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Bobby Wilder has spent virtually his entire football career as a dedicated player and coach at the University of Maine.
It appears the Madison native is ready to take the next step as Wilder is among five finalists for the head coaching job at Idaho State University.
Wilder, who has spent 17 seasons with the Black Bears, the last six as the associate head coach under Jack Cosgrove, was in Pocatello on Dec. 8 to interview for the Bengals job.
“Bobby came in and interviewed, had a very good interview,” said Idaho State athletic director Paul Bubb, who worked 19 months in the UMaine athletic department from 2001-2003.
Wilder, 42, said he has been approached about jobs in the past. This time, however, he agreed to interview because of his respect for Bubb, a former associate AD and interim AD at UMaine, and the strong support system at Idaho State.
“He is a very aggressive athletic director. He gets things done,” Wilder said Thursday night as he awaited a decision.
“The No. 1 thing I evaluate is the athletic director; is he going to provide you what you need to win,” Wilder added.
Wilder praised the school’s academic support department and strength and conditioning programs, two more key factors in determining whether ISU would be a good fit for his first head coaching job.
“If you have those three things, you can win,” added Wilder.
Bubb said he expects Idaho State, which plays in Division I-AA as a member of the Big Sky Conference, to announce its new coach by Monday.
Larry Lewis was fired as the Idaho State coach last month, with two years left on his contract, after the Bengals struggled to a 10-23 record over the last three seasons.
Bubb approached Wilder about the opening after talking with Cosgrove.
“Bobby’s one of the names we discussed and I was very supportive of his application,” Bubb said.
Wilder is up against Central Washington head coach John Zamberlin and assistants Mark Weber (formerly of North Carolina), Mick McCall (Bowling Green), and Mike Cox (Michigan State).
Weber was a graduate assistant at Idaho State when it won the national title in 1981, and McCall was an assistant with the Bengals from 1983-87.
Utah assistant Gary Andersen withdrew his candidacy.
“Any coach who is ambitious always wonders what would be it like if he was the head coach,” Wilder said.
“That’s why I’m looking at this job. It’s a tremendous chance to advance my career, get a chance to be a head coach at an outstanding I-AA program.”
Bubb said Wilder’s experience in the highly regarded Atlantic 10 is another plus.
Wilder said he was impressed during his visit with the people he met in Pocatello.
“It really reminded me of the Bangor-Orono area,” he said.
Bubb said each candidate spent a day on campus to meet with administrators, staff, student-athlete representatives, members of the search committee, and two booster groups.
“I visit with all those groups, get feedback from all of them, and make my recommendation to the president,” Bubb said.
Wilder has been on the UMaine coaching staff since he returned to Orono in 1990. He worked as a graduate assistant at Boston College under Jack Bicknell in 1989 and ’89 and there earned a master’s degree in educational administration.
Wilder served in a variety of coaching roles at UMaine until he was promoted to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2000. In 2004, he was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
Wilder, a 1982 graduate of Madison High School, attended UMaine and, as a sophomore quarterback, led the Bears to the first of five straight winning seasons. He captained the Bears during their 1986 Yankee Conference championship season and graduated in 1987 with a degree in physical education.
He left Orono as the school’s all-time leading passer with 4,493 yards. Wilder now ranks sixth behind successor Mike Buck and proteges Ron Whitcomb, Emilio Colon, Mickey Fein, and Jake Eaton.
Figueiredo named All-American
Nick Figueiredo of Bowdoin College in Brunswick has been named a second-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
The junior from Wilmington, Mass., racked up a team-high 12 goals this fall to help the Polar Bears post a 10-4-1 record. Figueiredo earned All-New England Small College Athletic Conference and All-New England first-team recognition for the second straight season.
He has tallied 25 career goals, seven shy of the Bowdoin record.
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