Search committee narrows applicants to 11 semifinalists

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- The search for a new football coach at Montana State University has been narrowed from about 70 applicants to 11 semifinalists, athletics director Peter Fields said.

The search committee will continue conducting phone interviews through Thursday and then three to five finalists will be invited to campus, he said.

"We're still on track for doing some on-campus interviewing next week," Fields said Tuesday. Public forums will also be held for each finalists, where members of the community can pose questions.

Fields said the phone interviews are lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and candidates continue to emerge.

"We're still getting a few trickling in and we're evaluating them as they come in," he said.

Interim head coach Don Bailey said Tuesday he had not been contacted for an interview.

"I haven't heard anything yet," Bailey said, adding that MSU's assistant coaches are still recruiting. "We're still taking care of business."

The position opened on May 18 when coach Mike Kramer was fired after the arrest of a fifth current or former player within the past year. Kramer's teams posted a 40-43 record over seven seasons.

Carroll College head coach Mike Van Diest acknowledged last week that he is interested in the job, which is expected to be filled by mid-June.

"We have great candidates that we're excited about," Fields said, "and the search committee is doing a wonderful job of moving forward and committing time and energy to this."

------

Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe