In a move that punctuates the end of an era for Ball State University Football, head coach Mike Neu has been dismissed from his position with the Cardinals, a termination that is twinned with a fair amount of legacy but not enough current-season victories to keep his tenure afloat. In one of those late-season twists that fans dread and sports journalists have to report, Neu’s tenure concluded with the team’s disheartening overtime loss to Buffalo, which consequently hog-tied the Cardinals from bowl game possibilities for the third year running, as per details shared byThe Star Press.
The university conveyed today that Offensive Line Coach Colin Johnson will now take the reins as interim head coach for the remainder of the season, and Ball State will commence a national hunt for a permanent head football coach with expedience, statedFOX59; the latter report dresses Neu’s departure in more graceful attire, describing Neu’s “positive team culture” and the indelible impact of his efforts on the lives of countless young men. Despite these accolades, the harsher realities of the scoreboard and Neu’s 40-63 career record at Ball State, as well as the team’s current 3-7 standing, have compelled the program to chart a fresh course for its football fortunes.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program”, Jeff Mitchell, Director of Athletics at Ball State, acknowledged his professionalism and emphasized his role in fostering a healthy team culture, adding that Neu has “represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class,” this according to the university press release onFOX59. However, sentiment isn’t the ballgame here and looking at the stark numbers, Ball State has watched the promise of a MAC championship in 2020 dissolve into seasons that progressively got worse, even after a contract extension following that 2020 peak.
Excluding the triumph of that pandemic-abridged championship season where they finished with a 7-1 record and a seminal Arizona Bowl victory against San Jose State, Neu’s legacy is unfortunately more crowded with losses than wins tallying a 30-55 record from his remaining eight seasons at the helm, detailedBall State Daily.
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