Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Pat Poore reunites with SIU football
03/30/2017 | 11:19:00 | Football
The Salukis added to the coaching staff with the signing of tight end coach Pat Poore to the staff during the offseason. Poore may be new to the staff, but he's not unfamiliar to SIU.
Poore, a Southern Illinois transplant by way of Stockton, Kansas, coached at SIU from 2001-07 under head coach Jerry Kill. In that time period, Poore helped the Salukis to 55 wins and five postseason appearances in seven years. Following his time at SIU, Poore left to coach with Kill at Northern Illinois and Minnesota where the coaching tandem led their teams to eight bowl game appearances.
Poore credits the success that his teams had at SIU, Northern Illinois and Minnesota to a willingness to believe in their system and an ability to get people to buy into it. The coaching philosophies didn't change much as he and the rest of the staff went from program to program for one simple reason; the philosophy works.
Now, Poore brings his 32 years of coaching experience back to SIU seeking the same success that he has had at every level of Division I football. It was an easy decision for Poore and his family to return to Carbondale.
"I've always liked it here. I think it's a special place," Poore said. "My kids are Southern Illinois kids … Two springs ago we bought a house in Lake of Egypt as a retirement home. We love the area. We love the people."
In Poore's coaching career he's made stops at ten different universities and has coached just about every position on the offensive side of the ball as well as the defensive backs. In 1994 and '95 he was the head coach at Iowa Wesleyan.
Poore is in a new place, but none of it is unfamiliar. The players and the building are all new, but Poore has had relationships with much of the current staff. The longest stint of his career was spent at SIU when he was the quarterbacks coach. In that time, he coached two Saluki greats in Joel Sambursky and his new boss, head coach Nick Hill. Defensive backs coach Marty Rodgers also played at SIU during Poore's stint coaching the quarterbacks. Running backs coach Nate Griffin worked with Poore at Northern Illinois and Minnesota and Trevor Olsen, the offensive line coach, was most recently a graduate assistant at Minnesota before coming to SIU.
Poore and defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson coached against each other on several occasions at the FCS and FBS level.
Hill was one of the most important factors in Poore's return to Southern. The two have maintained contact with each other throughout the years and Poore has followed Hill on his path to becoming one of the youngest coaches in college football. Poore can relate to Hill – he was also a young head coach early on in his career.
"Nick had that 'it factor' as a player and I think he has it as a coach also," Poore said. "He's got that innate ability to [have a plan] then put it together and see it through. He's got great people skills in terms of player, staff and community relationships. That's very evident. There are a lot of different kinds of head coaches but there aren't a lot that have all of that and can put the whole package together. I think he's got that."
All of Poore's coaching experience can be invaluable to the staff at SIU. Hill can rely on Poore to give advice from the point of view of a seasoned coach. Poore understands Hill's vision for the program and wants to be a part of the turnaround that the second-year head coach is engineering.
Poore likens the current situation with Saluki football to his early years with the program. Many of Southern's losses in the last two seasons were the result of a play or two that didn't go Southern's way. It reminds him of his first two seasons at SIU. In those seasons, the Salukis won a total of five games. The next year, in 2003, Southern won 10 games on its way to a NCAA Playoff berth.
"I told coach Hill that I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't feel like [the program was turning around]. I feel like we're really close." Poore said. "I really like our team. I like the attitude. We're a more explosive team offensively than we were ten years ago."
