It’s been a week since Western announced the firing of Head Football Coach David Elson, and already there’s an intriguing storyline shaping up for the coming weeks and months.

How does the Western administration, specifically President Gary Ransdell and Athletics Director Wood Selig, respond to growing criticism within the Western community?

We heard support on numerous occasions for Elson and the job he was doing from Selig, who often preached patience.

But last Monday, it all took a sharp left turn.

Faculty Regent Patricia Minter said much of the criticism she is hearing about the situation has less to do with Elson and more with Ransdell and Selig saying one thing and doing another.

“We’re faculty of a university, we’re trained to analyze things, and we get very upset when we’re told that something is black when it is clearly white or when something is up when it’s clearly down,” Minter said. “I think going forward, what needs to happen is the spin needs to stop and it’s time for a new era of honesty.”

Now Selig is faced with bringing in a coach that will ignite interest in the fanbase and put a successful product on the field.

The other hot topic in the coming weeks: How much will the next coach be paid?

Elson earned $250,000 a year, but that number presumably will go up for the next coach. That will potentially leave more ground for faculty to be upset on the basis that after years of no raises, a new football coach could come in and be one of the top-five highest paid employees at Western.

“(The salaries are) marketplace driven,” Selig said. “Neither (Ransdell) or I have set the rate. The market place sets salaries, not just in the coaching profession but every profession. There is a market place, and there is a going rate. And again, we didn’t set it, but we need to play by those rules.”

There’s still disagreement out there about Western moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, but that’s in the past. We can only look forward now.

Minter said that if Western is going to give Selig and the next coach FBS-level pay, then the faculty need to be paid at that rate as well.

“I can understand the faculty being concerned about the level of compensation, especially when it is compared to their compensation,” Selig said. “I get that, and I understand it, and I don’t necessarily disagree with them either. I think it’s absurd, some of the salaries being tossed around in college athletics.”

Western has entered a market where, according to a recent report by USA Today, 81 of the current 120 FBS coaches earn at least $1 million annually, and 12 of those coaches earn at least $3 million.

Ransdell’s dream of FBS football has been a nightmare early on.

Now the weight rests squarely on Selig’s shoulders to bring in a home-run hire to get this thing where Ransdell wants it to be.

And as we all know, what Ransdell wants, Ransdell often gets.

Only time and more money will tell on this one.

Head Coach David Elson was fired Sunday night in his seventh year as head coach of the Toppers and 14th with the program. But if players and coaches are dwelling on the situation, they aren’t showing it.

With three games left to play, Elson said “the plan is business as usual,” and senior receiver Jake Gaebler said the team is on board with that message. This week, the Toppers got back to work and will continue to control what they can — playing football.

“I think the main thing is to not take this week any differently than we’ve taken every other week,” Gaebler said. “We’ve talked about it as a team. We’re just going to go there and give it everything we have. We’ve been doing it all season, and hopefully it works out well for us these last three weeks.”

That doesn’t mean the Toppers haven’t felt the impact of Elson’s impending departure from the program.

Athletics Director Wood Selig suggested at Monday’s press conference announcing Elson’s firing that players might “go out and prove President (Gary) Ransdell and Wood Selig wrong.”

Senior offensive lineman Cody Hughes declined to comment on Selig’s words but did say the situation is fueling motivation for this Saturday’s game at Louisiana-Monroe.

“I personally want to win this game for coach Elson,” Hughes said. “He’s my coach. He’s my leader. He’s the reason I’m here today. I owe that man a lot. I owe him my college degree when I get it.”

Elson said he didn’t notice any difference from practice this week compared to game weeks of the past.

“The only thing I’m aware of that’s happened is that we turned the page from Troy to Louisiana-Monroe, and so I’m not sure what’s different as far as any of that’s concerned,” Elson said.

Elson added that the players shouldn’t have to concern themselves with anything other than preparation for their next game, which will take place six days after the firing.

Had Sunday night’s events occurred a week later, the Toppers would have spent a bye week mulling over what freshman tight end Jack Doyle called a “surprise” before facing Florida Atlantic on Nov. 28.

