“It’s been an emotional day. [It was] an incredible night and I was so proud of our team last night. You guys that have been around me, I very seldom read anything but I’m going to give this a shot. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank the university, Dr. Michael Crow for the opportunity they gave me here. It was a true blessing for me and my family to come here. What incredible memories [I have]. This is my life’s work and I have a full heart, I have a full heart today. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity and the blessings. I am a blessed man, no question about it, and I want to thank them for that. Six years ago coming in here it was a very different place and you always want to leave a place better than you found it and I really feel like we’ve done that.
I want to thank all the people in the athletic department. There’s so many people athletically, emotionally, physically, academically, that played a tremendous role. I’m just really proud of what we’ve done to instill student-athletes back into this place and what that means. I walked in here and we had a 2.2 GPA and it that does mean a lot to me. We’re at a 3.0 GPA and we’re doing what we should do for young people and that’s helping them get an education. I’m very proud of that. I’m proud that our staff, our football staff in particular, that we raised those standards; that was a huge impact. I want to thank Sun Devil Nation, the students, alumni, who supported our players over six years, you’re a valuable asset; we went 30-10 [at home]. It was special playing out here. I told the seniors today… a lot of tears, a lot of young men in my office… I told the seniors, I said ‘If you’re going to go out that’s the way you want to go out.’ I’m not sure if I’ve had a more gratifying win than last night so I was really proud of those guys.
I want to thank our former players who committed to this program, the former coaches. It’s been a great joy to get to know the Kush family, to get to know the former players. There’s so many of them, they’re a really special group, and what it’s meant to be a part of bringing those guys together, and them really embracing the four pillars of our football program (character, smart, discipline, tough). I treasure those relationships and I’ll always have fond memories of the former players and the significant role they play here.
I want to thank the coaches and support staff that worked with me through tireless hours. It’s a blessing being a coach, we love doing it. I want to thank their families, their wives, for the sacrifices they make for Penni and I, for Michael, for our family. Being a part of this coaching family has been very special for us. When we came here we were looking for a place to put our roots down and to create a legacy, and we put our heart and soul, everything we had, into this thing and we’re just so grateful for those families that were on this journey with us. I can’t thank them enough.
I have a great admiration for our donors, the supporters of this program, who have given an unprecedented support to make this facility possible and to support our football program. I’m just so thankful for them and I want people to be clear with where I’m at. I’m a Sun Devil and I think I always will be. A couple of my kids graduated from here and I didn’t build this place to tear it down. That’s what I told our players today. This place is not about one person. This place is about a set of values and what it means to be a Sun Devil. That’s something that’s really important to me.
I serve a great God and I really have a peace about [the decision]. I feel really fortunate and grateful that I had the opportunity to be here. I got up this morning and I opened my Bible up to Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and soul. Don’t lean on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge Him and trust Him and He’ll make your path straight.’ I’m really proud of what we’ve done here. We have won every day I’ve been here. I’m so looking forward to seeing the great things ahead for this program. I’m fired up about going to get our eighth win and [potentially] playing in the Sun Bowl. I can tell you it’s a big deal to me and it’s a big deal to our players. I told those seniors, watching Demario Richard last night was something to watch. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that type of relentless effort. Just the heart and the character that our guys showed that’s a big deal to me and a big deal for us to go get our eighth win and moving forward there’s great things ahead for this program. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished here. I’m very grateful to the university. I’m very fortunate to have been a part of this. It will always be very very special to me.
Last I just want to reflect a little bit on my former players and what they’ve meant to me. I told my players this today that the rest of their lives, and they know this, I’ll always be there for them and be a coach they can count on. Guys like Taylor Kelly and Damarious Randall… it’s been so great to see those guys leaving your program and going on and reaching their goals and their dreams and their aspirations; that are going on to great success in the NFL but also great success as family men and guys that know what it is to be a champion in life. That’s something that’s very important to me.
The memories… I remember the first win in 2012, the first Territorial Cup win was really special. The ‘Jael Mary’ at the Coliseum (2014), getting to be a part of that. People think that was just about a play but just the resolve of our players and doing it the right way, I guess that’s the thing I’m most proud of. I’m very grateful to Dr. Crow for hiring me here. When we sat down he said ‘I want to win but I want to win the right way, I want to do things the right way.’ I’ve got a full heart because I know we’ve done that. We didn’t reach every one of our goals but we’ve accomplished an awful lot. Five out of six bowl games, I don’t know if that’s happened before or not very often, but I’m pretty prideful about what we’ve accomplished because I know that the men that have come through here know what it means to live a championship life. Clinching the Pac-12 South at the Rose Bowl (2013) was very special, the Notre Dame victory at home was very special, obviously the four wins over the team down south (Arizona) I’ll probably cherish the most. I’m just very grateful, very humbled, to have this opportunity. My wife Penni and my son Michael and my children love this place and will continue to support this place and will always be a proud Sun Devil.
