Three years ago, Mitch Jacobs accepted his first Division One head coaching job at Fairfield University as its volleyball coach. After winning the MAAC championship for three straight years, Jacobs has accepted another offer as the head coach at Marshall University.
Jacobs said that the move was very beneficial to his family and that his family is his number one priority.
“Leaving Fairfield was not easy! It was about to become my team…even though some didn’t like all I do to drive the team toward success. I always knew at the end of the day I gave everything I had for each person on that team” Jacobs said when asked about the decision.
Jacobs went on to talk about the opportunities Marshall has to offer, “the opportunity to build a program within a big time athletics department is amazing. The University had made volleyball the counter sport to football, so the budget is such that demands a winner.”
Not only is the budget bigger, Jacobs says the community support is amazing. “The people here at Marshall have been unbelievable. Extremely supportive and wanting a winner in volleyball. Of course if I don’t deliver it might become a different situation, but I can’t imagine failing here with all the positives that are put in place” said Jacobs
The players are very understanding of Jacobs decision. The decision to leave is the best for him, and the players wish him well in his new endeavors.
“I think its a shame that the program is losing such an asset, but this is obviously better for him and his family, its just hard… I wish him the best of luck,” said Kelly Sorensen, the MAAC Rookie of the Year ’00.
During Jacobs’s three years at Fairfield, the Stags captured three straight MAAC Championships and made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. He has coached nine All-MAAC selections, nine All-MAAC Tournament Team selections, two MAAC Players of the Year, one MAAC Rookie of the Year, three MAAC Tournament MVP’s and has had one player selected to the AVCA All-Mideast Region team. Not only were his Stags successful on the court, but they excelled in the classroom as well, having one of the highest GPAs in the athletic department.
Now that Jacobs has left the attention is turned to finding a replacement. “We appreciate all that Mitch has done in directing our volleyball program and wish him well in his new endeavors,” Athletic Director Eugene Doris said on the Fairfield webpage. “Now our task is to find a coach who will continue our tradition of success.”
The athletic department is conducting a nation wide search for a new head coach. On the first day of posting the job, they received 20 plus emails. Interviews are taking place and the athletic department hopes to have a coach in place by the end of the academic year.
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