Feb. 9, 2007
NORFOLK, Va. -- Bobby Wilder, the associate head football coach at the University of Maine, will be introduced at a press conference at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as the head football coach at Old DominionUniversity, it was announced today by Athletic Director Jim Jarrett.
Old Dominion will begin a football program in the fall of 2009, competingas an NCAA Division I Football Championship member (formerly known as I-AA)in the Colonial Athletic Association.
"The excellent work of our search committee, led by Dr. Jim Jarrett andVice President John Broderick, has resulted in a first-rate appointment.Mr. Wilder's ethical approach to athletics and his philosophy, whichincludes a strong emphasis on academic achievement, combine with acongenial personality and a commitment to team-building and successfulcompetition," said ODU President Roseann Runte.
Wilder has served on the Maine staff for the past 17 years, and waspromoted to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2000 beforemoving to associate head coach in 2001. He was named the Assistant Coach ofthe Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in 2004, an award presentedannually to the top assistant coach in New England. Prior to moving to thecoordinator post, Wilder served as quarterbacks coach during one of themost explosive eras for Black Bear quarterbacks. Maine captured theAtlantic 10 Conference title in both 2001 and 2002.
Old Dominion last fielded a football team in 1940, when it was a two-yeardivision of the College of William and Mary. Wilder becomes the secondfootball coach in Old Dominion's history, following the late Tommy Scott,who served as the only coach of the program from 1930-1940.
"Bobby Wilder has been a significant factor in the success of the Mainefootball program as both a I-AA coach and player," said Jarrett. "He hasall of the qualities we were looking for in the person to lead our program,and his outstanding football knowledge, leadership and public relationsskills will be an asset in building our program."
Wilder's selection concluded a national search of candidates, who werereviewed by a committee of university and community members includingJarrett; Broderick, vice president for institutional advancement,admissions and chief of staff; Anshita Kumar, a senior finance major who isan alternate student member to the Board of Visitors and a StudentGovernment Association committee chair; Kevin Larkin '94, the senior vicepresident at Bank of America in Norfolk and a former ODU basketball captainand Academic All-American; Robin Ray, president of Atlantic DominionDistributors and current member of the ODU Intercollegiate Foundationboard; Janis Sanchez-Hucles, psychology department chair at the universityand ODU's faculty representative to the NCAA; and Moody "Sonny" Stallings,a 1973 graduate of ODU, Virginia Beach attorney and Board of Visitorsmember.
"I would like to thank President Runte and the committee members for theiroutstanding support throughout the search process," added Jarrett. "Thecommittee recognized the importance of obtaining a coach with superiorleadership qualities, which we have found in coach Wilder."
A 1987 graduate of Maine with a degree in physical education, Wildercaptained the Black Bears to the Yankee Conference championship his senioryear. An All-New England quarterback in 1985, he left Maine as the school'sall-time leading passer with 4,493 yards, and currently ranks sixth. A 1982graduate of Madison High School in Madison, Maine, Wilder was a highlyrecruited quarterback his senior year. In his sophomore year he led theBlack Bears to their first of five consecutive winning seasons.
"I am incredibly excited to be the head football coach at Old DominionUniversity. This job is a dream come true for me. I want to thank the manypeople who helped make this possible, especially President Runte, VicePresident Broderick and Athletic Director Jim Jarrett. I would also like tothank the members of the search committee who took the time from their busyschedules to meet with me, as well as members of the athleticadministration. My mission is to bring the Old Dominion football program tonational prominence both athletically and academically. Work will beginimmediately," said Wilder.
The Colonial Athletic Association begins sponsorship of football in thefall of 2007, and Old Dominion will be eligible to compete for a conferencetitle in the fall of 2011. Members of the CAA's Football ChampionshipSubdivision football conference are the University of Delaware, HofstraUniversity, James Madison University, the University of Maine, theUniversity of Massachusetts, the University of New Hampshire, NortheasternUniversity, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Richmond,Towson University, Villanova University and the College of William andMary.
The conference is already considered one of the finest in Division I-AAfootball, having produced two national champions in Delaware (2003) andJames Madison (2004), and three of the last eight with Massachusettsclaiming the title in 1998.
After earning his degree at Maine, Wilder served as a graduate assistantcoach for two seasons under Jack Bicknell at Boston College, where heearned his master's degree in educational administration in 1990.
Wilder and his wife, Pam, have two sons, Derek (10) and Drew (5).