DETROIT – During the search for Stan Parrish's replacement last winter, a popular name among fans was former Ball State assistant and then-Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell. While Ball State picked Pete Lembo as its new head coach, Treadwell also landed a job in the Mid-American Conference.
Treadwell was hired as Miami's coach, replacing Mike Haywood, who left to become coach at Pittsburgh. Treadwell is a Miami alumnus, and is happy to be back in Oxford, Ohio, where he was an All-MAC wide receiver and team captain.
"I'm so excited to be back at the alma mater and be re-embraced and likewise re-embrace the university," Treadwell said. "There's never a dull moment."
Treadwell was Ball State's offensive coordinator from 2003-2004, before leaving Muncie to take the same job at Cincinnati. Treadwell said he did not actively pursue any head coaching jobs last year, including Ball State's, rather, Miami came to him.
"We hadn't been out looking for anything," Treadwell said. "And that's when the door comes knocking, typically."
At Miami, Treadwell inherits heavy expectations for the reigning MAC champions. The RedHawks were picked to win the MAC East title again and return 20 starters from last year's team. Having such an experienced team can make it difficult for Treadwell to institute his own systems, while still trying to keep his players comfortable.
"You want to do as best you can to help them find some comfort in that transition, but at the same time keep the bar raised that they have to gravitate toward," Treadwell said.
Familiar face, part 2: Another former Ball State assistant coach has found another job in the conference.
Eddie Faulkner, who coached at Ball State from 2003-2010 and was interim head coach after Parrish was fired, was hired by new Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren to be the Huskies running backs coach and special teams coordinator. Doeren said he has been pleased with Faulkner's work so far.
"I think Eddie is one of the best coaches in the country," Doeren said. "He's a phenomenal recruiter as well."
Familiar face, part 3: The MAC and ESPN announced six games will be a part of a regionally-syndicated package this year. Ball State's lone appearance will be when it visits Eastern Michigan on Nov. 5.
The analyst on the broadcasts will be Doug Graber, who was Ball State's defensive coordinator in 2009.
The games are being billed as the "MAC Game of the Week" and will be shown on WNDY.
Changes brewing: With Massachusetts scheduled to join the conference as a football-only member, the MAC is getting ready for division realignment. Currently for football there are seven teams in the MAC East, but just six in the West. Other sports, like baseball and basketball, split evenly into six team divisions because Temple is a MAC member only for football.
While adding UMass to the West would be the simplest move for the conference, it seems more likely a current member of the East will shift divisions.
"I think we'll look at geography and travel," commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said. "We'll look at rivalries. Those in particular are the [factors] that jump out."
Bowling Green is believed to be the most likely school to move. It moved to the East in 2004, and a return to the West would make it easier to keep Bowling Green's rivalry game with Toledo an annual occurrence.
UMass will be a provisional member of the MAC in 2012, completing its transition in 2013 when it will be eligible for the conference championship.
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