Dear UNC Football Community,
If you are a football fan like I am, you know that we have entered that time of year when the success of football programs across the nation are being evaluated. Bears Football won two games this season, so it should come as no surprise that some people are speculating about the future of UNC Head Football Coach Earnest Collins.
I want you to know that Coach Collins will return next year as UNC’s head football coach. Athletic Director Darren Dunn and I have had numerous conversations with Coach Collins and others, and going forward, it will not be business as usual.
No one denies that Coach Collins and the Bears had a tough season on the field. We’re all disappointed in the results this year. But that’s not the only thing we’re reviewing. The academic success of the student-athletes who play UNC football has risen steadily over the past five years. Twelve players on this year’s roster had completed their bachelor’s degree early and started a second degree, the most at any school in the FCS. The student-athletes who play for the Bears are leaders and doers. What happens off the field is core to what we do at UNC, and Coach Collins knows this well.
I believe our successes are due in large part to Coach Collins’ commitment to his players. He shares our values as a university that is committed to developing each student’s individual potential. He promotes courage and self-reliance, both on and off the field, and insists that this be combined with scholarship. He understands that most young men he coaches must graduate from UNC prepared to succeed in something after football.
Coach Collins understands that UNC football is about more than what happens on the field. It also offers students the training and discipline that leads to lifelong success. We saw this when Coach Collins suspended 12 key players for the Northern Arizona game. At a time when he desperately needed a win, he was unwilling to bend his principles. What an example for our students.
I hope next season to see a new winning tradition emerging on the field for our UNC Bears. But I will remain then, as now, interested in the total body of work.
Rowing, Not Drifting,
Andy Feinstein
President
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