Hager takes Huskies' helm

Northeastern University yesterday named Rocky Hager, most recently recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach at Temple, its new head football coach. NU athletic director Dave O'Brien, who had worked with Hager when he was AD at Temple, made the announcement at Matthews Arena.

"We're going to be a tough, tough team that runs to the football on defense and gets after you on offense," said Hager, who becomes NU's 10th football coach. "The most important thing is to be myself. I don't want to take shortcuts. Shortcuts will get you beat. If there's a lack of effort, it will be corrected. We're going to put a staff together wisely and patiently. Hopefully, by the end of next week, we'll be in place."

Hager, 52, has impressive credentials as a head coach, having led Division 2 North Dakota State to the national championship in 1988 and '90. The team went 14-0 in both seasons as Hager was named American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year. From 1987-96, Hager had a record of 91-25-1 at North Dakota State. Before that, he was defensive coordinator when NDSU won national championships in 1985 and '86.

"We spent 37 days without a football coach, and during that time we had an extensive search process that was deliberate, open, and inclusive," said O'Brien, who was forced to find a replacement for Don Brown after Brown resigned to take the head job at the University of Massachusetts. "Rocky was the best candidate and, most importantly, the best fit for NU. We were looking for a winner, a leader, a recruiter, a fighter, and a person of integrity. He came to us from Philadelphia, and his name is Rocky. I don't have to say much more."

Hager has big plans for a program that has, at times, received little attention.

"Northeastern is on the rise to be a top-100 university, and that's the kind of rise I'd like to see in our football program," said Hager. "There is a fine nucleus of players here at NU, and that's one of the things that excites me as I've talked to people around the [Atlantic 10]. There are great opportunities at this university, and I'm looking forward to being a part of that. There will be some challenges and adversity along the way. You have to have some bumps in the road to succeed and get to the very top. We will succeed in our football program. Our team goal is to win the Division 1-AA championship. This is an unbelievable, exhilarating feeling."

NU, which plays in the competitive A-10, finished 8-4 but missed the playoffs last season, Brown's fourth at the helm. After Brown left for UMass, which plays in the same conference, NU went to Suffolk Superior Court, seeking an injunction before Judge Thomas Connolly that would keep Brown from working for UMass. NU maintains that Brown's contract prevented him from taking a job at another college without written consent.

"We went to court last Friday, and we're waiting to hear," said O'Brien.