Speir, Cats excited about 2018

Taking over a football program coming off five wins in the previous three seasons before you arrived as coach would certainly require a plan and changing the culture. Mark Speir has relied on both in his past seven years as the head coach at Western Carolina University.

From improvements in scholarship numbers to creating a positive atmosphere, Speir and his staff have relentlessly focused on making the Cats better. WCU had its third seven-win season over the past four seasons last year while being nationally ranked much of the year and in contention for a playoff spot.

“It is amazing what has been accomplished not just by our football program, but by our entire university since we’ve been here,” Speir said. “Our team is strong in academics. We led the Southern Conference in attendance last year. We had two players (Detrez Newsome with the San Diego Chargers and Keion Crossen with the New England Patriots) on NFL rosters. I’m just proud to be a part of all of it.”