Jim Grobe a Demon Deacon
12/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 6, 2007
Even Ron Wellman admits that he did not sleep well on Wednesday night. Disheartening rumors were spreading like wildfire across the southeast, and like many other Wake Forest fans, he was concerned that his football program would be unexpectedly shaken by the loss of its impeccable leader. Ironically, Demon Deacon loyalists tried to fall asleep to avoid their nightmares. And like any bad dream, it ended in the morning. "He said he wanted to get back in touch with me in the morning," Wellman told reporters on Thursday afternoon. "He did. And I had a big smile on my face at that point." The Wait Chapel bells would have been an appropriate alarm clock for Wake Forest fans to arise and hear the news: Jim Grobe had decided to stay at Wake Forest. While the rest of the ACC was probably dreading the realization that Grobe remained a yearly opponent on the gridiron schedule, Wake fans were thankful and elated that Grobe had elected to stay. Fresh off the greatest two year chunk of football that this school has ever seen, Coach clearly realized that he has a unique situation here in Winston-Salem. "I do have a special relationship here at Wake Forest," Grobe explained to reporters on Thursday. "Ron Wellman and I talked about that. The students were over here at the athletic center today, and that's heartwarming for an old football coach. It's nice to know that you're appreciated. "It's certainly a place that I feel like, if I could stay here my entire career, I'd be blessed," said Grobe, who is 45-39 in his seven year stint as coach of the Deacs. Undoubtedly, many factors went into the decision to remain here at Wake, yet Grobe was quick to stress an important dynamic that adds to his love of the old gold and black. "The bottom line: it's our players," Grobe said. "I just love this football team. I love these guys that we've got here. I think next year can be really special. We've got most of our guys back on defense. I think we've got the right mix offensively if we can stay healthy up front. With Sam [Swank], our special teams should be as good as they've ever been. So I'm excited about not only next year's football team, I just really like our kids. When all of this stuff started running through the press, it kind of tugged at my heart a little bit. I just felt like these guys needed me to be here." Grobe acknowledged that he always leaves his long-term options open, but at the moment, he and his staff are glad to be where they are. "We could not be treated any better," he said. "Nobody in the world could treat us any better than Ron Wellman and this University have treated us." The incredible relationship between Grobe and Wellman extends all the way back to their very first meeting, seven years ago in Columbus, Ohio. "There was a connection when I first met him for the interview," Wellman remembered. "I thought, my goodness, this is a special person and a special man. And the recommendations that I had on him from people that I trusted were glowing. Those recommendations have proven to be very accurate, because he's not only a great football coach, he's a special human being." "He's a perfect match for Wake Forest," Wellman added with another big smile. Twenty-four hours after nearly having his football program turned upside-down, Wellman, along with so many other diehard Demon Deacons, surely drifted to sleep much easier, eager to dream about a victory over Connecticut and other great Wake Forest football accomplishments that were unimaginable decades ago. With Jim Grobe on the sideline, these dreams seem within reach.