Salary survey: Niumatalolo takes top dollar
November 17th, 2011 | After Action Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Army head coach Rich Ellerson, left, greets Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo after last year's Army-Navy game. (Getty Images photo by Hunter Smith)
USA Today’s cover story on rising salaries for college football head coaches held few surprises: The heads of massive programs in the Big 12, Big Ten and Southeastern Conference make the most, while folks in the Sun Belt and other lower-level conferences are in the low six figures.
Among the service academies, it’s no surprise that Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo leads the pack. After racking up 27 wins in his first three seasons — the best start for a coach in school history — Niumatalolo signed a contract extension in April. According to USA Today’s figures, he’ll make $1,538,190 in 2011.
That figure puts the Navy coach just above the national average of $1.47 million, according to the report. It also gives him a salary higher than those of Air Force coach Troy Calhoun ($866,250) and Army coach Rich Ellerson ($610,000) put together.
Both Calhoun and Ellerson have bonuses that could drive their paychecks up significantly — USA Today lists Ellerson’s max bonus at $350,000, with Calhoun’s at $247,500. Calhoun also will pull down about $23,000 in “other pay” this year, according to the salary database.
It’s not all about money, of course — there are games coming up Saturday: Niumatalolo’s Midshipmen head to San Jose State (Mike MacIntyre, $401,820 salary in 2011), Calhoun’s Falcons host UNLV (Bobby Hauck, $500,000), and Ellerson’s Black Knights visit Temple (Steve Addazio, salary not listed).
A lousy weekend
October 9th, 2011 | Air Force Army Marine Corps Mixed martial arts Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Chael Sonnen takes down Brian Stann at UFC 136 in Houston. Sonnen submitted Stann in the second round. (AP Photo/ Houston Chronicle,Johnny Hanson)
It was a bad weekend for the service academy football teams. Very bad.
Army lost to previously winless Miami (Ohio). Air Force got smoked by Notre Dame. Navy was trounced at home by Southern Miss.
And on top of all of that, the military’s biggest MMA star — former Marine officer and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann — was soundly defeated Saturday night at UFC 136.
Stann handled
The only of the above events I watched was Stann’s loss, which was somewhat stunning. It wasn’t surprising that Stann lost — he was the underdog — but it was shocking to see Chael Sonnen dominate him so thoroughly right from opening bell.
An All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon, Sonnen’s grappling abilities proved to be too much for Stann, who’s had his greatest success as a stand-and-bang fighter. By the end of Saturday’s fight, Stann had spent most of the match on his back or against the fence, unable to create any distance from Sonnen. According to FightMetric.com, Stann was outstruck 28-2 by Sonnen and was taken down four times.
Sonnen completed his dominating performance with an arm triangle, forcing Stann to tap at 3:51 in the second round. Adding insult to injury, Sonnen didn’t even discuss the match in hi postfight interview in the Octagon, choosing instead to callout rival Anderson Silva in a WWE-esque rant. Intentionally or unintentionally, Sonnen’s antics seemed to drive home that this was an easy victory for him.
The loss is Stann’s first since dropping to middleweight, where he had won three straight fights. Stann’s last loss in the Octagon – to light heavyweight Phil Davis in Feb. 2010 — was another matchup against a former NCAA All-American wrestler.
Afterward Stann was understandably frustrated.
“I thought I was strong enough to handle his wrestling and that wasn’t the case, ” Stann said. “You don’t want Chael Sonnen on top of you. It was horrible.”
Stann’s pro record now stands at 11-4.
Down year?
Last season saw all three service academy football teams make it to bowl games. It appears highly unlikely that will happen again.
Ricky Dobbs and coach Niumatalolo after Navy’s 31-17 win
December 14th, 2010 | Army Army-Navy game Football Navy | Posted by Chris Kelly
Here’s a quick video of Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs after the Midshipmen’s win this past Saturday. He’s now a man on a mission to get Navy to 10 wins.
And here’s video of Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo’s press conference after the game.
Added Bonus: Quotes from Navy’s senior offensive tackle Jeff Battipaglia and sophomore slotback John Howell.
