This morning's 11:00AM press conference confirmed the rumors that have been circulating for weeks, as Appalachian State linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Mark Speir was named head coach at Southern Conference rival Western Carolina. What remains to be seen is whether any fellow ASU staff members may be joining him in Cullowhee as he attempts to re-build the struggling WCU football program. Although the lasting impact of Speir's departure from the Appalachian football program has yet to be determined, he has been a large part of the Mountaineers' success during his 9-year tenure in Boone.
Speir was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association in 2009 as the FCS Assistant Coach of the Year, has served as Appalachian's recruiting coordinator since 2004 and was an integral part of all three National Championships from 2005-2007. Along with taking on the exhausting task of recruiting players throughout the country, Mark has served as the position coach for All-Americans Marques Murrell, Jason Hunter, Gary Tharrington, Jabari Fletcher, Anthony Williams and Jeremy Kimbrough.
As coach Speir leaves his long-time post as ASU's recruiting coordinator, defensive backs coach Scot Sloan will now assume those responsibilities. The next few weeks will be very interesting, as this is prime time for recruiting and there are rumors of more impending departures from the Appalachian coaching staff. It appears almost imminent that one way or another, there will be some new faces in Boone next season and the selections that are made in the coming weeks will go a long way in determining the immediate future of Appalachian State football.
After serving on the Western Carolina staff from 1991-1996, Speir is very familiar with the Western Carolina community and football program. WCU alumni and Carolina Panthers legend Brad Hoover credits coach Speir as a primary reason for choosing the Catamounts when he was being recruited out of high school. There is a lot of work to be done in order for Western Carolina to be a contender in the Southern Conference but they have certainly taken a great first step in getting there.
Coach Speir's resume speaks for itself in terms of his knowledge of the game and ability to not only recruit good athletes but motivate them to be their best. However, his contributions outside of football will be missed equally among the Appalachian family. Along with being an active member of the local community in Boone, coach Speir ran the 2008 Music City Marathon, 2009 Boston Marathon and 2010 Flying Pig Marathon to raise more than $30,000 for Samaritan's Purse in their efforts to build the Memorial Christian Hospital in Bangladesh. He also traveled to Bangladesh to volunteer his time and meet the missionaries who run the facility that he helped make possible.
Upon hearing of Mark's hiring at Western Carolina, Coach Moore echoed the sentiments of many ASU fans by stating "WCU is very, very fortunate to get Mark Speir. He is a great coach and a better man; he is the kind of guy that you would love your son to go play for." Losing a valued member of the coaching staff is always a tough pill to swallow but this opportunity could not have come to a more deserving person. Congratulations to coach Speir and good luck in Cullowhee.
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