SEMO coaches

The departures of head football and men's head basketball coaches in the same year could leave some fans worrying about the futures of their teams. But Southeast Missouri State University's hiring of Tony Samuel to coach football and Scott Edgar to guide the Redhawks on the basketball court inspires confidence rather than worry. With the contract extension recently offered successful women's head basketball coach B.J. Smith, the coaching situation at Southeast suddenly appears solid again.

Smith's contract was extended after leading the Redhawks' women's basketball team to their first-ever NCAA tournament berth. This occurred amid NCAA and Ohio Valley Conference investigations that cast some doubt on Smith's status with the university. But athletic director Don Kaverman offered Smith the contract extension with more detailed language stipulating how NCAA violations could result in termination.

Samuel, former head coach at the University of New Mexico and most recently an assistant coach at Purdue University, came in with the attitude that everyone has a shot at a job on this football team, and his players looked extra hungry during the spring scrimmage. He has surrounded himself with a formidable coaching staff that includes two former Division I-AA head coaches.

Edgar, a former assistant at the University of Tennessee, won the contest to become Southeast Missouri State University's new men's basketball coach not by promising wins but by emphasizing his impressive resume, which includes three Ohio Valley Conference championships, while head coach at Murray State University in the early 1990s, and his recruiting abilities. Such a resume -- with a track record of wins and success -- speaks for itself.

It's high time for Houck Stadium and the Show Me Center to rock with the sounds and excitement good teams generate.