Lynch fully endorsed by members of football team

IU students might have mixed feelings over the hiring of Bill Lynch as the head football coach, but when the Hoosiers were told this morning of the decision, the feeling was unanimous: It was the right move to make.\nFive hours before the noon press conference announcing Lynch’s new deal, members of the football team assembled for a team meeting. The surprise guest was IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan, who broke the news to the team that their head coach would be back next season. The announcement was met with stirring approval. \n“It was a standing ovation, and everybody was really excited,” junior cornerback Christopher Phillips said. “I always felt like he was going to be our head coach, because he really showed a lot and he really cared about the team in the beginning. Even when he was an assistant coach he really connected with the team.”\nThe excitement the team showed was a positive sign for Lynch. After a year of uncertainty, his players stood firmly behind him as a coach.\n“It makes you feel good,” Lynch said of the ovation. “We’ve all been through a lot together here, and I think through it all we’ve developed an appreciation for one another, and I think that’s one of the things that happens in this game is there’s a loyalty that’s built up because you share the good times with the bad together.”\nIn just his first year as coach, Lynch likely has guided IU to its first bowl game since 1993. The players’ thoughts on Lynch also proved to be a critical factor in the decision on whether or not to retain him as head coach.\n“I don’t feel it’s appropriate to interview players to give evaluation of coaches,” Greenspan said. “But I feel close enough to this team in my experiences with them that I could grab a kid and say, ‘Hey what do you think?’ and I did that the last week or so (with) I’d say five or six or seven kids that I feel particularly close to.”\nGreenspan said a conversation that he had with junior kicker Austin Starr – where Starr said Lynch brought hope to the team when they thought there was none – stuck with him when he was evaluating the future of the program.\n“He started to tear up and he said, ‘I believe that I can speak for the team,’” Greenspan said. “I found that to be somewhat profound from a kid who’s a very bright kid, who’s dealt with some pressure situations.”\nSophomore linebacker Matt Mayberry said not only did he think IU made the right decision, but thought it was an obvious choice. \n“I’m sure it’s different for other people, but for me I always knew that Coach Lynch was going to be the coach because of what a fantastic job he’s done,” Mayberry said. “So for me it’s not news that he’s going to be back, but it’s great that it’s official now.”