Football: Rebowe takes over Nicholls St.

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, November 21, 2014

 

 

The secret wasn’t kept well.

Still, Tim Rebowe seemed relieved to be able to say Friday what many have known for a while now.

“I can finally say it out loud: I am the next head football coach at Nicholls State University,” Rebowe, a longtime UL assistant coach and secondary coach this season, said during a news conference Friday in Thibodaux. “And I can’t tell you how excited I am to stand up here and say that.

“I know, and I assure you of this: I don’t take it lightly,” Rebowe added. “I mean, these jobs are hard to come by. They don’t just give them away.”

Ragin’ Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth he’s happy to see Rebowe, a UL assistant coach since 2004 and the Cajuns’ primary recruiter in the New Orleans area, move on for all the right reasons.

He replaces Charlie Stubbs, who resigned earlier this season from the FCS Southland Conference program.

“To me, it’s an honor that they looked within our staff to hire one of our coaches to lead their program,” Hudspeth said.

“I definitely think Tim will do an outstanding job,” the Cajun coach added. “He not only will bring a lot of energy to that program, he’ll bring a lot of experience recruiting the state of Louisiana – specifically the river parishes and New Orleans.”

Hudspeth said that even though Rebowe has been hired by Nicholls State, the Norco native has agreed to continue coaching the Cajun secondary through whatever bowl appearance UL makes this season.

UL is 7-3 heading into today’s final home game of the season, against Appalachian State. Nicholls State finished its season winless after a loss Thursday night to Southeastern Louisiana.

Rebowe, who grew up watching the Colonels play, confirmed that he’s “committed to finish out … what we started” at UL this year.

“And then I’m gonna come back and take some of that success we’ve had and bring it back to the Bayou,” he said, adding it’s requisite to “change expectations” and “change the culture” in order for his new program to turn things around.

Rebowe was a Nicholls State assistant coach from 1995-2000, before he was an assistant at UL Monroe.

The LSU graduate also is a former head coach at Destrehan High, which he attended, and his son Tyler plays for the Nicholls State baseball team.

The 51-year-old Rebowe said to laughs that he always figured the right fit to coach the Colonels was “a guy who had to be local, who can down the Bayou, can eat some crawfish, and then go drink … some Diet Cokes.”

Rebowe thanked, among others, the “Ragin’ Cajun coaches, players and staff,” and Hudspeth in particular, “because they … allowed me to come here today.”

“We’re preparing to win a (Sun Belt) conference championship and go to a fourth straight bowl game,” he said.

UL has won three straight New Orleans Bowls with Rebowe coaching defensive backs.

“He’s … been a part of the turnaround, so I think he’s got the formula that we used,” Hudspeth said.

“I think he’s definitely gonna go there, and I think he’s gonna win. And I think you can win there. There are too many good players in the state of Louisiana not to.

“Hate to lose him,” Hudspeth added. “But I’m really proud of him.”