Being able to bounce back and return to the regular routine has been an advantage in overcoming emotions, Doyle said.

“Football is a great outlet for just being out here and practicing, taking that attitude away,” Doyle said. “On Monday, I was just thinking a lot. Really, right now we’re just going to play one game at a time.”

Hughes said he looks at Western’s coaching situation as another obstacle to overcome in a senior season gone awry. The Toppers are 0-9 and carry a 17-game losing streak into the game with Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

That’s not to say that the team has given up on its season — or its coach.

“It’s something we’re looking past,” Hughes said. “The way this season’s gone, we’ve had to shake a lot of things off, and we’ve had to overlook a lot of circumstances. This is just another bump in the road. We control what we can control, and this is not something we can control.

“I’m focused on three victories to end the season and sending coach Elson out the way he needs to be sent out.”

Western’s last football head coaching search came when championship-winning coach Jack Harbaugh resigned in 2003 after spending 14 years at Western.

Current Head Coach David Elson was fired Sunday night, also after 14 years with the Toppers.

That might be where the similarities between 2003 and 2009 stop.

Now Western’s program plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision, facilities have been upgraded and the program’s budget tops $5 million — all factors Athletics Director Wood Selig said makes this job an easy sell.

“I think this is a gold mine,” Selig said Monday. “It’s a terrific opportunity for any head coach to come in here and really establish themselves and continue the progress that’s been made previously.”

But while the facilities have reached a peak, the on-field product is enduring an all-time low.

Western holds the FBS’ longest losing streak at 17 games, which is also the most in program history. Selig said that the administration’s consistent backing of Elson should guarantee any would-be coach ample support should the program not bounce back quickly.

“I think any coach coming in and looking at WKU would have to feel very good about the support that they would receive, both financially with regard to facilities and with regard to philosophy from the administration,” Selig said.

Selig told the Herald on Wednesday that about 50 candidates had already voluntarily contacted him about the job.

While Western alum Romeo Crennel, former coach of the Cleveland Browns, spoke to Western about the opening, he didn’t have any interest in taking the job, Selig said. But Crennel told Selig he would be willing to assist in the search on the university’s behalf.

Searching for expert assistance, President Gary Ransdell assembled a search committee comprised of Howard Bailey, vice president of Student Affairs; James Brown, NCAA faculty athletic representative; Alexander Downing, 2009 Hilltopper Athletic Foundation Board president; Deborah Wilkins, chief of staff and general counsel, Selig and himself.

Wilkins will serve as chairperson of the committee. Wilkins said that she will help the committee with the legalities of the search and make sure that they follow the hiring guidelines set forth by the university.

The committee met on Monday night and planned on meeting again next Thursday, Wilkins said.

Ransdell said the search committee will help narrow down a wide pool of candidates to conduct interviews with before making a hire.

“There are only 120 of these jobs,” Ransdell said. “There are a lot of highly qualified coaches that are head coaches at programs, or offensive or defensive coordinators for programs where this is a major step up for them. Take (a Southeastern Conference) defensive or offensive coordinator, and this is a great opportunity to be a head coach at an (FBS) program.”

Reporter Andrew Robinson contributed to this story.

According to an e-mail sent by President Gary Ransdell earlier this morning, five people will be on the search committee to find Western’s next football head coach.

The committee will be chaired by Chief of Staff Deborah Wilkins and include Vice President of Student Affairs Howard Bailey, Faculty Athletic Representative James Brown, Hilltopper Athletic Foundation President Alex Downing and Athletics Director Wood Selig.

“This is an extremely talented and knowledgeable committee,” Selig said in a press release Monday afternoon. “The diversity in their job responsibilities and backgrounds will enable each to provide unique and valuable insight throughout this process.”

It was announced on Monday that Head Coach David Elson would not be retained following the 2009 season. Elson was 0-9 in his seventh season as head coach.

Continue to check wkuherald.com for developments on the coaching search

Head Coach David Elson’s career record at Western dropped below .500 with a loss at North Texas two weeks ago.

Barring three straight wins to finish the season, it will end that way.

Elson was told Sunday night by President Gary Ransdell and Athletic Director Wood Selig that he will not be retained after the 2009 season, which ends on Dec. 3 against Arkansas State.

