Can today's news get any better?

[gato salvaje]

.....yes it can!

http://thesundevils.collegesports.co...121305aaa.html

ASU To Extend Contract Of Head Football Coach Dirk Koetter
Sun Devil coach to remain beyond the 2007 season

Dec. 13, 2005


TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University plans to extend the contract of fifth-year head football coach Dirk Koetter, Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love announced Tuesday. Koetter's contract, which currently includes two more seasons (2006 and 2007), will be extended beyond the 2007 season.

Negotiations are proceeding between Koetter, his representation and University personnel. Once the contract details are completed, they will be forwarded to the Arizona Board of Regents for approval.

"This extension is something that I have wanted because I want to continue coaching at Arizona State University for a long, long time," says Koetter. "I am excited to be the coach of the Sun Devils. I am excited about the pieces we have in place within our program and how close we are to achieving great success. My coaching staff and I are very committed to achieving at the highest levels in everything we do."

"Dirk continues to lay an outstanding, broad-based foundation for a great Sun Devil football program," says Love. "The complete scope of our program continues to strengthen under his leadership. We are committed to providing the necessary resources to Dirk and his staff so they can continue this mission. I am confident in Dirk's abilities as a mentor for our student-athletes."

ASU is going to a bowl game (Insight Bowl, Dec. 27, ESPN) for the third time in five years and will try to post back-to-back bowl wins for the first time since 1986-87. The three bowls in five years streak has happened just three times since joining the Pac-10 in 1978. Under Koetter, ASU appeared in the national rankings for 19 straight weeks, the longest streak since the mid-1980s, nearly 20 years. Koetter has coached two Pac-10 Conference Pat Tillman Defensive Players of the Year in Terrell Suggs and Dale Robinson. This past season, freshman tailback Keegan Herring broke the ASU freshman rushing record with 791 yards, senior wideout Derek Hagan became the all-time leading receiver in Pac-10 history and 10 football student-athletes were honored on the Pac-10 All-Academic football squad. Koetter recruit Grayling Love became one of the most decorated Sun Devil student-athletes ever, winning several awards, scholarships as well as being a finalist for the Draddy Award, the Heisman Trophy for academics.

Koetter's retention rate is 80-percent, which is above the Pacific-10 Conference (75-percent) and national (71-percent) rates. 98-percent of all of Koetter's recruits have qualified academically (111 of 113) and in 2004 ASU and Stanford were the only two football programs in the Pac-10 and two of only a handful nationwide that had all returning players and all incoming recruited players eligible to enroll and compete. In fact, 72-percent of all ASU scholarship football student-athletes who have played for Koetter and staff have either graduated or are currently enrolled.


Positive Trends of ASU Football
- Under Coach Koetter, ASU football has experienced significant improvement in the academic performance of the entire football team.
- Exposure of ASU football has increased significantly in recent years under the direction of Coach Koetter. This exposure is exhibited by ASU football's recent ranking streak; streak of television appearances; and, the first ever appearance of ESPN's College GameDay on ASU's campus.
- Attendance at ASU football games is increasing under Coach Koetter. Last year, average attendance at home games was 62,641, the most since 1998.
- One more eight-win season and Dirk Koetter will become the first ASU head football coach during the Pac-10 Conference era to have three seasons with eight or more wins.
- ASU football has appeared in three bowl games in five seasons under Coach Dirk Koetter.

Academic Emphasis
The following bullets, taken from the 2005 ASU Football Media Guide, attest to the enhanced emphasis on academics under Coach Koetter.
- Under Coach Koetter, ASU football has experienced significant improvement in the academic performance of the entire football team.
- Arizona State University is the only school in the nation to honor its student-athletes for academic performances with patches on the players' jerseys.
- The ASU football team had a 68% graduation rate in 2005.
- The cumulative GPAs for the ASU football teams have risen substantially over the past five years.
- Football freshmen and team GPAs have been at all-time highs in the past two years.
- Only two out of 96 football student-athletes recruited by Coach Koetter in the past four years have been declared academically ineligible.

