Stolz Emerges as the Top Candidate for San Diego State’s Football Job

Denny Stolz of Bowling Green has emerged as the top candidate for San Diego State’s head football coaching position.

“I am in no position to comment at this time,” Stolz said Tuesday night through a Bowling Green spokesman.

Stolz, the Big Ten Coach of the Year from Michigan State in 1974, has led Bowling Green to an 11-0 record this season. The Falcons will play Fresno State in the California Bowl on Saturday in Fresno.

According to sources, two other prominent candidates were told Tuesday that they were the “second choice” for the SDSU job--Moe Ankney, defensive coordinator at Arizona; and Gene Murphy, head coach at Cal State Fullerton.

“They were honest with me,” said Ankney, who was reported to be the top candidate by San Diego newspapers. “It doesn’t look good for me.”

A source close to Murphy said that Murphy was also informed he was a runner-up.

Stolz, 51, arrived in Fresno on Sunday, a day earlier than the rest of his team. According to sources in Fresno, Stolz left a day early to be interviewed for the SDSU job.

Though Bowling Green has been undefeated this year, Stolz has long been expected to leave after this season because the Falcons have a senior-oriented team. He reportedly turned down the head coaching job at Wyoming recently.

According to a Toledo source, Stolz considers his best coaching friend to be Darryl Rogers, head coach of the Detroit Lions. Rogers was acquainted with Fred Miller, SDSU’s new athletic director, when the two were at Arizona State.

Miller could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. At a news conference last week, he said SDSU was seeking a coach who would have an aggressive offense.

“Denny’s a very dropback pass-oriented guy,” a Bowling Green source said. “He’s probably the type of coach San Diego State is looking for in its offensive scheme.”

Some members of Bowling Green’s traveling party in Fresno have speculated that Stolz may also have a shot at the Oklahoma State coaching position if it becomes vacant. Pat Jones, head coach at Oklahoma State, is expected to accept the vacant coaching position at Pittsburgh today.

Stolz has a 109-73-2 record in 18 years as a college head coach. His .599 winning percentage ranks among the top 20 of current college coaches.

He graduated from Alma College of Michigan in 1954 and returned 11 years later as the school’s head coach. Alma had not had a winning season since Stolz graduated before he returned to coach the team. Alma went 3-5 in 1965 and 4-5 in 1966, then it recorded two consecutive 8-0 seasons.

After posting a 34-16 record in six seasons at Alma, Stolz left to become defensive coordinator at Michigan State in 1971. He replaced longtime Spartans’ head coach, Duffy Daugherty, before the 1973 season.

Stolz was 19-13-1 in three years at Michigan State, including a 7-3-1 record in 1974. He resigned after the Spartans were put on probation before the 1976 season and sat out the year.

In 1977, Stolz became head coach at Bowling Green, a Division I-AA school. His nine-year record with the Falcons is 56-44-1. He is 34-11 in the last four seasons.

SDSU’s coaching position became vacant when Doug Scovil was fired last week. Scovil had a 24-32-3 record in five years with the Aztecs.