Jan. 13, 2016 Villanova, Pa. -
Director of Athletics Mark Jackson
Thank you all for being here. I share completely in Father Peter's sentiment about this being a day of celebration for a great coach, a great person, and a great Villanovan. From the day I arrived on campus and my first few months taking on this new role, Andy has been a fantastic friend and has provided me insight into every aspect of our athletic department. Before Andy enters into his retirement I look forward to our relationship growing stronger as we compete for a national championship this upcoming season and to the future as he becomes an ambassador for Villanova Athletics.
I have been extremely fortunate to work with hall of fame caliber coaches throughout my career and Andy stands out amongst that group. He stands out not only because of his many wins, championships, and outstand academic achievement his teams have secured over the last four decades. Andy stands out for all that he does off the field. A sterling graduations rate, a strong commitment to the Villanova community and its Augustinian mission, and of course his work through the Get in the Game and save a life program. These are the hallmarks of a truly remarkable career.
Looking towards the future of Villanova football Andy played in important role in the process of determining his successor. After weeks of evaluating both internal and external candidates Andy and I are both excited and confident in the ability of Mike Ferrante, Villanova's current assistant coach, to lead the program into its next successful chapter.
Mark understands Villanova culture and is excited to take on the challenge of following Andy's footsteps. Mark will do it in his own way with his own style, but the core principles that make out football program great both on and off the field will be in good hands under Marks leadership. As the FCS Assistant Coach of the Year by The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2015, Mark certainly brings the credentials to be a successful head coach.
What I am most excited about is having all the intangibles that Mark brings in terms of being a great leader to our football team in the long term. I look forward to an exciting year ahead under Andy's leadership and working with both Mark and Andy during the coaching transition following next season. He will also assist me on multiple fronts, both inside and outside the football program, and play a key role as we open up the West End Zone project next fall. There is much excitement that lies ahead for the Wildcats in the near future and beyond.
Andy Talley Opening Statement:
"Thank you Father Peter for those comments it's always great to be with you and our new athletic director Mark Jackson. After 32 years it's a concern to me that I may miss someone, so hopefully I won't. We have to start with my family which is a very busy group. Josh is a lawyer and my daughter Gina is a professor here, and she is teaching a class right now. That leaves my wife Arlene. She skipped her work out to be here. Thank you very much. I certainly appreciate you being here. She's been with for 49 seasons which is hard to believe. I want to thank so many people but quickly my coaching staff. You guys know them. They have been here for quite a long time. Joan McGuckin, who heads up the group, has been a lot of fun to be with. We've had so many great players both past and present. We have a couple of guys here today in Austin Calitro and Tanoh Kpassagnon who represent the present. I'm so happy to have those guys with me here today.
Also, I'm happy to have some of the coaches here at Villanova with us today. I appreciated you coming out. The Philly press has always had a hard knock about it, but I have always found them to be fabulous. Mike Kern, Terry Toohey, Mike Jensen, and Joe Juliano have all covered Villanova football over the years, and they have been very kind to me. You couldn't ask for better guys, and the best thing about this group is you can always speak to them off the record. That is tremendous for a coach. I want to thank Dean Kenefick who is our Sports Information Director. He has been by my side and has been very helpful along the way. The administration here at Villanova, especially the athletics administration here, has been great. We could not live without Lynn Tighe and her office working with our admission folks. Ryan Fannon, our play-by-play guy. Ryan is the voice of Villanova basketball and football. He's a great guy and my friend. Father Rob Hagan is my main man. He's the guy who came up with the `Tap the Rock." It's a pretty big deal in our program. Suffice it to say, he's been the spiritual guy behind what we do in Villanova football. I already have Father Rob lined up for my day in the church when it comes. That's a dark side of me.
When I first came to Villanova I was ready. I was 41-years old. I've been to academic places like Middlebury College, Brown University, St.Lawrence University so I knew what Villanova needed. Not to mention that I grew up on the campus. I used to sneak into football games here when I was a kid, swim in the swimming pool, and all the blue collar kids in Bryn Mawr would come up here and play. I was ready. I knew what this school needed. They needed a coach who understood academics and who can take an athlete from his freshman year to his senior and make sure he had everything he needed academically and athletically. It was really a gift. I was just so excited to be the coach. When I got here there were no offices, players, or coaches. There was nothing. I was able to confiscate two carpenters from the Pavilion project, and we built the offices that we now live in. We now have this fabulous West End Zone Project that is coming along.
As I got the job, I showed up in Philly this first night and I was on the old Tom Brookshier show in WIP. The first caller that I get on the phone was my high school JV coach. He said is this the same Andy Talley who played at Haverford High School? I said yes. Is this No. 22? I said yes. Then he went I can't believe you're the head football coach at Villanova. That's how long of shot it was. To add insult to injury, when Charlie Johnson was told by Bob Capone who the new football coach was Charlie said "what the hell is an Andy Talley"? That's how I started here. No offices, coaches, or players. No reputation at that point, but it was a tremendous journey for me.
We have had tremendous players and people who have been involved. There are three that standout. Brian Westbrook the Hall of Fame player for the Eagles. Stan Drayton, who is now with the Chicago Bears, came to me and said I have this great player. Stan said he's been hurt and there is not much tape on him. I said let's go down and watch him play basketball. Brian played at DeMatha High School. He comes out of the locker room, takes the ball and does a reverse spin and dunks the ball over his head. I said let's go. I'm taking him. That was it. He was a magnificent, phenomenal person and player. He was a man for all seasons. He was one of those guys who you didn't need to coach. Of course Brian Finneran and John Robertson who are Walter Payton Award winners. It's as good as it gets.