“I have had the privilege of coaching at this great university for 14 years, so obviously I am very disappointed and do not agree with this decision,” Elson said in a statement. “We play a very good Louisiana-Monroe team this Saturday, and out of respect for our players, staff and entire program, this game and then our remaining two games is all we are going to focus on.”

Ransdell and Selig came to a mutual agreement to dismiss Elson on Sunday and informed the coach at Ransdell’s house that night, Selig said.

Selig said at a press conference on Monday that the firing was related to a number of factors, including a decrease in ticket sales and an apathetic feel for a program that should instead be “white-hot” with excitement.

“A fresh start at this point, with a renewed commitment, is in the best long-term interest of the program,” Selig said. “We need a new direction. We need new energy that will accompany this new direction.”

Elson will be given a $500,000 buyout promised in a four-year extension the coach received in January, Selig said. After the extension, the coach was under contract until 2016.

The Toppers have a 17-game losing streak, the longest of any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Elson’s only career win against an FBS team came in 2007, when Western defeated Middle Tennessee State 20-17.

Ransdell said he was aware of a growing disdain for Elson from fans, especially during a two-year transition into the FBS when the Toppers went 9-15.

“I’m not blind, and I can hear, and I do get a lot of feedback — a lot of advice,” Ransdell said. “Our objective has to be the best interest of the university — of this program.”

Ransdell said one of his main objectives is to ensure student athletes are able to excel, which was a major reason for considering a coaching change.

“We promised them as recruits that we would do everything we could to put them in a position to be successful, and this is consistent with that promise,” Ransdell said.

Feedback from current players didn’t play into the decision to fire Elson, Selig said.

Selig said the search for Western’s next coach would start Monday afternoon but wouldn’t say who any potential candidates might be or give a timetable for hiring a new coach.

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Commentary

After 11 straight losses, Athletics Director Wood Selig backed his head coach. At 17, the mood changed.

Head Coach David Elson was told Sunday night by Selig and President Gary Ransdell that he will not be retained after the end of the 2009 season.

Selig expressed his support for Elson to the Herald in September, saying “you just can’t microwave” the process of building a Football Bowl Subdivision program.

Those comments followed the Toppers’ 28-7 home loss to Football Championship Series opponent Central Arkansas.

On Monday, Selig cited a dramatic decline in ticket sales over the past two seasons and general discontent from fans as the leading factors for Elson’s dismissal.

“We are counting on revenues for the future growth of our entire program, not just football,” Selig said. “When our program should be white-hot right now at the beginning of our transition, that’s when you expect to see season tickets skyrocket.

“When that’s not happening, you have to sit back and really ask yourself, ‘Why?’ and, ‘Have we lost the confidence in our community and in our program in the transition?’”

Season ticket sales are down 17 percent since the transition began in 2007, and walk-up ticket sales have dropped almost 50 percent this season, Selig said.

Elson was hired as head coach in 2003 after five years as an assistant coach and two as the Toppers’ defensive coordinator. Though Western won nine games in both of his first two seasons, the number of victories has steadily decreased since then.

The Toppers (0-9, 0-5 Sun Belt Conference) went 9-15 during a two-year transition into the FBS and haven’t won a game in their past 17 attempts, the longest losing streak in the FBS.

Ransdell said he didn’t see the trend changing in the future.

“The reality is, if we had confidence that this turnaround could occur and this ship could be righted and that we could be successful, then we wouldn’t be here today,” Ransdell said.

Elson has been adamant about taking full responsibility for Western’s mounting losing streak.

“You can put every ounce on me, and I can take it,” Elson said in September. “Trust me — I can handle it. It’s part of life. It’s part of college football and being in a competitive arena.”

Selig said there were no extended talks about the situation before Elson’s firing, which comes with three games left in the 2009 season.

He and Ransdell met about the state of the program on Sunday and spoke to Elson at Ransdell’s house that night, Selig said.

Selig previously told the Herald that he and Ransdell wouldn’t expect significant results within the program until 2012 but said on Monday that they felt a serious change needed to be made for the Toppers to be successful in the future.

