Students express mixed views of extension

While the hiring of Bill Lynch as the IU football coach was met with approval by IU officials, the student reaction has been somewhat mixed.\nEven though Lynch steered IU to its first winning record since 1994 and has the best record by a first-year coach for the Hoosiers, not all students are convinced that he is the man for \nthe job.\n“He did get us to a bowl game,” said senior Michael Jindra. “But I’m not sure. I know a lot of people are worried that he’s not a good head coach.”\nWhen IU named Lynch the interim coach on June 15, he became the Hoosiers’ fourth coach since the 2001 season.\nHad the Athletics Department decided to move in a different direction at the end of this season, some said it could have disrupted the continuity of the program yet again. Because of that, senior Michael Waninski agreed with the hiring.\n“I think it’s important that you bring in someone that’s already (a part of) the team,” Waninski said. “He understands IU, he understands the team, the kids are already there. I’m happy they got someone on the coaching staff as opposed to someone from somewhere else.”\nWhile Lynch stepped in for Terry Hoeppner and brought the Hoosiers to a bowl game, some students are upset because he does not exhibit the same passion as the late Hoeppner.\n“Really, Bill Lynch to me is an assistant coach,” said freshman Robby Racette. “I think there’s a different type of person as a head coach.”\nThough Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said there was no set amount of wins that earned Lynch the job, some students feel differently. Since the Hoosiers will likely be playing in their first bowl since 1993, students such as Jindra feel earning bowl eligibility warranted the contract.\nBut it’s the length of the contract that has some students troubled.\n“Five years is quite a bit,” Kelly said. “From the performance of the team this year, I think it’s a good idea. But it might be a little too fast jumping in.”\nWhile Kelly said a 2- or 3-year deal might be more appropriate, senior Becca Heniser disagreed, saying hiring Lynch was the right decision.\n“I’m really excited. One of my friends is one of the defensive coaches, and he really adores Bill Lynch. I hear he’s a really great coach and I think he’s done a great job of stepping up into Hep’s shoes.”\nEven though Racette said Lynch should be an assistant coach, like many others, he feels IU should give him an opportunity to continue developing the program, and agrees with the contract offer.\n“I definitely think he did a good job this season, so I’m saying ‘Go for it, man,’” Racette said. “It’ll just be interesting to see how it plays out.”