A guide to Army-Navy, in 50 easy bullet points
December 10th, 2010 | Army Army-Navy game Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
- This game, with0ut question, is one of sports’ greatest rivalries. But …
- Navy has won the last eight Army-Navy games.
- Army has never been closer than 12 points those games.
- In the past three years, Army has failed to even score a touchdown. So some of the luster of rivalry is lost, whether folks admit it or not.
- However, there is hope.
- This is Army’s best season since 1996.
- The Black Knights have won six games and will play in the Armed Forces Bowl.
- Prior to this season, Army hasn’t been to a bowl game since 1996.
- Unfortunately for the Cadets, Navy is having another banner season. Read the rest of this entry »
Navy head coach not a finalist for Minnesota job
December 3rd, 2010 | Football Navy | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Navy Associate Athletic Director Scott Strasemeier said Friday that head football coach Ken Niumatalolo has not interviewed with Minnesota for their football coach opening.
Rivals.com college football reporter Tom Dienhart wrote on his Twitter feed that a source told him Niumatalolo was a finalist for the Minnesota job after his interview. Strasemeier, however, said Minnesota had not asked permission from Navy to interview their coach per NCAA regulations. In fact, no other university has asked to speak with Niumatalolo.
Not that Strasemeier doesn’t expect Navy’s coach to get attention from other schools at the end of the season.
“This is what happens when you are successful,” Strasemeier said.
Niumatalolo took over the Navy football program after his predecessor, Paul Johnson, bolted for Georgia Tech before Navy’s 2007 bowl game. Then the offensive coordinator, Niumatalolo has since taken the reigns and Navy hasn’t skipped a beat, going to its third bowl game in his first three full years as head coach.
Most importantly, he is 2-0 against Army.
Navy-Arkansas State highlights
November 21st, 2010 | Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Ricky Dobbs’ final home game for Navy was a memorable one. The senior quarterback passed for a touchdown and ran for three more while rolling up 318 total yards, a career high, and led Navy to a 35-19 victory over Arkansas State at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Dobbs is part of a historic senior class that was recognized prior to the game. The 23 Navy seniors have won 33 games overall, including two memorable wins against Notre Dame. The seniors won three Commander-in-Chief’s Trophies, never lost to Army and appeared in four consecutive bowl games.
“These guys have done a lot,” coach Ken Niumatalolo told The Washington Post. “A lot of them have played a ton of ballgames for us. Seems like [safety Wyatt Middleton] been here for eight years. He’s played a ton of football games. They’ve been in big games for us, helped us win a lot of games. The senior class has done a lot for us.”
Navy is now 8-3 heading into the annual game with Army. If the Mids win against the Cadets and win their bowl game, they will have back-to-back 10 wins seasons for the first time in school history.
Highlights — and postgame speeches — from Navy’s win at Wake Forest
October 11th, 2010 | Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Even the Supe gets in on the action at the end of this one.
The Navy offense is sputtering. Are they utilizing all their weapons?
October 7th, 2010 | Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs came into this season with very high expectations, but he’s struggling mightily right now. Whether it’s injuries, offensive line woes or defensive adjustments to Navy’s gameplan, Dobbs has not looked like the dynamic player some were calling a sleeper candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
Dobbs is averaging only 2.4 yards per carry, and has thrown three interceptions to just one touchdown. Fullback Vince Murray has more rushing yards than Dobbs — on 40 fewer carries. Dobbs and the Navy offense have been particularly ineffective in the red zone, and the Mids rank 110th in the nation (out of 120 teams) in points per game.
“Obviously, Ricky is not playing to the level we’ve all come to expect. We definitely need Ricky to play better to help the offense be more successful,” Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo told The (Annapolis) Capital yesterday. “I have great faith in Ricky. Hopefully, he’ll get better and get back to playing the way he did last year.”
Yet it’s not all bad for Navy right now. Even with Dobbs’ rough start, the Mids are 11th in the nation in rushing offense. Murray leads the team with 269 yards on 53 carries — a 5.3 yards per carry average. Slotback Gee Gee Greene is averaging 9.1 yards per carry, while fellow A-back Andre Byrd is averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
The problem is that neither slotback is getting the ball much. Byrd is averaging just four carries per game, while Greene is averaging a little more than five carries per game. Even backup fullback Alexander Teich has more carries than Byrd or Greene.