“You look at where we are this year compared to last year, even the year before, and there’s just a general sense or a general feeling that the program is not headed in the direction that we need to be headed,” Selig said. “It’s not a how many wins or losses does it take or would it have taken … it was just a lack of confidence that we were on the right path.”

The Board of Regents approved a four-year contract extension for Elson in January, promising him a $500,000 buyout if he was fired before 2016.

The buyout will be paid from money Western received from playing “guarantee games,” Selig said.

Selig said the timing of Elson’s firing leaves the administration ample time to find a replacement before National Signing Day in February. Prior to his dismissal, Elson had acquired three verbal commitments for next season’s class.

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Athletics Director Wood Selig said on Monday that he and President Gary Ransdell would appoint a search committee responsible for finding the Toppers’ next head coach.

“It will be a well-represented committee, institutionally,” Selig said. “And then we’ll go ahead and start to move as quickly as we can but, again, trying to be efficient and methodical and make sure we don’t leave any stone unturned.”

Selig said he has already started to receive e-mails and texts from people interested in the job.

“I’m hearing that there are (Southeastern Conference) coordinators who have let it be known they have interest in our job,” he said. “I think the job is going to garner a lot of national interest, and we’ll have an outstanding pool to choose from.”

Selig said he does have an internal short list, but he wouldn’t disclose who was on it. He wouldn’t rule out the possibility that a new head coach would be hired before the 2009 season ends.

“We’re going to be talking to and looking at current and previous head coaches as well as coordinators and position coaches,” Selig said.

Selig said everyone is a candidate, but he did say that Romeo Crennel, former Western player and recent Hall of Distinguished Alumni inductee, wasn’t interviewed while he was in Bowling Green this past weekend. Crennel hasn’t expressed interest, Selig said.

Selig also said that he hasn’t communicated with Willie Taggart, a former Western quarterback and assistant coach and current Stanford assistant coach, about the position.

Business had impact on decision

Declining ticket sales and a lack of public support also played into Selig and Ransdell’s decision to fire Head Coach David Elson on Sunday night.

“I like our youth. I like the character in our program,” Selig said. “I like the fact that we’ve been non-transfer, non-(junior college) — we’re building it from the bottom up. We’re building it with a strong foundation. I love that, but when you look at it from a business perspective, that’s when the chinks start to be felt in the armor, so to speak.”

The season ticket base has declined more than 17 percent since 2007, Selig said. Just 7,506 season tickets were sold this season compared to 8,648 in 2008 and 9,093 in 2007, according to the Western Athletics department.

“We just felt like change was needed at this particular time to rejuvenate interest in the program, rejuvenate excitement around our program and to take our program to the next step,” Selig said.

Western has also seen a decrease in walk-up attendance and student attendance over the past two seasons, he said.

Selig said he and Ransdell had become concerned that the Toppers’ 17-game losing streak would continue and leave the program in a tough spot.

“You’re at a point where, okay, now how are we going to expect to sell tickets, draw a crowd and keep the enthusiasm and excitement around WKU football?” Selig said.

Selig’s relationship with Elson good

Selig said that he and Elson have had a very good relationship, both professionally and personally, in the 10 years they’ve both been with the program.

“I can’t think of another coach currently or previously who has been at WKU that I have been closer to from a personal standpoint, from a family standpoint,” Selig said. “That’s what makes the decision so difficult.”

Selig will keep an open door for players

Selig said he and Ransdell will talk to every player that has a concern about the present and the future of the program.

Players weren’t available for comment on Monday, which was not unusual for a Monday following a game. Select players are usually made available at a Monday media luncheon, but the luncheon was cancelled.

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Selig, Ransdell pull backing of Elson

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Commentary

A number of Western fans thought it would happen. They just didn’t know when.

So when President Gary Ransdell and Athletics Director Wood Selig announced Monday that Head Coach David Elson wouldn’t be retained as coach next season, it didn’t shock everyone.

The team currently holds the longest losing streak in the nation at 17 games and is one of only four winless teams among 120 in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Elson will finish out the remainder of the season with the Toppers, who have an 0-9 record with three games left on their schedule.

