The hiring of Turner Gill as UB's head football coach should prove beneficial in bringing a winning era to the school's stunted football program. His championship lineage means our gridiron heroes are in good hands and the future looks bright.
Gill, who will also serve as the Bulls' offensive coordinator, has a football pedigree that gives him credibility in bringing motivation to the locker room. As a player, he was a finalist for the 1983 Heisman Trophy and compiled a record of 28-2 as the Nebraska Cornhuskers starting quarterback. He worked on Nebraska's coaching staff from 1992 to 2004, which won three National Championships in that span, and was employed by the NFL's Green Bay Packers last year. He has coached under the legendary Tom Osborne, as well as Frank Solich and Bill Callahan.
Gill has made it clear that motivation will play a major role in his reign here, as indicated by his "U Believe" campaign which looks to infuse the football team, university and community with a can-do attitude. Successful football coaches today are master motivators and Gill appears to hold his own in this area.
He has proved he can coach as well. Under his tutelage, Nebraska had two All-Americans at QB including Heisman trophy winner Eric Crouch. UB's inept offense should improve dramatically under Gill's guidance.
Most importantly, Gill can flat out recruit. ESPN.com named him one of the top-ten recruiters in the country in 2000 and 2001. Blue chip prospects are the holy grail of college football, and Gill's skills in signing top-flight talent holds the key to eventual success on the field. Today, UB finds itself behind other schools' recruiting efforts because of the recent head coach vacancy, but Gill and his staff have cultivated contacts that should allow UB to sign new talent. This first recruiting class will be a measure of Gill's progress, but by no means should UB's newest coach be rushed along.
We commend UB Athletic Director Warde Manuel for the first major hire of his tenure.
Last call
Tough measures imposed on problem bars will help Heights
While the closing of any local watering hole brings this page profound sadness, the news that the doors of PJ Bottoms and Molly's Pub will be shuttered does not. These establishments have repeatedly thumbed their noses at New York State liquor laws and deserve whatever their fate brings.
PJ's has been ordered closed for good and Molly's will learn of its immediate future following Tuesday's hearing. The closings represent a misguided attempt at curbing underage consumption of alcoholic beverages; these tactics and measures won't solve an age-old problem. However, the University Heights and UB by extension will be better served without PJ's and Molly's in the mix. There are still bars-a-plenty to be found in the Heights neighborhood, and UB students will have to be more resourceful when getting their drink on.
PJ Bottoms has been a blight on the Heights and UB for over 25 years, in which time a multitude of fines have been levied against the bar, while four ownership changes were mandated by the state. Its habitual breaking of underage drinking laws has brought UB a slew of negative publicity through no fault of its own.
The violence that occurs regularly in PJ's has made the experience unsafe, and many times not fun, for those patronizing the bar. Couple that with underage drinking and you have continual problems that negatively affect everyone's quality of living.
When Main Street's renovation is completed, a corridor similar to Elmwood and Hertel Avenues will be in place. This means more quality restaurants, bars and businesses will open up and the closings of PJ's and Molly's will be forgotten, and that is good for everybody.
