Dave Clawson has yet to win a football game at Wake Forest, but he went 1-0 in his first press conference.
Dave Clawson Introductory Press Conference (via Wake Forest Athletics)
I went to the sixth floor of Deacon Tower for the meet and greet portion of Dave Clawson's introductory press conference expecting (hoping) to see around fifty people. I wanted to go and give my support to the new coach because I was a believer in him and I was not sure exactly how many people may show up. When I walked out of the elevator on the sixth floor I could not have been more pleasantly surprised at the turnout I saw. I had little elbow room trying to get outside of the elevator and there were several hundred people on the floor.
A reporter asked him a question and during it he insinuated that Wake Forest was the worst of North Carolina ACC schools and Clawson responded back that he believed Wake Forest was the best program in the state and that was his vision for the program. Clawson articulates that vision when he says, "I think if you set your goal any lower than being a champion, you're setting the standard too low. So our goal is to be champions." When discussing academics he added, "The academics cannot be an excuse to not succeed. To me, it's a reason we will succeed. There's no reason that Wake Forest can't reach the heights as other great academic schools in this country have done."
The excitement and enthusiasm in the room were palpable. This is a program that needed to be invigorated and it has been with the hiring of Dave Clawson. Any doubt that fans had about the hire was erased when they listened to Dave Clawson. Coach Clawson is a man who has a vision for Wake Forest and will attract a lot of talent to Winston-Salem. I know Wake Forest has yet to even gain a yard under Dave Clawson's leadership, but his track record is too good for him to fail. Look for there to be plenty of fans in the seats and plenty of points on the scoreboard.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have found ourselves a head football coach, and his name is Dave Clawson. I cannot encourage you enough to take 24 minutes of your time and watch that press conference. Athletic Director Ron Wellman perhaps said it best during his opening remarks when he said, "We have a winner leading our program now at Wake Forest University in Dave Clawson." Dave Clawson has won everywhere he has been and there's no doubt in my mind that trend will continue at Wake Forest. Is he running for President in 2016? I'd vote for him but I wouldn't want him to leave his current office.
