Southeast's head coach resigns after six seasons

Tim Billings took over as Southeast Missouri State's football coach in December of 1999 intent on turning a struggling Division I-AA program into a national power.

A little less than six years later, Billings will no longer have that opportunity.

A university press release announced Billings' resignation on Friday, with sources close to the situation saying he did not have the option of continuing as the Redhawks' coach past this year.

Billings, who will coach the Redhawks during today's season finale at Tennessee Tech, had two years remaining on his contract, which paid him a base salary of about $93,000.

Ann Hayes, Southeast's news bureau director, said the university and Billings agreed to a total compensation package of $90,000, with the money coming from the Southeast Missouri University Foundation and from guaranteed revenue from future games against Division I-A opponents.

Billings had already departed with the Southeast team for today's final game when the university announced the resignation through the press release.

Reached via cell phone en route to Cookeville, Tenn., Billings said he would not comment on whether he was forced out, but he did say that it's probably best that another coach take a shot at getting the Southeast football program going.

"The administration and I came to a mutual agreement, and I think the best thing is for me to resign," Billings said. "We felt like it's the best thing for the program, to have new leadership. We haven't been successful the last two years."

Southeast is 2-8 overall and 2-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference this year, although the Redhawks have won two of their last four games, with the two losses by a total of four points. Southeast's first six losses were all by at least 14 points.

Last year, Southeast went 3-8 overall and 3-5 in the OVC.

"I think we were a lot closer this year than last year [to being a good team]," Billings said.

Billings' six-year record at Southeast is 25-42, including 16-26 in OVC play.

"I worked my butt off for six years. I'm tired," Billings said. "It's probably best for some new enthusiasm. We need new energy."

Billings, 48, came to Southeast after 10 years at Marshall, where he served as defensive coordinator in his final season. He had never been a college head coach before taking over Southeast's program.

After going 3-8 and 4-7 in his first two seasons, Billings led the 2002 team to its most victories since 1969 as it went 8-4, including a tie for third place in the OVC. That matched the program's best finish since joining the OVC and moving up to Division I-AA in 1991. Billings was named OVC and regional coach of the year.

Although Southeast went just 5-7 overall in 2003, it again tied for third in the OVC at 5-3 -- and a win over Jacksonville State in the season finale would have given Southeast a share of the OVC title and produced the first football playoff berth in school history. But Southeast lost that game 22-17.

"It really looked like we had things going," Billings said.

But, for various reasons, Southeast was not able to build on that productive two-year period, and the program regressed the last two seasons.

Billings acknowledged that budget cuts by the university which hit the athletic department hard -- and probably hampered recruiting -- a lack of overall financial commitment by the university compared to other OVC schools, major injuries to key players, a high turnover rate among the coaching staff and having to play several games against Division I-A teams for financial considerations likely all played roles in the failures of the past two years.

"We won here. We won eight games, then we played for the conference championship. Then things happened that kind of hurt our program," Billings said. "I really don't think you can put the finger on one thing.

"A lot of things happened. Our recruiting slipped, no doubt. We have some good players, just not enough. We had a lot of injuries, the coaching turnover. ...

"But the bottom line is I have to find a way to get around it. It's a bottom-line business. I put high expectations on myself. We didn't achieve it. There is nobody more disappointed in the last two years than me. It's time to let somebody else try."

Considering that Southeast's football program has struggled since moving up to Division I-AA -- the overall record during that time is 58-109, including 41-69 in the OVC, and there have been just two winning seasons in 15 years -- Billings was asked if it is possible for any football coach to consistently succeed at Southeast.

"It's possible, but it's probably just a lot harder [without resources comparable to similar programs]," Billings said. "It's like anything, the more you put into it, the better off you are.

"Can you win without facilities and money and other things? Absolutely. But it makes it harder. The more of those things you have, the more opportunity you have."

Billings said he is proud of the successes he did have at Southeast and the fact the program has sent three players to the NFL during his tenure -- four counting a player who transferred prior to completing his eligibility at Southeast.

"We did a lot of good things here," he said. "We had a lot of good kids, and I've worked with a lot of good coaches.

"That's probably the toughest thing. When there is a [coaching] change, people think it's just the head coach, but it's the assistants as well, people I brought here. But everybody understands how it works."

Billings said he told his players of the resignation right before the team departed Friday morning for the trip to Tennessee Tech.

"I think they were pretty surprised," he said. "I'm going to miss working with all of them, kids I brought here. But there are a lot of good players coming back, and I think the future is pretty bright. Hopefully the next guy in will fulfill what we started."

Added Billings: "I've had a lot of people support me in the community. I appreciate all of them. I have no animosity. Sometimes things don't work out."

Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman said it certainly wasn't for a lack of effort that Billings could not sustain what he appeared to have going just a few years ago.

"We're grateful to coach Billings for what he's done for the university," Kaverman said. "He worked really hard, and he made a lot of improvement with the program.

"He's a really class person and we wish him nothing but the best in the future."

Billings said he does not yet know what his future career plans might include. He said he would ideally like to remain in Cape Girardeau, where he has family in addition to his wife and two children. But if he wants to continue in coaching, that's probably not an option.

"Right now I'm just going to sit back and relax, re-energize, decide what I want to do," he said. "I love Cape. My family loves it. But if I want to be a football coach, I'll have to leave. It's something I'll talk over with my family.

"But right now, I really have no plans after Saturday. I just want to beat Tennessee Tech."