University of North Carolina Athletics
Larry Fedora Press Conference Transcript
December 9, 2011 | General
Dec. 9, 2011
Larry Fedora Press Conference (mp3)
Chancellor Holden Thorp:
"Thank you all for being here. It is a happy day for Carolina and we are so pleased to be here to welcome you all to Chapel Hill and to welcome Coach Fedora. Before we get on with all of that, I just want to thank Bubba Cunningham and his team that worked with him on the hiring and all the folks who have worked in athletics to get us to where we are today. This was an absolutely great process that Bubba ran to identify the best fit for Carolina. Congratulation, Bubba, to you and your team and thank you for the great job you did and for your professionalism.
"Larry Fedora is going to be a great fit for North Carolina. When I met with him it was clear that he understands that we are committed to being competitive in football and to building a program that exemplifies Carolina's values. I have spoken to my colleagues around the country who have worked with Coach Fedora and they all had great things to say about him. Larry is a dynamic coach and strong leader for student-athletes and he will bring a lot of excitement to Kenan Stadium.
"I know this has been a challenging season for everybody: for out coaching staff, for our players and for our fans. Thanks to all of you for supporting Carolina football and Carolina athletics and the University of North Carolina. And I especially want to thank coach Everett Withers and his staff for all they have done this season. And for our players--they played hard, they have played well. We are proud of all of you and we are very excited about the future."
Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham:
"Thank you so much, Holden. I appreciate the introduction. Thanks to all of you for being here today. It is a great to be a Tar Heel. From the day that I was hired, the task of hiring a permanent head football coach was my top priority. Earlier today, the Board of Trustees approved the contractual terms and I am pleased now to have the opportunity to introduce our new football coach. But before I ask him to take the podium, I would like to thank a few people for their assistance in this effort and describe to you the search process. We conducted an exhaustive and comprehensive search for our new head coach. We contracted with Bill Carr & Associates in the endeavor and we engaged our staff in the process as well.
"I was hired on Oct. 14 and on Oct. 16 I began to think about the hiring process, met with some of our administrative staff and later that day, met with Coach Withers, to inform him of the process and my thoughts. We started very broadly in compiling lists and names and data. We poured over the information, began to categorize, consolidate and refine the data and slowly we began to narrow and focus and ultimately, we found a coach who is a great fit for North Carolina.
"I would like to thank our staff for their assistance in this process and their incredible work to set up the press conference and all the different meetings and introductions for Coach Fedora today. The members of our athletics department staff, who worked every step of the way with me in this search process are John Montgomery, Larry Gallo, Martina Ballen, Clint Gwaltney and Rick Steinbacher. These people have a combined 79 years of experience at the University of North Carolina and they were exceptional in their professionalism, their organization and in their focus for helping me find a person that would be a great fit at the University of North Carolina.
"In addition to our athletic staff, we asked campus representatives, board members and others to provide their prospective of what they thought was essential for success. To all of these people, thank you. Thank you for your time, your thoughts--they were quite helpful. In particular, I would like the thank Dwight Stone, Matt Kupec, Eddy Smith, Lisa Broom, Lowery Caudill and Leslie Strong for their counsel. Chancellor Thorp, your encouragement and involvement was most appreciated as well. Our Board of Trustees, chaired by Wade Hargrove, and our Board of Governors and our President, Tom Ross--I thank you for your leadership, vision and support of the university and athletics. In this era of college athletics, we strive to keep the appropriate balance of academics and athletics, and we continually strive for excellence in both. The thoughtful dedication and involvement is much appreciated by our entire department.
"I thank our head coaches who are here today. We have a new member of the coaching fraternity and I think he will fit in very well. I appreciate you work for the department and I look forward to building relationships with our head football coach and all of our head coaches.
"Let me tell you a little bit about the interest in the job here at North Carolina. There has been significant interest in this position from many coaches and representatives. We talked to all of them who called us. The toughest part of the process, however, was to tell Coach Withers and his staff that we were going in a different direction. Everett is an amazing individual and an outstanding football coach and a wonderful person. I thank, congratulate and admire Coach Withers for his leadership, dedication and commitment to this program. The success the team has had this year was remarkable given the 18 months or turmoil, but Coach Withers and his staff, and most importantly the students, were determined to be successful and we are headed to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive year. The students and their families have been patient during this turbulent time and I want to thank them for their understanding as well.
