Tuesday, Northwestern State announced it is not renewing the contract of seventh-year head football coach Scott Stoker. Today, Stoker issued the following statement and said he will not be available for further comment.
"I deeply appreciate the opportunity to be the head coach at my alma mater. I¹m obviously disappointed with the way it ended. As a coach, if you're 7-5 and improving in every area from last year, with the amount of players back for next season, you feel excited, especially so after we finished the way we did at SFA (Stephen F. Austin).
"That didn't make a difference. The administration wants to go another way, and as much as I hate it, that's the way this business works. They set the bar very high if 7-5 and second place in the league isn't good enough to keep moving forward.
"I want to especially thank my players and my staff, coaches, trainers, managers, past and present. The players on the team now have made so much progress, they've grown up and they are on the brink of being a championship team. They learned to trust us and trust each other. They played through a lot of adversity. I am so proud of them and disappointed I won't be with them any longer.
"With the big senior class and that many starters coming back, the cupboard's not bare. I know some of those players are confused and hurt now, but I hope they can rally around the new staff and be the team they can be.
"Nobody loves Northwestern more than I do. What happened Tuesday doesn't change that. My feelings are hurt but I still bleed purple and I will be pulling for the Demons. There are a lot of great people involved. The coaches in other sports work so hard. It was a privilege to work with so many of them. I'm sorry it didn't work out.
"I'll be more prepared for the next head job. I learned a lot, some things I didn't want to know, but it will pay dividends for me and my family in the long run. We always told our players to never quit, play the play to the best of your ability, then whatever happens, go to the next play. So along those lines, I'm moving forward today. I¹m grateful for all the support that we've gotten in the seven years, and especially lately. I deeply appreciate it."