Ranking Streak
- ASU football appeared in the national polls 19 straight weeks from September 20, 2004, through October 9, 2005.
- According to a recent football press release, this was ASU's longest such streak since the mid-1980's, nearly 20 years.

Streak of Television Appearances
- ASU football appeared on television for 14 consecutive weeks with all 12 games last year and the first two games of this season (Temple and LSU) being televised.
- The consecutive streak of television appearance was snapped when this year's Northwestern game was not televised.
- Subsequently, ASU's football games against Oregon State, USC, Oregon and UCLA were televised.

Attendance Is Up
- Attendance at ASU football games is increasing under Coach Koetter. Last year, average attendance at home games was 62,641, the most since 1998. ASU football has not averaged back-to-back seasons with average attendance of 60,000 or more since 1997 and 1998.

[bhanson]

http://forum.goazcats.com/showthread.php?t=41024

[azpatnca]

sweet, if only because it doesn't say: ASU HIRES CHOW.

If losing to ASU so they could go to the toilet bowl means that they get a guranteed couple more years of mediocrity and (hopefully) miss out on Chow...then the Lord really does work in mysterious ways.

[Footballjunkie]

You Know, Ms. Love should spread that holiday love around just a bit more and give our friend Rob Evans an extension. It would make his day!!!!!

[xethw]

I love coach Koetter - he guarantees that UofA will continue to dominate in-state recruiting and not feel threatened by Tempe Normal for a long, long time

[azpatnca]

Originally Posted by Footballjunkie

You Know, Ms. Love should spread that holiday love around just a bit more and give our friend Rob Evans an extension. It would make his day!!!!!

pretty sure she did late last week. the arch rivals forum has a post from someone that says "first Rob, now koetter"

[Drayhound]

This is excellent news for the Cats.

[jAZ]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/...13koetter.html

Koetter receives contract extension
Jeff Metcalfe
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 13, 2005

Arizona State head football coach Dirk Koetter will receive an extension of his contract beyond 2007.

First-year Athletic Director Lisa Love is expected to make an announcement of the commitment to an extension later today. The length of the extension and financial terms still are to be negotiated.

Koetter is 32-28 in five years at ASU. He has two years remaining on his current contract, worth more than $760,000 annually in guaranteed salary.

The Sun Devils (6-5) will complete their season against Rutgers in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 27. They are making their third bowl appearance under Koetter and trying for consecutive bowl wins for the first time since 1986-87.

An extension appeared likely early in the season when ASU nearly defeated top-five Louisiana State and Southern California. Talks subsided after a three-game losing streak then the Sun Devils finished by winning three of their last four including a 23-20 victory over Arizona to clinch their bowl berth.

[bhanson]

Being discussed in arch-rivals: http://forum.goazcats.com/showthread.php?t=41024

[catgrad]

To some of the die-hard ASU fans I know, this is not good news for them. Koetter got the go-ahead from AD Lisa Love to tell recruits he'll be there as head coach throughout their college careers. In 5 seasons, Koetter is 34-28. Not exactly earthshaking. ASU still doesn't have a landmark win in or out of conference. Koetter is 0-California on the road. Although he did beat SDSU.

Hopefully, AD Lisa Love will stay in the spirit of the season and offer an extension to another coach who's kept ASU right around the .500 mark.

[Drayhound]

I was reading some of the stuff on the ASU site. They aren't exactly pleased with the decision however they understand that recruits need to know that their coach is going to be there. But nobody was saying this was a great move. I think they should of fired him and hired Butch Davis. I bet with his background they could of received some better recruits.

[biz cat]

Woo hoo! I love Dirk. I hope he stays there forever.

[ZonaDefender1]

That was the best news ive heard since U of A named Stoops, ASSU, ASSU, ASSU!!!!! GO SCUMMIES