Athletics Director Wood Selig said on Monday that four other candidates were interviewed for the head coach position over the weekend.

Along with new Head Coach Willie Taggart, the search committee talked to Chicago Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake, Duke defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre and Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino.

Taggart has already helped rebuild one program as running backs coach at Stanford. He said by employing the “Stanford Model” at Western, the Toppers should be back to winning immediately.

“At Stanford, coach (Jim) Harbaugh created a competitive environment every day, and that’s what I’m looking to bring here at Western Kentucky,” Taggart said. “This is a tremendous university with first-class facilities, and there will be no reason why we cannot win here.”

Taggart will evaluate current coaching staff

Before fully staffing from his own list of contacts, Taggart — who said he is family-oriented — plans to give each member of fired Head Coach David Elson’s staff an interview.

Taggart said he will use a West Coast-style offense and a 4-3 defense, and that he expects any coach hired to work within those boundaries.

Western currently runs a spread offense and 3-4 defense.

Recruiting begins next week for Taggart

Stanford will play in its first bowl game since 2001 this season. While Taggart said he expects to be there, he also wants to be out on the recruiting trail on Western’s behalf after the Cardinal’s final regular-season game, this Saturday against Notre Dame.

Selig said Taggart’s lasting recruiting connections to Florida, Georgia and Kentucky factored into the hiring.

Taggart added that Western’s new facilities will make it easier for him to continue to recruit from the whole nation and not just a region.

“Being an alum, I talk to some of my former teammates,” Taggart said. “We always talk about how when we were here, how it would be nice to have another side of the stadium — how it would be nice to have a locker room where it don’t rain in.”

Taggart said he hasn’t yet spoken with the current team and will wait to do so until after the Toppers’ regular season ends against Arkansas State on Dec. 3.

Crennel, team played part in decision

Athletics Director Wood Selig threw former Western great Romeo Crennel’s name out of contention for the job early in the coaching search, but Selig said Crennel ultimately had a hand in finding the right person for the job.

“We received input from a large number of people,” Selig said. “We have also been fortunate to receive tremendous insight from Romeo Crennel. Crennel has talked to numerous individuals on behalf of his alma mater, and his input has been extremely valuable.”

Selig also said the search committee met with the Unity Council, composed of current football players, to define “who they felt would be the model head coach.”

The Unity Council’s recommendations matched up with the search committee’s ideas about what attributes a new coach should possess, and Taggart fit that description perfectly, Selig said.

Taggart’s contract not set in stone

Selig said that most details have been worked out on Taggart’s contract, but a final sum and benefits aren’t yet set in stone. Taggart has hired an agent and will work through him on the proceedings.

Selig said the finalized contract will be available to anyone who wants it.

He said the contract and those of Taggart’s incoming staff members should closely match up with the contracts of current football staff members.

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Updated 1:58

According to Western Athletic Director Wood Selig, Western officials have spoken to former Western player and former Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel about becoming the next head football coach at Western.

However, Selig said Crennel is not interested in the position but told Selig that he would be willing to assist in the search for a new coach.

“We will not hesitate to utilize his knowledge,” Selig said.

Selig also said that it was purely coincidence that Elson was fired on Monday, following Homecoming weekend and the induction of Crennel into Western’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Selig said Wednesday afternoon that there are currently about 50 candidates that have expressed interest in the position.

He said the candidates range from multiple NFL assistant coaches, several dozen coordinators as well as current head coaches.

“I have been pleasantly surprised at the level of interest,” Selig said.

Selig said that he and the search committee met until about 10:30 p.m. last night following Western’s men’s basketball game.

Western fired David Elson amidst an 0-9 season in the Toppers’ first season as a bowl eligible member of the Sun Belt Conference.

For more on Western’s search for a new football coach visit wkuherald.com and read Friday’s Herald.

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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Toppers working on fundamentals

More than noticeable this week was the scout team offense’s ability to move the ball against the first team defense. Head Coach David Elson said the receivers were “unconscious,” crediting their success to the simplicity of running plays from cards rather than perfection of the system.

But Elson added that the defense isn’t getting beat down due to a talent gap, but because the coaching staff may have gotten ahead of themselves in implementing a complicated system.

“I think that’s been part of our problem maybe is that we’ve focused too much on the Xs and Os and not enough on the fundamentals,” Elson said. “You’re wanting guys to know what they’re doing, and then you get to a point that you work so hard at ‘he’s got to know where to line up, he’s got to know who to block or what gap to be in.’ Then you look back at it and say, ‘now we’ve got to team him how, which is the fundamentals aspect of it.’”

Elson says Brown best in the Sun Belt Conference

Western has faced many great quarterbacks this season, including Tennessee’s Jonathan Crompton and South Florida’s Matt Grothe. But Elson said that when it comes to Sun Belt signal callers, Troy senior quarterback Levi Brown is the best.

“He’s so accurate and has such a great presence and feel with what they’re doing,” Elson said. “I think you’ve got to say he’s the one that’s above the rest of them based on what they’re doing.”

Brown has passed for 4,556 yards in his career at Troy and has thrown for over 350 yards in each of the Trojans’ past three games.

Troy hasn’t lost since its second game of the season, at Florida on Sept. 12. Elson noted that the Trojans’ success “all starts with (Brown).”

Crennel to address team Friday night

Elson said he expects Western legend Romeo Crennel to address the Toppers Friday night. Crennel, who was a four-year starter at Western and now owns five Super Bowl Rings, will be in town for homecoming to accept his induction into Western’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

In addition, former Head Coach Jack Harbaugh will be in attendance for Saturday’s game against Troy on former Topper quarterback Willie Taggart’s behalf. Taggart is also entering the Hall this weekend.

Injuries mounting

As with the stretch run of any college football team, the injury list is growing for Western.

The biggest news this week revolves around former Bowling Green High School standout and current sophomore defensive back Ryan Beard. Beard re-injured his posterior cruciate ligament before last week’s game against North Texas and will miss the rest of the season, according to Elson.

Junior receiver Quinterrance Cooper is still undergoing evaluation after suffering two concussions this season. Junior defensive back Orlando Misaalefua and freshman defensive back Kareem Peterson will also miss with concussions.

Junior linebacker Chris Bullard sat out of practice sick this week, sophomore center Shelley Anthony is doubtful with an elbow injury and Elson said junior offensive tackle Preston King is questionable with a leg injury.

No division in the locker room

With a 16-game losing streak in hand, senior receiver Jake Gaebler said the Toppers are refraining from pointing fingers.

“If anything, you see guys on the defensive or offensive side of the ball step up and take responsibility for the way things are going,” Gaebler said. “There definitely isn’t any division or finger pointing in the locker room, which is good to see.”

Gaebler has fought through the best and worst, from two winning seasons to now two in a row losing. And of the teams he‘s been a part of, Gaebler said the attitude of this one stands out.

“It says a lot about our character and the type of people we have on our team,” he said.