I won’t pretend to understand the complexities of Navy’s offensive system, but Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper and Niumatalolo have to find a way to get Greene and Bryd more carries. To a large extent, each player is dependent on Dobbs to get the ball because of Navy’s reliance on the option. But Greene and Byrd, in their limited touches, have shown a big-play capability that Navy is sorely lacking. No, Byrd (5-7, 153 pounds) and Greene (5-8, 180) aren’t big enough to get as many carries as Murray or Teich, but there has to be a happy medium between that and what they’re getting through four games.
Navy coach not penalized for halftime encounter with ref
September 7th, 2010 | Football Navy | Posted by Mike Hoffman
I’m a bit surprised more hasn’t been made about Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo’s encounter with a ref at halftime during Monday’s game with Maryland. Navy’s coach was visibly upset after the clock ran out before he could get his field goal team on the field. It appears from the video above that Niumatalolo angrily bumps his hat against the ref’s forehead, gritting his teeth with a crazed look in his eyes.
Navy was not penalized for the encounter when the second half started. It’s surprising, though, there have been no reports that any NCAA governing body is reviewing the tape for future disciplinary actions.
If one of Niumatalolo’s players would have done the same thing on the field, the player probably would have received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and ejected from the game. The fact that it happened in the tunnel doesn’t excuse the action.
Navy went on to lose 17-14 after a heartbreaking 4th and 1 stop by the Terrapins at the goal line.
For Navy, a painful loss and a bright future
September 6th, 2010 | Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Maryland's Kenny Tate hits Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs at the goal line on the game's deciding play. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
I believe in moral victories. This wasn’t one.
But Navy’s season is far from ruined after a 17-14 loss to Maryland on Monday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The unbeaten season nonsense, the Dobbs for Heisman impossible dream — all of that is dead now. But nothing that happened today leads me to believe that Navy can’t still end up with 9-10 wins and a bowl berth.
Between an inept start on defense, a missed field goal and four red zone drives that ended in zero points, the Mids did about all they could to lose this game. But in the final minute of the fourth quarter, they were a yard away from winning it. How did that happen? Here’s how: The Navy option attack, led by quarterback Ricky Dobbs, racked up more than 400 yards rushing against a BCS-conference school. Navy’s defense, battered by Maryland’s running game in the first quarter, forced two timely turnovers of their own and tightened up enough to not allow a touchdown after the first quarter. The Mids offense dominated the time of possession, and their defense managed to force more punts than the Terps did.
Two other bright spots for Navy fans: the play of Gee Gee Greene and Andre Byrd. The inexperienced slotbacks combined for 128 yards on 16 carries. As Navy marched to 26 first downs against the Terps, I never once thought, “If only Navy had Marcus Curry right now.”
Dobbs, despite two disastrous turnovers inside the Maryland 5-yard line and the costly decision not throw the ball away at the end of the first half, still ran the option to perfection for much of the game. He came up short on fourth and goal on the Mids’ final play, but like coach Ken Niumatalolo, I’d put my faith in Dobbs in that situation against any team, any time.
Navy slotback Andre Byrd scores a touchdown in the second quarter as fellow slotback Gee Gee Greene (21) blocks. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
Don’t let Maryland’s 2-10 record in 2009 fool you. They are a bigger and more talented squad than Navy. That doesn’t mean they’re better — luck turned out to be their biggest asset this afternoon — but seeing Navy lose to the Terps shouldn’t trigger panic. With its always small defense (manned this year by a set of inexperienced linebackers), Navy will struggle against teams who run the ball effectively. Offensively, with Dobbs, fullbacks Vince Murray and Alexander Teich, and Greene and Byrd picking up the slack left by Curry’s departure, Navy will give every single defense on their schedule fits.
So in essence, it’s the same old Navy we’ve seen for the past 6-7 years. That’s a great thing for level-headed Navy fans, and bad news for Army and Air Force.