In an offseason where there has been much speculation about assistant coaching changes, the football team made its first move when it hired special teams coordinator Don Yanowski, who spent his last two seasons as the defensive line and defensive special teams coach for East Carolina.
Yanowski replaces Denny Creehan, who missed a month of last season after surgery to remove prostate cancer. Creehan resigned for a combination of reasons, among them his health.
Always a football fanatic, Yanowski almost ended his coaching career when he and his wife decided to have children.
"With coaching, you always worry about moving, and how it's going to affect your family," he said.
Yanowski, who is the father of two boys aged five and eight years, seriously contemplated going to law school, but, through his wife's advice, he decided to remain in the sport that he has always loved.
"[My wife] said that you will be a better husband and a father if you do what your passion is," he said. "I think in reality the days of living next door to Grandma and Grandpa or working for the same company in any discipline has evaporated."
It seems everyone is happy with Yanowski's decision, as head coach Carl Franks feels that the Blue Devils' special teams will drastically improve after last year's poor showing.
"I like having somebody in charge of all the things that can happen," Franks said. "Last year was kind of a disjointed year for us special team-wise. It was tough getting continuity."
Hoping to help the Blue Devils' well-being in the win column, Yanowski brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the game.
"I think you have to have someone that's got an emotional level to coach those particular teams because it does take some emotion to run down the field and throw your body around and make tackles and return kicks and all that," Franks said. "It was important to find somebody who has those qualities, somebody with a passion for the game."
After playing offensive guard for the University of Toledo, Yanowski got his coaching start as a graduate assistant for his alma mater in 1981. He quickly climbed the coaching ladder, becoming the offensive line and recruiting coordinator for Utah from 1982-84.
Yanowski decided to coach younger players for the next stage of his career, working as an assistant coach in 1985-86 at Bountiful High School in Salt Lake City and then as a head coach at Viewmont High School, also in Salt Lake.
Following his high school jobs, Yanowski joined the college game once again in 1989, serving as the outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for Memphis until 1994.
After taking a year off, Yanowski spent one season as an assistant for Minnesota before gladly accepting another assistant position in the far more clement area of Jonesboro, Ark., home of Arkansas State University.
Yanowski then spent the past two seasons at East Carolina, where a head coaching change left him and all but one of the other assistants looking for a new job.
Franks had met Yanowski at various camps and coaching functions, and began making phone calls inquiring into his service when the Toledo graduate became available. Franks was extra careful in evaluating Yanowski's people skills because of the assets the special teams position demands.
"You want to make sure the coach that you bring in gets along with the rest of your staff, especially if he's a special teams coordinator," Franks said. "In essence [the special teams coordinator has] used other position coaches' players. You've got to work with everybody else on the staff to make sure that you're not only getting the best players on the field, you're not burning out those players."
Yanowski feels he can balance playing time because of his significant experience.
"My passion and enthusiasm in coaching would probably start with special teams because its been an area where I've had a chance for some leadership opportunities," he said.
No other coaching decisions have been made for the 2003 season, including the debate over whether or not to hire an offensive coordinator.
"Debate?" Franks joked before chuckling out, "If we do anything, I'll let you know."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.