It brings us to what I feel right now. I have something that I give our team and post all the time. I think it is appropriate for today. Ready or not someday will come to an end. The wins and losses that once seem so important will fade away. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought but what you build. Not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught. What will matter in every act of integrity, compassion, courage, and sacrifice is to enrich, empower, and encourage others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character. What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose a life that matters.
So here I am. With one season still focusing on what will matter. Here is what will matter. The 30th head football coach at Villanova will be Mark Ferrante. He's what matters and I'm so proud Father Peter, Mark Jackson, all of the folks at Villanova agree that this is the guy. Let me tell you quickly about him. He played quarterback for me. He was an excellent student. He's a better person. He's been with me for 29 years. I've known this guy all his life almost, and he's coached with me and been by my side through it all. He was just named AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year. He's the best and the guy that should be the next football coach in waiting.
Mark Ferrante
"I would like to thank President Reverend Father Peter Donahue and his administration. I'd also like to thank our new Athletic Director Mark Jackson and his staff, and obviously coach Talley for having the faith and confidence in me to become the next head coach of this great program that coach has established. I am honored and privileged to be able to be named the successor to coach Andy Talley."
"Coach Talley and I first met in 1979, as he just mentioned, when he came to my home to recruit me to go to St. Lawrence University where I did play quarterback. During my senior year coach Talley would often ask me `What are your plans after you're done here at St. Lawrence?' I really didn't have a plan for my future beyond graduation. Coach (Talley) is truly the most significant person in my life who has convinced me into coaching college football and I joined his staff immediately after graduation in the spring of 1983."
"Our relationship first started out as a player-coach relationship. Coach (Talley) then became my mentor as he guided me through the first stages of my career and under his tutelage became as assistant coach and then we became great colleagues and friends over the years here at Villanova. I will forever be grateful of coach Talley for not only convincing me to get into the profession of college coaching but for also having belief in me to be able to lead this fine program that he built from scratch in 1984 and has been a stable leader ever since."
"I'd like to thank our coaches, all the guys that I have worked with and currently work with, our players both past and present for all the opportunities that we have had to share together and that's one of the main reasons why I do what I do and so passionate about what I do. It's the relationships that you build with your peers and the relationships you build with your players on and off the field."
"I'd also like to thank my supporting cast away from school. I'd like to thank two of the most important people in my life, two of the most supportive people that have allowed me to stay here at Villanova and do what I have been fortunate enough to do for all of these years. To my wife Georgea and my son Jimmy, thank you for all of your support and understanding that football take a lot of time and being away from you guys, I know you're always there for me."
"You've heard the saying before that timing is everything and ironically enough I'm fortunate enough to also have my parents here today. They should be in the car driving to Florida as they make their yearly migration south to Naples. When Mark (Jackson) told us about this press conference being today I called my parents to see if they would be willing to postpone that trip for one day. Obviously, they were excited to do so. To my dad, who has always been my hero, and my mom, who is also my biggest supporter and my biggest fan, and at times probably my biggest critic, I appreciated you both being here today and thank you for postponing that trip and attending this ceremony."
"In closing, I would like to say I am extremely excited about this 2016 season, with Coach Talley being our leader and I'm equally excited and perhaps a little nervous about becoming the 30th head coach here at Villanova in the 30th year that I'll be on this campus as a member of this community. Thank you so much, God bless and go `Cats."
Andy Talley Q&A
Q: What made you realize that the conclusion of the 2016 season would be the right time to step down? Will you still be involved with all the charity work you're doing with the bone marrow?
A: That's a great question. We had talked about this plan 2-3 years ago. As we put the plan together, it was always in my heart of hearts I had hoped that we could win enough games as I got to the end of the line so that Mark could be my successor and my staff would safe. You have to keep your fingers crossed there. We were able to keep that process going. When Mark Jackson got here, who is a phenomenal athletic director, did his homework and realized that we have solid ground here. So, it was beautiful the way it worked out. Obviously, when we lost John Robertson this year and went from a potential national championship team to a team that struggled at 6-5, I was a little worried. Mark [Jackson] saw through that and it all worked out. As far as the foundation is concerned with the bone marrow, I am so committed to saving lives that it's something I almost can't do. We can save lives if I can do just one more thing. I'm addicted. I need to do this because I can, and I have the strength of college football. It has amazing strength. Mark [Ferrante] is on my board and I hope he will continue to process and use the good name of Villanova.
Q: Andy, your good friend Al Bagnoli just did this. Have you reached out to him?
A: I talked to Al on a regular basis. I also called Bob Ford, the coach at Albany State, who retired and I talked to Walt Hameline the athletic director and football coach at Wagner. I asked them how they went through it and how they felt about it. It was interesting. Vince Nicastro and Mark Jackson were tremendous through this whole process. It just goes to show you that this is a Villanova thing. This is rare and does not happen at other places where the outgoing head coach has a say with the incoming coach.
Q. Ferrante on coming close to leaving Villanova
A. "There has been a few times over my 29 years here. There has been opportunities. Obviously, nothing attractive enough for me to leave or take but there has been a couple opportunities. One being St. Lawrence University where coach started his head coaching career and where I played as you already know. They asked me if I would be there head coach. I chose to stay here. This has really become home to me after all these years and what my family has come to know. To be honest with the weather they have up there I don't know if my wife would have followed me there. There has been opportunities but I've just stayed the course and stayed here with coach (Talley)."