"Now onto the current head coach. Our staff identified what we thought were the critical issues to be a successful head coach at the University of North Carolina right now. We want to achieve excellence on the field and off and our purpose for athletics is to enhance the educational experience of all the University of North Carolina students. We needed someone who could recruit exceptionally well, someone to serve effectively as football's chief ambassador to the university and be a part of campus life and especially, to be accessible to faculty, staff and students. A person who has a specific vision for excellence, to be able to assemble and manage a staff capable of executing his plan for success. He must demonstrate a true fit for the University of North Carolina, someone who understands and respects the values of the university.
"And finally, we feel that Larry Fedora is the coach who can unify our fan base and move us successfully into the future. Larry is highly thought of by his peers in the coaching ranks and was recommended to me by three of his former athletic directors. And they all called me, I didn't have to call any one of them. They were calling to sing his praises both personally and professionally. Joining Larry today is his family, who he will introduce shortly.
"But allow me to tell you a little bit more about Larry. Larry was an Academic All-American himself at Austin College. He has coached at Baylor, Air Force, the University of Florida, Oklahoma State and Southern Miss. He has demonstrated success as a head coach with a 33-19 record in four years and just two weeks ago, won a conference championship and is headed to the Hawai'i Bowl with his team. He has recruited highly talented students. He is energetic, passionate and enthusiastic. He is committed to his offensive, defensive and special teams philosophies and his teams have shattered numerous school records. This year Southern Miss averaged 407 yards a game offensively, finished the season 11-2 and is ranked 21st in the country. Larry is a no-huddle coach, his teams are aggressive, attacking, they play in multiple formations and multiple personnel groups. And it is an absolute pleasure to welcome to the University of North Carolina, head football coach Larry Fedora."
Head Coach Larry Fedora
"You can't clap all day. I want you to know that I am honored and privileged to be the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. Let me say that again: I am honored and privileged to be the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. I've got to say that over and over again so it will sink in. I know you guys probably didn't know who was going to be standing up here today, right? Yeah, social media...wow.
"Today is the first day of a new era of UNC football and it's going to be exciting. You better buckle your seat belts and hold on because it's going to be a wild ride. But before I get going, there are a few people that I need to thank. I want to thank Chancellor Thorp, the board of trustees and Bubba Cunningham for giving me this opportunity and welcoming me into the UNC family. I can't tell you how much I appreciate their work and professionalism through this entire process. I'm excited about working with them and taking this program to the next level. I also want to thank Bubba's team for their commitment and assistance during this process. From start to finish everything they did was first class. Likewise I'd like to thank Bill Carr for his professionalism and guidance. He and his firm are tremendous assets to the universities and coaches alike.
"I want to introduce my family and I'm very proud of my family. Behind every good coach is a tremendous woman, and as you can see I've outkicked my coverage. But that also gives you an idea of what kind of recruiter I am. My wife Christi, I want to thank you for standing beside me and allowing me to do the job I love to do. Our son Dillon, our daughters Sydney, Peyton and Hallie are here, they're all a huge part of who I am as a coach, a husband and a father. And if you're not careful in this business, as a coach you'll be raising 120 kids while your wife will be raising ours. This business requires long hours and a lot of time away from home. But Christi and our kids are what help keep me going. I want to thank my mom for molding me into the man I am today. I want to thank my dad for the tremendous work ethic that he ahs taught me. There is no job that is too small for me. And I want to thank my three brothers for making everything a huge competition our entire lives.
"It's also important for me to thank the people in this business who have helped me. I cannot stand at this podium without recognizing the people at Southern Miss. I've had the privilege to work, and the honor, to work alongside Richard Giannini for the last four years. Richard is as good as they come. I want to thank him for his guidance and for believing in me as a coach and as a person. Our relationship started as a business but became a friendship that I will cherish forever. I have to thank Mike Gundy and the people at Oklahoma State. They helped me shape my approach and afforded me the opportunity to grow into a head coach. I also want to thank the players, our coaching staff, administration, and the fans in Hattiesburg. We arrived at USM four years ago with a plan, and they bought in and I'll always be grateful for that experience. And I will always be a Golden Eagle fan. I want to thank Mack Brown for his advice over the years. I want to thank Grant Teaff, Chuck Reedy, Fisher DeBerry, Andy McCluggage and Ron Zook for helping me to refine my coaching philosophy. I would also like to thank Jeremy Foley and Mike Holden for their guidance over the years.
