TERRE HAUTE — Even though he spent Monday in Hawaii, 10-year NFL veteran Vencie Glenn heard about the shocking changes that took place in the football program at his Midwest alma mater.
By Tuesday, he was back home in San Diego and ready to express his opinions.
A former safety for the NFL’s New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants after his Indiana State career ended in 1985, Glenn played a key role on ISU’s 1984 squad that finished 9-3, the program’s best record in the last 29 years.
Addressing the current situation, Glenn said he admires the character of Lou West, whom he met last season.
West was relieved of his duties as ISU’s football coach Monday. He’ll be reassigned to a different position within the athletic department next week.
Glenn also wishes Dennis Raetz well as interim coach for the Sycamores’ remaining seven games, including Saturday’s home contest against Gateway Football Conference foe Southern Illinois.
Raetz previously guided the Sycamores from 1980 through 1997, compiling a record of 94-105-1.
“I love coach Raetz,” the 42-year-old Glenn said.
“He gave me an opportunity when I was 17 years old.”
But Glenn said reviving a program that hasn’t produced a winning season since 1996 when the Sycamores finished 6-5 goes way beyond Raetz.
“It’s about the guys on the field,” Glenn emphasized. “The coaches have something to do with it, but the players have to play.”
Glenn continued by saying that when a boy goes to college, he needs to become a man.
“You have to be accountable for what you do on the field,” he explained. “You have to be accountable for when you miss a tackle.”
Glenn wasn’t just singling out the players.
He would like to see Indiana State director of athletics Ron Prettyman hire a coach (for 2008 and beyond) who can identify with the university’s football tradition as well as with modern-day young athletes. He also would like to see more enthusiasm for the football program from ISU alumni and boosters.
“You gotta get the school behind the program,” he said with passion.
For the immediate future, Glenn said bringing back Raetz, even temporarily, should help the Sycamores.
“Coach Raetz was always good at taking young men from different backgrounds and different cultures and getting them to work toward a common goal,” he said.
Former ISU quarterbacks Jeff Miller (1982-85) and Steve Englehart (1997-99), who both went on to become football coaches, also weighed in on the return of the previously retired Raetz.
“We talk all the time,” said Englehart, whose Rose-Hulman squad will play its homecoming game against Hanover on Saturday at Cook Stadium.
“I still like to talk football with him. He’s a great man. There was probably nobody more excited than me when I heard he was going to be roaming the field again.
“I think he’ll do as good a job as he can under the circumstances. I know he’ll get the kids to play hard. He’s a charismatic person who can relate to the kids.”
Miller, who coaches at Norwell High School and still wears “Indiana State” shirts on occasion, said he hated to see something like that happen in the middle of the season.
“It’s not good for coach West and it’s not good for the players,” he mentioned.
But under the circumstances, Miller added, Raetz is the right man to fill the vacancy.
“I’m not sure what he can do mid-season to turn them around,” Miller noted, “but I’m sure he’ll get them ready to play… I want to see him do well.”
Raetz conducted his first practice in his new role on a rainy Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. One of the players on the field was West’s son, senior running back Tony West.
The Tribune-Star has been informed that ISU players and members of the coaching staff are off-limits for interviews until later this week.
David Hughes can be reached by phone at
1-800-783-8742, Option 4, or at (812) 231-4224; by e-mail at
david.hughes@tribstar.com;
or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
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