It is a big no-no for universities to hire within. It leads to cronyism, and to faculty who view their positions as sinecures.

Here at UL, however, we have had a fair amount of success hiring our own. We have Authement & Savoie; whatever the criticisms of either, there is no doubt that UL progressed under both, while most of the schools that were our athletic and academic rivals when those two began, have fallen behind us.

There are quite a few UL alumni serving as faculty on campus who are internationally recognized for their research, and their innovative approaches.

And our most successful coaches (Napier obviously withstanding) have been our alumni: Robe, Lotief, Girouard.

It isn't automatic, of course. We've hired some alums as coaches who didn't work out. But it seems to me that our own people simply believe we can do it. They aren't intimidated, they don't take the approach— as too many of our coaches have over the years— that we can't beat the best.

Will Dez work out? Damn, I sure hope so... for us, but also for him. Because I know what a fierce competitor Dez is, I know how much he loves UL, and I know how much he believes that we can compete with anyone.