"Now let's talk about North Carolina and Tar Heel football. When Christi and I sat down to discuss the idea of this opportunity, we really felt like this job, this university and this place were the right fit at the right time for our family. UNC is a special place with a tremendous reputation both academically and athletically. Chapel Hill is a great place to raise a family and we're excited about getting settled here. Bubba Cunningham is a nationally respected athletic director and someone who knows how to win. After speaking with him and Chancellor Thorp, it became clear that this is an administration with a vision and a plan for UNC football. These are the fundamental ingredients to success. With the support of everyone who bleeds Carolina blue, we plan on building a successful program right here in Chapel Hill. As a Tar Heel family there is nothing we can't accomplish. One of our biggest assets is the UNC brand. It's recognized from coast to coast. We will embrace the brand, we will promote it and we will use it to enhance our football program. I am extremely proud to be part of the University with such high academic standards. This is an enormous part of the UNC brand. It's who we are. We will build our program with this in mind and our players will compete in the classroom on the same level as they do on the playing field.
"To join an athletic department that is consistently successful as UNC across the board is a rare opportunity. Top to bottom, the commitment to excellence is evident. The Tar Heels are consistently at the top of the Director's Cup standings. And our men's soccer team being in the national semifinals tonight is a prime example. Someone told me we like to play round ball around here. I understand the prominence of our basketball program and I embrace it. UNC's history of success on the basketball court is a huge part of the UNC brand and again that can only enhance our football success. I had the opportunity to visit briefly with Coach [Roy] Williams this morning and I look forward to a relationship with him as well as all of the other talented coaches at UNC. Coach Williams told me a story this morning, he said, `Larry, my first day on the job at Kansas, I woke up and I threw up. I spoke to the president and a few board members, I threw up. Before I went into the press conference, I threw up. After the press conference, I threw up.' So I feel like I'm ahead of the curve.
"This is a proud football program, and rightfully so. UNC has produced many, many NFL players. Players like Julius Peppers, Jeff Saturday, Brandon Tate, Bruce Carter, just to name a few...but wow, what great players. We plan to ask for their help in promoting our program and to do it in the right way. As coaches we are judged by our wins and losses, that's part of the job description. But equally important to me is the opportunity to develop young men so they can be leaders in our society. My staff and I will work diligently to develop total student-athletes capable of success both on and off the field.
"Now a few of my basic beliefs: I believe UNC is one of the premiere universities in this great nation. I believe that every player can and should earn his degree. I believe you can recruit championship-caliber student-athletes to Chapel Hill. I believe our football program could consistently compete for championships. I believe that with your support we can build a program that consistently competes on a national level. And trust me, your support matters. We need our students and fans to make game day and unbelievable experience in Chapel Hill. We need you at the Old Well Walk. We need you to pack Kenan Stadium. We need you to be there early. We need you to be wild and crazy when you're here. And we need you to stay late. And understand that if you get up to go get a drink, you just missed a Tar Heel touchdown.
"I've had the opportunity to meet with several groups on campus this morning and I have been blown away by the people here. I did not want to interrupt the team's exam schedule so I have not met with them yet, but I will meet with them following this press conference. That meeting will be to introduce myself and to encourage them to finish this season by winning a bowl game under Coach Everett Withers. Coach Withers and his staff have done a great job in a very tough time. I also look forward to meeting the players' families and growing a relationship with them. We want this to be about family. We want this to be about the Tar Heel family.
"Tonight I'm going to get back on a plane and I'm going to return to Hattiesburg to prepare the Golden Eagles for the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. It was important for me to finish this season and to get our 12th win. After the bowl games I'll be back on the ground here. I have a plan in place for assembling a staff and hitting the road in recruiting. This whole plan will continue to take shape over the next few weeks, but rest assured that when the dead period is over with and we hit the ground in January, we'll be rolling I promise you.
"Now let's talk a little bit about the things I know will get you excited, let's talk about the X's and O's. General George S. Patton said this: `Instead of waiting to see what might develop, attack constantly, vigorously and viciously. Never let up, never stop, always attack.' As a football team, we will always be attacking. Carolina style football will be known as playing smart, playing fast and playing physical. On special teams - and I didn't just start with special teams by chance - we will be very aggressive. You can count on game-changing plays in special teams. On defense we're going to employ multiple fronts, multiple blitzes and multiple coverages. We are about stopping the run and creating confusing and disrupting the quarterback through blitzes and coverages. Our defenses will be known for flying to the football and knocking the tar out of people. On offense we will be one back, no-huddle, multi-tempoed. We will spread the field horizontally to create vertical seams in the defense. We will put the ball in a playmaker's hands and when you spread the field like that, you create the opportunity for a lot of explosive plays. So that's going to be exciting, I assure you. When our fans leave the stadium on Saturday afternoons, I want them to say `Wow, those guys in Carolina blue, they're flying around and they're having fun playing the game.' Thank you for coming today and I want you to know that I'm excited about being the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. Go Heels!"
