Bob Toledo is deserving of another year at helm

After leading Tulane to a combined 9-27 record in his three years as head coach, Bob Toledo will return to Tulane next year along with his staff, including offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Dan Dodd and defensive coordinator Steve Stanard. Toledo has two years left on his contract, which provides him with about $450,000 annually, one of the lowest salaries in Conference USA. The only salary in the conference as low as Toledo’s is that of Marshall’s Head Coach Mark Snyder, who receives just under $370,000 annually but with a possible bonus of $80,000.

By comparison, Southern Methodist University’s new head coach, former Hawaii savior June Jones, receives just over $1.2 million in salary from the university. With that in mind, Jones raised his team from a 1-11 record in 2008 to an 8-5 record in 2009, highlighted by a Hawaii Bowl Victory against Nevada, the team’s first bowl win since 1984.
In his first three seasons at Tulane, Toledo has posted records of 4-8, 2-10, and 3-9. He has failed to come close to a bowl game and has been so uncompetitive against in-state rival Louisiana State University that they recently opted out of the two schools’ contract to host each other alternating years, choosing instead an opponent who would be willing to travel to LSU exclusively.

Even with those numbers in mind, Bob Toledo may be the best man for the job.

Toledo is doing his best in a poor situation. It is extremely difficult to lure the most promising recruits to play at a university that, on several occasions this season, had less than 100 students attend home games. Athletes want people to care about what they are doing, and they want people to watch them play.

Anyone who attended this year’s Tulane-UTEP game knows how much the team appreciates the fans who go out and support them. After rallying from several scores down to tie the game on the last play of regulation and then win in overtime, the team stayed after the game in gratitude of those who came out to support them, shaking hands and smiling with those in attendance. Toledo has still managed to consistently attract three-star recruits to Tulane, which bodes well for the future.

Tulane played more freshmen this year than any other team in Division I-A. Though the team loses wide receiver Jeremy Williams and running back Andre Anderson to graduation, future stars are waiting in the wings in the form of rising sophomores DJ Banks at wide receiver and Payten Jason and Steve Barnett at running back. Defensively, rising sophomore Shakiel Smith was a revelation at linebacker and on special teams, proving to be one of Tulane’s most consistent players. With players like these ready to take on even more responsibility and another strong recruiting class coming in next year, the future looks bright for the Green Wave.

Perhaps the most important reason Toledo deserves to come back next year is for the work Toledo’s athletes have done off the field. Tulane is not a football powerhouse and in all likelihood never will be. If we cannot dominate on the field, however, we might as well have a program of which we can be proud. For all the criticism President Cowen receives, he has been a leader in trying to enact reform in college athletics. In 2003, Cowen made a commitment that Tulane’s athletic program would focus on academics and, in that vein, he has been successful. Tulane ranks in the top 20 percent of Division I schools in terms of graduation rates, and the football team is no different. Even professional prospects such as Williams and Anderson and Matt Forte before them leave Tulane with college degrees. Toledo has built a program of which Tulane can be proud.