As we reported last night, Bob Warming resigned the head coaching position at Creighton to take the same role at Penn State. I had a chance to catch up with Warming this morning for a quick Q&A about the coaching change and what he thinks the future looks like for Bluejays soccer.
White & Blue Review: Can you tell us a bit about the process you went through with Penn State?
Bob Warming: It was very quick. Penn State hired an outside agent to search for qualified candidates and I was on their list.
WBR: How did the players react?
BW: Well, I wanted to talk to the guys last night face to face, but it was tough with so many guys being out of town. We were able to conference call in the team, and it was pretty difficult and emotional.
WBR: You have been called the architect and father of Creighton Soccer, how will it feel to leave a program you had such a big part in building?
BW: I’m confident. Most of the guys I am coaching now were not even born when this program started. As a parent of a 19- or 20-year-old, you feel that at that time they are ready to be let go. You are comfortable in the fact that you did enough to feel confident they will be successful without you. That is how I feel about this program. With the best stadium in the nation, highest season tickets sold per year, and the fan support in Omaha, Creighton is in great shape.
WBR: Jason Mims is regarded as one of the best assistant coaches in the nation, is there any chance that he will take over as head coach?
BW: I simply want what’s best for the program and Creighton University. What we all need to remember is that Bruce Rasmussen is the man responsible for the program and the process of hiring a new coach, which should make us all feel very confident. From my experience, there will most likely be two buckets of candidates; one being head coaches with proven experience, and the second being proven assistants that have done the best with their situation. If Bruce was to hire an outside assistant, he would need to find someone pretty dang special to top Jay.
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As a fan of Creighton soccer and of Bob Warming, I would like to take a minute to personally thank him for his time at Creighton. I’ve known him for awhile and he has been an absolute pleasure to interview and just talk soccer with. I think it is safe to say that the Omaha soccer community will truly miss him. Warming will be impossible to replace, but whoever steps into his place will have a great opportunity to continue improving one of the most successful programs in collegiate soccer.