YPSILANTI (November 16) -- Eastern Michigan University Director of Athletics Dave Diles
has announced that head
football coach Rick Rasnick has been relieved of his position, effective
immediately. Defensive
coordinator Tony Lombardi has been named interim head coach for
Saturday's (Nov. 20) season finale at
Northern Illinois. Diles announced the changes at a press conference
held today (Nov. 16) in EMU's
Convocation Center.
"I felt it was best to make a change at this time to begin an immediate
search for a new head football coach,"
Diles said. "After undergoing a very thorough and comprehensive
assessment of our football program I'm
convinced that Rick Rasnick is not the person to take our football team
to a Mid-American Conference
championship level."
The EMU assistant football coaches will not have their contracts renewed
but are expected to continue to
work until a new coach is hired.
The 40-year-old Rasnick (9-15-59) was in the final year of a five-year
contract. He was named head coach
Jan. 4, 1995 and his first year was his best, with the Eagles going 6-5
overall and 5-3 Mid-American
Conference action. In 54 games coached during his tenure, the Eagles had
a 20-34 record. This year Eastern
is 4-6 record heading into the NIU game.
THE RICK RASNICK YEARS
Eastern Michigan University Head Football Coach
Season Overall Record MAC Record
1995 6-5 5-3
1996 3-8 3-5
1997 4-7 3-5
1998 3-8 3-5
1999 4-6 4-3
Totals 20-34 18-21
EMU NAMES TONY LOMBARDI INTERIM HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
YPSILANTI--Eastern Michigan University Director of Athletics Dave Diles
has announced that Tony
Lombardi will serve as interim head football coach for the final game of
the 1999 season. Head Coach
Rick Rasnick was relieved of his duties today (Nov. 16) and Lombardi was
named to take over on an
interim basis for the EMU-Northern Illinois football game Saturday, Nov.
20, in DeKalb, Illinois.
Lombardi has been a member of the EMU football staff for three seasons
and has spent the past two as the
defensive coordinator.
The 37-year-old Lombardi (1-29-62) is a 1984 graduate of Arizona State
University where he was a
four-year letterwinner as a running back. He earned an NCAA
post-graduate scholarship at ASU before
playing professional football with the Chicago Bears in the National
Football League and the Montreal
Concordes of the Canadian Football League. He earned his undergraduate
degree from ASU in 1984 and
completed work on his master's degree in 1988 from the University of
Wisconsin.
THE TONY LOMBARDI FILE
Name: Tony E. Lombardi
Born: January 29, 1962 - Park Forest, Illinois
High School: Rich East (Park Forest, IL) - Graduated in 1980
College: Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) - Graduated with a
bachelor's degree in 1984
University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI) - Graduated with a master's degree
in 1988
Family: Wife, Kari; and son, Michael "Rocky" (7-30-98)
FOOTBALL COACHING EXPERIENCE
1999 Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach - Defensive
Coordinator/Defensive Backs
1998 Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach - Defensive
Coordinator/Linebackers
1997 Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach - Linebackers
1989-96 Mankato State University Assistant Coach - Defensive Coordinator
1986-89 University of Wisconsin Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs
1988 University of Wisconsin Head Freshman Coach
1985 Rich East High School (Park Forest, IL) - Defensive Coordinator