Search for O'Neill's successor is nearing conclusion

The Athletic Department's search for a new head men's soccer coach has been reduced to a handful of candidates. Despite its original hope to find a new men's soccer coach by the end of 1997, Penn's search committee is still narrowing its list of candidates two weeks into the new year. The committee is searching for a replacement for former men's soccer coach George O'Neill, whose contract was not renewed following a disappointing 1997 season in which the Quakers finished 5-11-1, including a meager 1-6 showing in the Ivy League. As the national soccer coaches convention gets under way in Cincinnati today, there is no one to represent the men's team. But Carolyn Schlie Femovich, senior associate director of athletics and the committee chairperson, expects to finish the selection process in the next few weeks. "I think any candidate would want to get started as soon as possible," Femovich said. "I think we are progressing nicely. It is an extensive national search, and there is a great deal of interest in the position." Other committee members roughly estimated that almost 100 coaches submitted applications in response to Penn's announcement of the vacancy. According to Patrick Baker, Penn's women's soccer coach and a committee member, there are currently four or five candidates still being considered from the original pool. A second round of interviews is currently under way, during which each candidate will meet with the search committee consisting of Femovich, Baker, current Penn baseball and former men's soccer coach Bob Seddon and Tony Vecchione, the associate director for operations at the Athletic Department. Prospective coaches are also meeting with representatives of the current Quakers squad. "[The players' participation] gives us input from an athlete's perspective," Femovich said. "A couple of [the players] were even willing to come back during the holidays to meet with candidates." As December rolled into January, both the players and the committee members have become increasingly concerned with the stalled recruiting that has arisen from the head coaching void. Until his contract ran out December 31, O'Neill continued to talk to prospective Penn players who he had been courting before his termination, but he was unable to tell recruits who will be leading the program. "George has a very strong character, and tried to do everything he could while he was here," Baker said. "He would tell the kids he's not the coach but encourage them to consider Penn anyway. Bob Seddon also offered to make calls to pick up the slack." Recruiting will be the most immediate concern for the incoming coach, who will have no alternative but to rely mainly on players O'Neill brought into the system to fill his roster. This is a period of heavy player recruitment around the country, so the combination of a coaching change and a lost month of recruiting will make it very difficult to enroll a strong freshman class. "Right now, hypothetically, say a person is hired by Friday," Baker said. "By the time they get going it is the end of January. He has to rely on what's already in the applicant pool, so he is at the mercy of what is done before him." Femovich said, however, that it might be possible for a new coach to bring potential recruits from his former school with him to Penn even if they had not applied to Penn by the official January 1 application deadline. That decision, she said, would be made by Lee Stetson, the dean of the Office of Admissions. "For a strong student I hope [admittance to Penn] would be considered," Femovich said. Beyond the need to resume recruiting, the current roster is also without someone to set the team's off-season training schedule. Reggie Brown, one of the two player representatives chiefly responsible for presenting the players' interests to the committee, is happy with the progress of the committee but hopes the coaching announcement will be made within a couple of weeks. "I think [every candidate remaining] could do the job," Brown said. "We want a coach as soon as possible because things are a little disorganized right now. We need to set a weight program." When the committee finishes interviewing candidates, their work will be turned over to Director of Athletics Steve Bilsky, who is responsible for making a final decision. Seddon remarked that no candidate has asked about salary, but Baker noted that potential coaches are interested in receiving a contract that is long enough to give them time to bring in their own recruits and turn the program around.

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