Football Loses Defensive Coordinator to Bates College

Harvard football knew that its defense would be losing four starters this year. It's now losing the orchestrator of that defense as well.

Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Mark Harriman, an assistant at Harvard for four years, accepted the head coaching position at Bates last week. He leaves the Crimson after it recorded one of the best seasons in school history, going 9-1 and a perfect 7-0 in the Ivy League.

One of the keys to Harvard's resurgence under Coach Tim Murphy has been the defense, which improved from a No. 99 ranking in the nation to a top five unit in scoring defense, rushing yards allowed, and passing efficiency defense last year.

"We're going to continue to play good defense," Murphy said. "And we're going to bring in the assistant coaches and players who can help us do that. We lost three first-team All-Ivy kids up front in [seniors] Chris Smith, Tim Fleiszer, and Jason Hughes. [Replacing them] is our biggest challenge."

"Coach Harriman was the heart and soul of our defense," Smith said. "He's the best defensive coordinator I've ever played for. It's hard to say what will happen next year, but the system is great. We still have two excellent defensive coaches remaining in Hank Hughes and Louis Anarumo.

"I have mixed emotions. I'm proud that he got the job, but it's a little disappointing to lose him. Next year's team will suffer because of [the departure]."

Harriman and Murphy have a long history together, going back to their days in college.

"Hughes, Harriman, and I all played linebacker for the same football team [Springfield] 20-plus years ago," Murphy said. "We're close and have a long track record."

Still, the chance to be the captain of his own ship was too good for Harriman to pass up.

"Leaving the people you've worked with and the players is never easy," Harriman said. "However, this is an opportunity I've always wanted--the challenge of being a head coach."

"You're always glad to see others get a chance to move on and move up," Murphy said. "Being a head coach is not only about maximizing players' abilities but also helping assistant coaches reach their full potential."

Bates, a Div. III program, is coming off of a poor 1-7 season, after which Coach Rick Pardy resigned to become defensive coordinator at Marist College.

"I did some investigative work before I took the job," Harriman said. "I wanted to make sure that the program, which had been struggling, was making a commitment to winning. Those questions were answered [during my second visit], and I decided then."

Harriman first interviewed Feb. 12. Bates called him back Feb. 15 and offered him the job the next day. He accepted last Monday, becoming the 19th coach at Bates. The hiring was announced Thursday.

"We're very pleased to have a person of Mark's caliber," said Bates athletic director Suzanne Coffey. "He has Ivy experience, and he is returning to his native state in Maine. He's has had success at both Princeton and Harvard."

"It's essentially starting over again," Harriman said. "I think Bates is at a crossroads. There's some talent, and some of it is untapped. I want to create a comprehensive program where players and coaches are on the same page. It will have to be simplistic so everyone can grasp it, but it has to have enough [dimensions] to pose other teams problems."

His extensive experience in the Ivy League, which included nine years of assistant coaching at Princeton, prepared Harriman for the tricky task of balancing academics and athletics.

"Bates is similar to the Ivy League in the sense that education comes first here, and there's a time constraint," Harriman said.

Harriman realizes that the responsibility of head coaching after so many years of being an assistant will require an adjustment.

"An assistant has certain responsibilities," Harriman said. "But even if a head coach delegates, it realistically all comes back to [him]. He has to oversee the entire program instead of certain areas and has to have the pulse of every part."

Harvard has begun the process of finding Harriman's successor. Because of affirmative action rules, the school is accepting applications through the middle of March. Murphy described promoting a new defensive coordinator from within the current staff as a "distinct possibility."

Harriman is not the first assistant of Murphy's to be sought after by other teams. He is the third head coach to have worked under Murphy, along with five assistants in the Big Ten, four in the Big East, two in the SEC, and one in the NFL.

"I had a chance to get my first head coaching job at 30, so I was one of the fortunate ones," Murphy said.

Harriman had to wait longer for his shot, but he has it now.