Aiming to restore respect to its football program, Wood River High School's athletic department has hired former Eagle High School coach Mike Glenn as its new football coach, replacing Dale Martin.
Ron Martinez, WRHS athletic director, on Monday formally submitted Glenn's name to the Blaine County School Board for final approval at the school board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 9. The job begins in August 2005.
Glenn, 46, resigned this past fall after 10 years as head coach at 5A Eagle High School in the Meridian School District. He compiled a 72-36 record including state championships in 1998 with an 11-1 record and in 2001 with an undefeated 12-0 mark.
Eagle beat Highland of Pocatello 41-35 for the 2001 championship.
This past fall, Glenn's final Mustang team averaged 24.7 ppg and compiled a 6-4 record including a 21-0 State 5A playoff loss to Capital of Boise Nov. 5 at Bronco Stadium.
"We're looking forward to the challenge," said Glenn Monday about the Wood River opportunity.
It's a package deal.
Glenn, who will be offensive coordinator, will bring along to Wood River his Eagle assistant coach John Rade. A Boise State University football player in 1981-82, Rade will be Hailey's new defensive coordinator. Rade played 10 years and over 130 National Football League games for the Atlanta Falcons from 1983-92.
The strength of Wood River's new head coach lies in his motivational abilities, Martinez said.
"He's a player's coach—just a big, solid, enthusiastic guy who will bring discipline to the program and get kids involved and make them want to be part of it. Mike Glenn is one of the best football coaches in the state. He could probably coach at the college level," said Martinez.
A native of California, Glenn played college football as an offensive guard for Utah State University in 1978-79. He graduated from USU with a degree in health education in 1982. In Utah Glenn met his wife Becky, a Boise native. The couple moved to Boise in 1982, and Glenn took a job coaching at Bishop Kelly.
Starting in 1984 Glenn taught and coached football and track at Lake Hazel Junior High School in Boise. He was assistant football coach at Centennial High School for seven years before taking the head job at Eagle in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference.
Before hiring Dale Martin as football coach two years ago, Martinez and former Wolverine football coach John Blackman called Glenn about the job opening. The timing wasn't right, though, and Glenn stayed at Eagle.
Since that time, Glenn unsuccessfully applied for the football head job at Boise's Capital High School, Martinez said, and that action brought some repercussions in Eagle when Glenn didn't get the Capital job. After last season, Glenn resigned at Eagle.
The Glenns have five children. The oldest, Stan, played football at Capital and is a freshman at the College of Southern Idaho. The next oldest, Nick, is a junior who played junior varsity football and basketball at Bishop Kelly in Boise this past year.
Nick will stay with his mother in Boise to finish his senior year at Bishop Kelly while father Mike is house-hunting and starting his first year as Wood River football coach.
The other Glenn children are Zeb, a seventh grader, along with sixth-grader Jade and four-year-old Petra.
Glenn came highly recommended by two former Wood River head football coaches—Blackman and Chris Malmgren. According to Martinez, Wood River Middle School teacher and football coach Malmgren has decided to rejoin the high school coaching staff under Glenn. Blackman has no similar plans, Martinez said.
Final interviews for Glenn and another candidate were conducted Friday, Martinez said. The four-member selection committee included Blackman, Martinez, high school principal Graham Hume and high school music director Bart Bailey.
"We kind of lucked out getting Mike Glenn. He's awesome," said Martinez, who added that a third candidate for Friday's interview process bowed out after learning Glenn was on the final list.
In all, eight prospective head coaches filed applications and there was substantial interest that in some cases was tempered when applicants learned more about high living costs in the valley, he added. There were no local candidates, said Martinez.
Glenn, certified as a teacher in health, physical education and social studies, will take over a Wood River grid program that has struggled the last two years, losing 14 straight games.
The Wolverines (0-9 last fall) are 1-16 and have been outscored 602-136 in the 2003 and 2004 years.
But next year's schedule has taken a turn for the better.
Wood River has successfully petitioned the Idaho High School Activities Association to play a 10-game schedule in 2005—adding 3A American Falls to the Hailey grid slate.
The 4A Wolverines have subtracted Mountain Home, Bonneville and Pocatello from their grid schedule and added 3A Filer and Buhl, American Falls and 4A Kuna for 2005.
School superintendent Jim Lewis, a strong advocate of building athletic programs with good coaches, said about Glenn's hiring, "It's the old adage of build it and they will come. In Mike Glenn and (boys' basketball coach) Fred Trenkle, we have two of the best in the business."
Here is the 2005 Wood River varsity football schedule. It includes five home games and four on the road:
Aug. 27, home vs. Filer. Sept. 2, home vs. Hillcrest. Sept. 9, at Minico. Sept. 16, at Buhl. Sept. 23, home vs. American Falls. Sept. 30, home vs. Burley. Oct. 7, at Kuna. Oct. 14, home against Jerome. Oct. 21, at Preston.
