Athletics Feature
To help him build the program,
Jeff Hancock (left) was hired as
offensive/recruiting coordinator
for the Saints. The 39-year-old
Hancock previously served as an
assistant coach at Grand Valley
State (Mich.) University, St. Mary’s (Kansas)
College, Lane (Tenn.) College, New Mexico
Military Institute and Louisiana Tech University
before joining Lyall at Adrian College in 2006.
“I met Jeff Hancock several years ago at the
Michigan football camp, and I could tell at the
time he was an extremely bright young coach,”
Lyall said. “He was very innovative. I hired him
as my offensive coordinator four years ago and
his offenses have been very wide open. They’ve
scored close to 30 points every game, and he’s
had a great mix of being able to run football as
well as throw it. He’s been a great teacher, and his
offenses have produced on a consistent basis.”
Head Coach Jim Lyall, Athletic Director Fred Smith, and Coach Jeff Hancock
Lyall said the Saints will be aggressive in all
areas of the game.
“We want to be an attacking offense, defense as
well as special teams,” Lyall said. “It’s a fun type
of offense, defense and special teams for young
men to participate in because it’s active. We want
to see that enthusiasm. It’s a perfect venue for
young men between the ages 17 to 21 to let it
all out. All the emotion. All the physical need
that they have at that point in time in their lives.
The ball will be in the air. It will be high-paced
and it will be an exciting brand of football.”
Lyall said his involvement in the football exploration process at Siena Heights has allowed him
to see the excitement that football is bringing
to the university.
“It’s been exciting. The decision to go forward
with the football initiative has been campuswide,” Lyall said. “That’s why it’s so exciting, because everyone is behind it. Everyone has had
input into it, and they know how it’s going to
affect us in every aspect. There’s great community support.” u
Q&A with Head Coach Jim Lyall
Why were you interested in this position
at Siena Heights University?
“No. 1 was the mission. Having the opportunity to talk
with (SHU President) Sister Peg Albert, I know how important the mission is to Siena Heights University and that a
program could be built around that whole idea of helping
young men become competent, giving them purpose,
meaning in their lives. And teaching and modeling ethical
behavior. That has to be the foundation of the program.
That’s what attracted me.”
What’s going to be your philosophy in
building the program, both on the field
and off the field?
“We need to have young men who understand the whole
meaning of character and integrity. Because we don’t have
any senior leadership right now, it’s going to be important
for us to recruit a certain type of student-athlete. We’re
going to target captains. We’re going to target players
from programs that have been successful. We’re going to
ask the coaches point blank: tell us about the character of
this young man. Is he the type of person who is swayed
by others’ opinions? Is he strong-minded? Does he have
goals in mind? We need to have those types of young
men, because they are actually going to be seniors in high
school all the way through their college career. It has to
be a special type of student-athlete. It has to be someone
we can count on, someone we don’t have to baby-sit.”
How is having the ability to award football scholarships going to affect the way
you can recruit?
“At the (NCAA) Division III level, it’s certainly a numbers
game. You had to bring in a number of student-athletes.
We need to evaluate film and to see players jump off the
screen at us. They have to be able to make plays. They have
to be consistent. They have to be worthy of a scholarship.
There’s only so much money to go around. They have to
be able to compete.”
What kind of caliber of student-athlete
are you looking to bring to Siena
Heights University?
“We have to be able to recruit with (NCAA) Division II,
Division I student-athletes who slip through the cracks.
Maybe they’re not quite as tall, maybe they’re not quite
as fast. But when you watch them on film, they make play
after play. They can make an impact on your team. Those
are the types of players we have to recruit. I think we have
to talk to coaches about ambitious young men, academically and athletically. I don’t think there’s anything wrong
with ambition, as long as it’s tempered with a little bit
of wisdom and some compassion.”
What are you looking forward to the
most in starting football at Siena
Heights University?
“The interaction with the players. A few years ago, a
very wise man