An awkward beginning for GAC's Haugen

Peter Haugen is, by all accounts, a great guy. One of my college roommates is his personal friend and swears by him. But is he the right man to lead the Gustavus Adolphus football program? Since he was hired after a secret, controversial process in the winter, that's been the question on many people's minds. A group of alumni my age ('04) fired off hundreds of e-mails the day the announcement was made. The tone was skeptical, to say the least.

Before we dive into the details, let's review what is common knowledge:

• Haugen was a three-sport standout at Bethel in the early '90s.
• He's spent the last 15 years coaching at Minneapolis Washburn.
• His claim to coaching fame essentially revolves around three things: coaching Ryan Hoag, increasing player participation from 35 to 110 and reaching the first round of the 2007 state tournament.

As best as I can tell, Haugen's resume is solid but not spectacular. He won 11 conference championships in a poor league and rarely made noise in the postseason. For all the success his career record would indicate - 111-44 - he owned just an 0-1 record in the state tournament. The fact that his first official hire - a former St. Thomas football player - reportedly showed up on campus for his first day of work looking like this and swearing like a drunken sailor during noonball doesn't inspire a ton of confidence.

Is Haugen qualified to lead the Gusties? I would have liked to see someone a little more familiar with the collegiate process (ie recruiting, scouting, game planning), but you can't really say he's unqualified. I'm doing my best to give him the benefit of the doubt until we see his product, but recent news from The Hill has raised my level of concern.

For those who haven't heard, Gustavus President Jack Ohle has drawn less-than-friendly fire from many faculty members. Four high-profile resignations have already been laid at Ohle's feet, with one specifically citing "lack of presidential support." Details can be found here, here and here. It's interesting to note that Wartburg, where Ohle came from, documented similar problems as recently as 2005.

What's this all got to do with Haugen? Everything, actually.

A former assistant to the recently retired Jay Schoenebeck claims Ohle gave the Gustie legend the ol' "shape up or ship out" talk early in the year. Schoenebeck, who was 20-30 in the previous five years, responded by turning in his resignation by the end of the week. That led to an...interesting...job search after the program's best season in nearly a decade.

(Gustavus, where a mediocre 6-4 record is to be celebrated while watching highlights of the last conference championship...in 1987)

Ohle led the two-man search committee. Gustavus athletic director Al Molde was given the other voice. No one else was apprised of the applicants or who was chosen for interviews, though word leaked out that Carleton's Kurt Ramler was one of the secret candidates. I had him pegged for the gig until he withdrew his name after a rumored pay raise from the Knights.

That left Haugen, longtime GAC assistant Tom Brown and an unidentified coaching candidate. Coach X and Ramler were eliminated from consideration, at which time Mankato Free Press sports reporter Chad Courrier shocked his newsroom by opining that Brownie wasn't a shoo-in for the job. Turns out his intuition was correct.

To recap, the timeline looks something like this:

• Gustavus hires Ohle as president after initial search failed; vetting process questioned
• Ohle puts Schoenebeck on notice
• Schoenebeck resigns, effective at the end of the season, then has Gusties in MIAC title hunt
  
• Ohle presides over secret coaching search
• Ohle and Molde select a Bethel alum with very little/no college coaching experience
• Ohle tries to mend a burned bridge with Brownie by creating an assistant athletic director position
• Four prominent GAC faculty members suddenly resign in protect of Ohle's actions/decisions; others get liability insurance in case they are fired for critical remarks
  
• Entire campus is walking on eggshells as potential lawsuits are discussed

Does this sound like a healthy situation in which to make a hire? I can't help but feel a little bit bad for Haugen, who works right down the hall from the man he beat out for the job. But I put that at Ohle's feet - if you knew you had at least one candidate you liked better than Brownie, why keep him involved in the process? Have that conversation right away. To string him along like that is embarrassing for everyone involved. I would have skipped three days of work afterward, too. While I haven't talked to Brownie yet, I've got to believe it's an extremely awkward situation for both guys.

Which makes it a perfect time for me to visit campus! I'll be over there for the next five days working basketball camp and hope to meet Haugen. If he doesn't have time for an actual interview - or I'm too sweaty to take notes - I'll at least plan some feedback for next weekend.