds) over my knee and spank him, I have the same kind of relationship with my players. If they don’t fulfill something we want academically, socially, or in the football environment, then I will discipline them. We are not better than anybody else on campus.”
Tepper, the PSAC West Coach of the Year the past two seasons, said he has yet to meet with any of the Indians coaching staff members, but he hopes to do so today.
“I am very open to everyone on this staff staying, but I have not had the opportunity to meet with them,” Tepper said. “We will go through the mission statement together so that they know what we are to be about, and I hope that many will consider staying.”
Tepper also expressed his feelings on the IUP football program growing and possibly moving up to Division I-AA or even higher.
“I think IUP is the only program in the PSAC that has a chance to have that kind of success,” Tepper said. “It’s part of the reason that I was intrigued to come here. We know that we are a PSAC school and we are not currently having the success we want to have. ... My goal is to help raise funds so that we can be the best Division II school in the country. If we find through that process that we also have enough money to go to I-AA and, perhaps years from now, Division I, then I’m all for it.”
"THE CHOPS".
Tribune-Democrat:
The I.U.P. football program once again has a leader.
The school formally introduced former Illinois coach Lou Tepper as Frank Cignetti’s successor at a press conference Tuesday in Memorial Field House.
“The university searched nationally for someone who would be able to continue the strong winning tradition of IUP football, and we have now found that person in coach Lou Tepper,” IUP President Dr. Tony Atwater said. “He is the full package.”
Tepper, a native of Keystone, Westmoreland County, and a graduate of Derry High School, spent the past six seasons as head coach at Edinboro. Tepper posted a 40-26 mark during his six-year tenure with the Fighting Scots. During the past three seasons, Tepper’s squads shared the P.S.A.C. West title each year, made trips to the Division II playoffs in 2003 and 2004, and also defeated I.U.P. three straight times.
“We’re excited to come back home,” Tepper said. “I am honored to follow Frank Cignetti. He is truly a living legend and his impact at IUP will probably never be matched.”
Before coaching at Edinboro, Tepper spent nearly three decades on the Division I coaching scene. Tepper served as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Colorado, Louisiana State and Illinois before taking over as head coach for the Fighting Illini prior to the 1991 Sun Bowl.
He went 25-31-2 as coach of Illinois from 1991-96 and guided the Illini to two bowl appearances.
On Tuesday, Tepper discussed a clear mission that he has followed since his days at Illinois and that he plans to use at IUP.
The mission statement, as described by Tepper, included four points: Lofty academic goals, character that honors the university, striving to be champions and a family concept for the football team.
“When I first went to Edinboro in 2000, we had 56 players in our program and it was riddled with issues,” Tepper said. “Of those 56, 26 were either on academic probation or suspension. Five years later, we had 81 in our program and three on academic probation and none on suspension.”
Tepper stressed over and over again during the press conference that character is a major issue with him. It’s also an issue that has come up as recently as a year ago with the IUP football program, where a number of players were kicked off the team after legal problems.
“We want to foster character that will honor the university, and it begins with recruiting,” Tepper said. “We will recruit consistently character and talent. If he has great talent and does not have character, then we will go right on by him.”
“I treat our team as my adoptive sons, and that means they are going to get equal amounts of love and discipline,” Tepper said. “I think a lot of coaches make errors because they think there’s got to be distance and space between them personally because they can’t discipline guys if they have a close relationship. Yet that is really against what we know as fathers.
“When my son was 10 years old, I would wrestle with him on the floor and have a great time with him, but when he stepped across the line and didn’t do what he was supposed to do then I’d turn him over my knee and spank him,” Tepper said. “Although I’m probably not going to put (offensive tackle Jason) Capizzi (6-foot-9, 315 pounds) over my knee and spank him, I have the same kind of relationship with my players. If they don’t fulfill something we want academically, socially, or in the football environment, then I will discipline them. We are not better than anybody else on campus.”
Tepper, the PSAC West Coach of the Year the past two seasons, said he has yet to meet with any of the Indians coaching staff members, but he hopes to do so today.
“I am very open to everyone on this staff staying, but I have not had the opportunity to meet with them,” Tepper said. “We will go through the mission statement together so that they know what we are to be about, and I hope that many will consider staying.”
Tepper also expressed his feelings on the IUP football program growing and possibly moving up to Division I-AA or even higher.
“I think IUP is the only program in the PSAC that has a chance to have that kind of success,” Tepper said. “It’s part of the reason that I was intrigued to come here. We know that we are a PSAC school and we are not currently having the success we want to have. ... My goal is to help raise funds so that we can be the best Division II school in the country. If we find through that process that we also have enough money to go to I-AA and, perhaps years from now, Division I, then I’m all for it.”
"THE CHOPS".