JONESBORO (12/10/09) – Arkansas State Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee announced Thursday that Steve Roberts will continue his duties as head football coach in 2010, which will be his ninth season at the helm of the Red Wolves’ football program.
Roberts, named ASU’s 26th head football coach on December 21, 2001, led ASU to back-to-back victories to conclude the 2009 season in which the Red Wolves finished 4-8 overall and 3-5 in Sun Belt Conference play. Roberts will oversee offseason changes to the Red Wolves’ football program, starting with the naming of a new offensive coordinator.
“As a result of our annual evaluation with Coach Roberts about the status of our program, we are confident the changes that are being made will assist us in making positive strides for the future,” said Lee. “We are all working to put ourselves in the best possible position to advance this program and look forward to Steve’s continued leadership in directing our football team.”
Roberts, the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, holds the fifth most victories in school history with 41 and led ASU to the 2005 New Orleans Bowl, ASU’s first bowl appearance as an NCAA Division I-A member.
“We have made a decision to go a different direction with the offensive coordinator position,” said Roberts. “Coach (Doug) Ruse is an outstanding football coach and has done a tremendous job in his position at Arkansas State, but sometimes change can be healthy for your program.”
ASU-Jonesboro Chancellor Robert Potts expressed his continued support for Roberts and Lee as the football program moves forward.
“I commend Coach Roberts and Dr. Lee for formulating a positive plan, following a comprehensive evaluation, to take our football program forward,” said Potts. “Our fans and our university deserve a winning program, and we have confidence that Coach Roberts is the right person to continue to lead the effort to achieve that goal.”
ASU dropped five games in 2009 by eight points or less, including three-point setbacks against nationally-ranked Iowa and Sun Belt Conference champion Troy. Four losses came against teams that will play in bowl games and six against teams that finished the year .500 or better.
The Red Wolves ended the season ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, marking the fourth consecutive year they have ranked among the top two teams in the league defensively. While ASU slipped from third in the conference in total offense in 2008 to seventh in 2009, it ranked among the top four teams in several special teams categories that included kickoff coverage (1), field goals (3), punt return average (3), kickoff returns (4) and punting (4).