Go Devils."
I want to thank all the people in the athletic department. There’s so many people athletically, emotionally, physically, academically, that played a tremendous role. I’m just really proud of what we’ve done to instill student-athletes back into this place and what that means. I walked in here and we had a 2.2 GPA and it that does mean a lot to me. We’re at a 3.0 GPA and we’re doing what we should do for young people and that’s helping them get an education. I’m very proud of that. I’m proud that our staff, our football staff in particular, that we raised those standards; that was a huge impact. I want to thank Sun Devil Nation, the students, alumni, who supported our players over six years, you’re a valuable asset; we went 30-10 [at home]. It was special playing out here. I told the seniors today… a lot of tears, a lot of young men in my office… I told the seniors, I said ‘If you’re going to go out that’s the way you want to go out.’ I’m not sure if I’ve had a more gratifying win than last night so I was really proud of those guys.
I want to thank our former players who committed to this program, the former coaches. It’s been a great joy to get to know the Kush family, to get to know the former players. There’s so many of them, they’re a really special group, and what it’s meant to be a part of bringing those guys together, and them really embracing the four pillars of our football program (character, smart, discipline, tough). I treasure those relationships and I’ll always have fond memories of the former players and the significant role they play here.
I want to thank the coaches and support staff that worked with me through tireless hours. It’s a blessing being a coach, we love doing it. I want to thank their families, their wives, for the sacrifices they make for Penni and I, for Michael, for our family. Being a part of this coaching family has been very special for us. When we came here we were looking for a place to put our roots down and to create a legacy, and we put our heart and soul, everything we had, into this thing and we’re just so grateful for those families that were on this journey with us. I can’t thank them enough.
I have a great admiration for our donors, the supporters of this program, who have given an unprecedented support to make this facility possible and to support our football program. I’m just so thankful for them and I want people to be clear with where I’m at. I’m a Sun Devil and I think I always will be. A couple of my kids graduated from here and I didn’t build this place to tear it down. That’s what I told our players today. This place is not about one person. This place is about a set of values and what it means to be a Sun Devil. That’s something that’s really important to me.
I serve a great God and I really have a peace about [the decision]. I feel really fortunate and grateful that I had the opportunity to be here. I got up this morning and I opened my Bible up to Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and soul. Don’t lean on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge Him and trust Him and He’ll make your path straight.’ I’m really proud of what we’ve done here. We have won every day I’ve been here. I’m so looking forward to seeing the great things ahead for this program. I’m fired up about going to get our eighth win and [potentially] playing in the Sun Bowl. I can tell you it’s a big deal to me and it’s a big deal to our players. I told those seniors, watching Demario Richard last night was something to watch. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that type of relentless effort. Just the heart and the character that our guys showed that’s a big deal to me and a big deal for us to go get our eighth win and moving forward there’s great things ahead for this program. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished here. I’m very grateful to the university. I’m very fortunate to have been a part of this. It will always be very very special to me.
Last I just want to reflect a little bit on my former players and what they’ve meant to me. I told my players this today that the rest of their lives, and they know this, I’ll always be there for them and be a coach they can count on. Guys like Taylor Kelly and Damarious Randall… it’s been so great to see those guys leaving your program and going on and reaching their goals and their dreams and their aspirations; that are going on to great success in the NFL but also great success as family men and guys that know what it is to be a champion in life. That’s something that’s very important to me.
The memories… I remember the first win in 2012, the first Territorial Cup win was really special. The ‘Jael Mary’ at the Coliseum (2014), getting to be a part of that. People think that was just about a play but just the resolve of our players and doing it the right way, I guess that’s the thing I’m most proud of. I’m very grateful to Dr. Crow for hiring me here. When we sat down he said ‘I want to win but I want to win the right way, I want to do things the right way.’ I’ve got a full heart because I know we’ve done that. We didn’t reach every one of our goals but we’ve accomplished an awful lot. Five out of six bowl games, I don’t know if that’s happened before or not very often, but I’m pretty prideful about what we’ve accomplished because I know that the men that have come through here know what it means to live a championship life. Clinching the Pac-12 South at the Rose Bowl (2013) was very special, the Notre Dame victory at home was very special, obviously the four wins over the team down south (Arizona) I’ll probably cherish the most. I’m just very grateful, very humbled, to have this opportunity. My wife Penni and my son Michael and my children love this place and will continue to support this place and will always be a proud Sun Devil.
Go Devils."