Selig said in a press conference on Monday that he and President Gary Ransdell would begin putting together a search committee for a new head coach on Monday afternoon, though he said there’s no timetable for when a hire will be made.

Here’s what Topper fans are saying about Elson’s firing:

It’s kind of harsh. This is their first season in full-fledged competition against top-tier teams, so they’re going to struggle. He should’ve been given at least a couple more years.”

—DANIEL ROGERS, Beaver Dam sophomore

“The team was obviously not going anywhere. It gives Western more time to look at future candidates and get a head start on other teams who might be looking to make changes as well.”

—JOURDAN CAUSSEAUX,Bowling Green graduate student

I figured this was probably coming. The football coach is here to win games, and clearly he hasn’t been doing that.”

—NICK BURNETT, Louisville freshman

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Elson fired

Selig, Ransdell pull backing of Elson

Notebook on firing

Commentary

Monday afternoon was like seeing the end result of a slow-motion car crash.

Since the beginning of the season, Western Athletics Director Wood Selig had been pledging his allegiance to Head Coach David Elson and the progress of the Football Bowl Subdivision transition.

On Monday, it all came to a brakes-screeching, horn-blowing, expletive-laced collision with a ton of injuries.

No one can excuse 17 straight losses, especially when five of this season’s nine losses were by 20 points or more, and only one was in single digits.

At the same time, no one can blame Elson for his plight. For the past three seasons, he’s been stuck in a transition period. He’s dealt with numerous transfers, staff changes and money games, and the Toppers have played against seven Bowl Championship Series opponents in which the average margin of defeat was 43 points.

This announcement T-boned most of the media and fanbase.

In the past two seasons, Selig has repeatedly said that he and President Gary Ransdell expect this program to compete by 2012 and beyond. In Monday’s press conference, Selig said he’s in the process of trying to rearrange some future schedules involving both non-conference and conference games.

Selig couldn’t look past the facts. The team has gotten progressively worse in Elson’s seven-year tenure as head coach.

The Toppers’ development has declined every season under Elson — with the suspect exception of a 7-5 2007 season — and is bottoming out at 0-9 so far this season.

Elson showed he couldn’t win at the Football Championship Subdivision level. That was the first red flag. He was given a clean slate in the transition, and the situation never got any better.

But coming off a season where a team wins a national championship, like the Toppers did in 2002, there is nowhere to go but down — just ask Tubby Smith.

Elson had to deal with a ton of different obstacles most young coaches — or any head coach — never have to deal with, and a lot of that had to do with the people around him.

Elson’s coaching staff is still an FCS staff with holdovers from the FCS days and a number of new coaches with very little experience at a high level.

The talent that was recruited for FCS play in 2005 and 2006 wasn’t ready for the transition. The FBS talent brought in over the last three seasons is way too young to compete right away.

Yes, Elson was given the FBS-level contract, the FBS-level facilities upgrades and the votes of confidence that an FBS head coach gets. But the talent simply isn’t there or isn’t ready, and in a time where support from fans and boosters is already fading fast, it doesn’t add up to a new contract or even a retention.

Neither Selig or Elson could avoid what happened Monday. A tenure of 14 years on staff doesn’t mean much when the results aren’t there on the schedule.

Transitions are tough on everyone, because they mean an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ mentality. David Elson found that out on Monday.

1996-2000: Elson is hired by former Head Coach Jack Harbaugh as an assistant coach and works primarily with defensive backs.

2001-2002: Elson serves as defensive coordinator.

Dec. 20, 2002: The Toppers win the Division I-AA (now Football Championship Series) national title.

March 5, 2003: Elson is hired to replace Harbaugh, who resigned as head coach.

2006: Western begins a transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Jan. 30, 2009: The Board of Regents approves Elson’s contract extension from June 30, 2012 to June 30, 2016.

Sept. 20, 2008: Western defeats FCS opponent Murray State in the season’s home opener. The Toppers have not won since. They have a 17-game losing streak.

Nov. 8, 2009: Athletics Director Wood Selig and President Gary Ransdell decide Elson won’t be retained after the season ends, though he’ll coach the Toppers’ last three games.