Eastman & Beaudine Recruits Head Football Coach for Baylor

December 15, 2016 – Executive search firm Eastman & Beaudine has placed Matt Rhule as the 27th head football coach at Baylor University.

Coach Art Briles was fired by Baylor in May in the wake of a sexual assault scandal that also cost school president Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw their jobs.

Mr. Rhule comes to Waco after four seasons as head coach at Temple University, where he led the Owls to consecutive 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016 and the 2016 American Athletic Conference championship. It is the first time in Temple football history that it registered consecutive 10-win seasons and consecutive bowl game appearances. Prior to Temple, he served as an offensive line coach for the New York Giants in 2012, after coaching six years at Temple, first as the defensive line coach, before switching to quarterbacks and ultimately, to offensive coordinator in 2008. Prior to Temple, Mr. Rhule coached at Albright, Buffalo, UCLA and Western Carolina.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Matt, Julie and their children to the Baylor Family,” said Mack Rhoades, Baylor University vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “When we set out on our search for a new leader of our football program, we wanted a coach who shared our values, who had demonstrated success, who showed a true commitment to the overall student-athlete and who we believed could lead Baylor to a national championship. We found all of that and more in Matt and I know that he will be a perfect fit with the Baylor Family.”

“This is a great day for Baylor University and the beginning of a new chapter in our football program,” said interim president David Garland. “Matt is the absolute right man at the right time to lead us forward and I am confident that his values are our values and that his teams and student-athletes will make us all proud, on and off the field.”

“I am truly honored and humbled to join the Baylor Family,” said Mr. Rhule, “and I can’t thank president Garland and Mack Rhoades enough for this incredible opportunity. Baylor is a tremendous institution with a history of football success and I know the passion that so many have for the Bears will help bring the community together to reach even greater heights. I am excited to get started.”

The School

Baylor University, known for rigorous academics and strong Christian values, is one of a small group of institutions in the country to receive an A for the strength of its core curriculum in a survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Undergraduates choose from 142 degree programs, including pre-health care, engineering, and business programs, while graduate students pursue options covering more than 75 master and 41 doctoral programs. Baylor is a founding member of the competitive Big 12 Conference and fields 19 varsity athletic teams.

Baylor recently hired Heidrick & Struggles to begin a national search effort to find the university’s 15th president. Thus far, he school’s presidential search committee has completed more than 80 hours of listening sessions – both on and off campus – with various groups of faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and University administrators, who have provided their input regarding the professional and personal characteristics and experiences important to the university’s next president.

The Search Firm

For over 40 years, Eastman & Beaudine has been a leader in executive searches among sports, entertainment & business clients seeking direction, assessment and counsel to build their senior leadership teams. The firm is led by Bob Beaudine, who has helped shape the leadership teams for the NBA, Major League Baseball, the PGATour, Arena Football, the U.S. Olympics, NASCAR, Professional Bull Riders, Horse Racing, and Ultimate Fighting Championships. He was recently named to the board of directors for the Texas Rangers and he sits on the advisory board of directors for the College Football Assistance Fund and Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business.

Bob Beaudine challenges you to think differently. His unique approach to life and business has helped elevate many careers,” said Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, in a past interview.

Eastman & Beaudine has conducted numerous assignments to find head football or basketball coaches for a number of universities, including the University of Missouri, Arizona State, Clemson, the University of Mississippi, Texas Tech and other top college sports programs. Mr. Beaudine recently helped with the placement of new athletic directors at Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and the University of Alaska, as well as top executives with the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks.

Hiring and Firing Activity to Rise

As the college football season comes to an end for teams not competing in the post season, expect to see a lot of firing and hiring activity among coaches. And schools are expected to continue to turn search firms to fill the resulting vacancies. Here is a look at a few assignments completed or underway from the Hunt Scanlon archives:

  • DHR International recruited Jeff Brohm as head football coach for Purdue. He becomes the 36th head coach in program history. The search was led by DHR managing partner and global sports practice leader Glenn Sugiyama. DHR’s sports practice is a global specialty for the firm with capabilities that serve clients in six continents across all sports-related organizations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies and professional sports teams to public and private university athletics squads. The firm has handled a number searches for schools including the University of Pittsburgh, Colorado State University, Fresno State University, San Jose State, Kansas, Syracuse and Quinnipiac University.
  • The University of Delaware retained Korn Ferry recently to lead its search for a new head coach for its football team. The search is being led by Jed Hughes, vice chairman of Korn Ferry’s sports recruiting practice. Dave Brock, who coached Delaware to a 19-22 record, was fired earlier in October. Mr. Hughes’ highest profile placements include New York Jets GM John Idzik; Mark Murphy, CEO of the Green Bay Packers; Larry Scott, commissioner of the Pac-12; Bob Bowlsby, commissioner of the Big 12; and Dave Brandon and Jim Harbaugh, the athletic director and the head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines, respectively.

Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media

Share This Article

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments