ARMY: Army filled its football coaching vacancy by heeding a core West Point value: History matters. Rich Ellerson grew up around Black Knights football and is leaving his coaching job at Cal Poly to come to a place he knows well. His father and two brothers graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, where brother John led the 1962 team to a 6-4 record. And he’s worked before with former Army coaches known for running successful schemes on both sides of the ball. Ellerson replaces Stan Brock, who was fired Dec. 12 after a pair of 3-9 seasons. This season ended with a 34-0 loss to Navy. Brock, a former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman, was Army’s offensive line coach for three years before replacing Bobby Ross in early 2007.
Before his eight years as Cal Poly’s coach, Ellerson worked with former Army coach Jim Young at Arizona, where Ellerson was an assistant. Young, who ran a successful option attack at Army, had retired from the Black Knights after the 1990 season and assumed a volunteer role on the Arizona coaching staff. Ellerson also assisted Army coach Bob Sutton when he installed his “Desert Swarm” defense at West Point, which helped carry the Black Knights to a 10-2 record and a berth in the Independence Bowl in 1996. Cal Poly made it to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs twice under Ellerson and was ranked as high as No. 3 this season. He was 56-34 in his eight years at Cal Poly.
MICHIGAN STATE: Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio got a new contract Friday, a deal that will pay him a $2 million bonus if he remains with the program into 2016. The revised contract was announced in Florida, where the No. 19 Spartans (9-3) are preparing to play No. 16 Georgia (9-3) on New Year’s Day in the Capital One Bowl. Dantonio’s contract remains a five-year rollover deal with a base salary of $618,000. His overall compensation will rise to $1.8 million per year, up from $1.13 million, because of increased supplemental income. The new contract rewards stability. Dantonio will get $200,000 each year if he is still the coach through June 30 of that year. Dantonio also would get a $2 million bonus if he remains coach through Jan. 15, 2016. The 52-year-old Dantonio has a 16-9 record in two seasons with the Spartans. Michigan State has qualified for a bowl game in both seasons.
Associated Press
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