National Championships - 5
Conference Championships - 38
Overall Record - 1157-424
Winning Pct - .732
Playoff Record - 86-45
Bowl Record - 11-5
Current Teams - Washington (MO) (Camp), Iowa State (Bryant), Missouri (Wilkinson), Grambling State (Leahy), Tarleton State (Stagg), Nebraska (Warner)
Other ID: jtrover5
National Championships - 0
Conference Championships - 0
Overall Record - 135-78
Winning Pct - .578
Playoff Record - 1-1
Bowl Record - 0
Current Team - Catholic (Camp)
Dubs: First off, feel free to make any reference to biblical figures that you need to, but what is your age?
jtrover55: 34
Dubs: Where did you go to college, if you went to college?
jtrover55: I went to undergraduate at Guilford College in the ODAC. Grad scool at St. Louis University, where they have no football team. sadly
Dubs: That's interesting, despite Guilford being one of the top coaching spots in DIII, I don't have any record of you ever coaching there. Have you?
jtrover55: NO I have not. I have wanted to several times, and have played in that league when I first started with Bridgewater and now I have a Catholic with my second ID, my college roommate is gtce30 and he was always there when I wanted it. lol
Dubs: gcte is like 501-206 and your record is similar percentage wise with about twice as many games, but he has no National Titles. Has he heard anything about your five titles?
jtrover55: Maybe once or twice. lol. Actually he has admitted many times that he finds me to be a slightly better coach, but I do not know how much he has said that in public.
Dubs: If he is anything like my best friend, I wouldn't wait for it.
jtrover55: And he is a very loud and proud individual, but he is also one o the funnier people I have met. But in GD he likes to talk a lot of smack. I am much more mild mannered.
Dubs: OK, since you went to Guilford, maybe you can explain this to me, if you nickname your team after the Quakers, who are pacifists, are you even allowed to tackle people? How does that work?
jtrover55: Actually our less known nickname is the Fighting Quakers!! For the wonderful oxymoron approach. Fighting is wrong, but as long as the spirit moves you to make a tackle, I guess it is OK. I do not share 100% of the Quaker beliefs, but overall, I think they are pretty solid. I am Lutheran by upbringing and my wife and I go to Catholic Church at this point, she was Catholic.
Dubs: Hmm... not sure if this are you married question down here is really necessary... How did you meet your wife and how long have you been married?
jtrover55: We have been Married a little over 4 years. We met on a sort of set up. Her sister was throwing a party for a friend of mine and there was about 10 of us that went out to dinner, only her and I were technically single. We hit it off and agreed to go to the Stl Rams Football game with me on Sunday, I knew she had be alright if she was willing to go to the game, but even better when she was ready to tailgate at 8:00am.
Dubs: lol, Here's one I missed, what is your real name Joe?
jtrover55: Joe is correct, actually Joseph, and I am junior, but it gets a little more complicated. My dad goes by Jody and I went by Jody by my friends that lived around me and then again at college, Joe from high school firends. Now at work I go by Joseph. Kind of complicated for a simple name. lol. My last name is tough, Trover hence my sign on name.
Dubs: Was sure your last name was 55.
jtrover55: No, but that would be pretty cool, especially if I raised in a lab somewhere.
Dubs: As someone raised in the same generation as me, did you ever watch Pinky and the Brain?
jtrover55: Yes, I liked that show a lot. He was so close to taking over the world so often just to have Pinky mess it up. lol The country singer one was one of my favorite episodes.
Dubs: So, if you had been born as a lab rat, would you be the one that was trying to take over the world or the one messing it up... special episode with Rat #55 I guess?
jtrover55: I think I would have been the one taking it over. But I certainly would have been friends with the idiot messing it up. gcte does not fit that but many of my friends do. lol
Dubs: Good job avoiding the tacit association for your boy GT.
jtrover55: Yes, I do not want to crush his ego.
Dubs: OK, I am going to assume that since you went to a Blues game last night that you still live in the St. Louis area?
jtrover55: Yes that is correct. Well mostly, actually I live in Illinois, but it took me 15 minutes to get to the Blues game last night, which they won. (Edit note: game played on Feb. 27) But I am a St. Louis fan through and through.
Dubs: Did you grow up in the St. Louis area or is this all from grad school?
jtrover55: I grew up here. I moved to Greensboro in college and then Naples/Tampa for a 2 year time span as a Golf Pro, came back to St. Louis when I realized I was really not all that good.
Dubs: Did you play golf in college?
jtrover55: Yes I did, I was part of the Fighting Quaker golf squad. Our Mascot is a Quaker man that actually looks a little mad. His logo was on the golf balls we used. I actually liked it.
Dubs: So, you went to a Quaker school and played a sport, which albeit is non contact, yet with every swing, you were popping a mad Quaker in the face with a piece of metal?
jtrover55: That about sums it up. I guess when you put it that way it was a little odd. Of course, they still use it today and they have won 2 out of the last 5 or so National Titles, so it can not be all bad.
Dubs: I guess hitting a Quaker really inspires people after all. When you say two years as a golf pro, what does that entail? Were you on a tour?
jtrover55: I worked at a golf shop in Naples in the summer and fall of �96, then tried my hand at the mini tours. I went over to attempt to qualify for the Asian Tour in �97, I spent a month or so in the Phillipines and Singapore. I never actually made a single dollar in a purse, but I had a lot of fun and also realized it was not the life for me � for many reasons, at the lesser being that fact I was not good enough.
Dubs: And, of course, had you continued, you likely would never have met your wife. What is her opinion of GD?
jtrover55: She loves it, the greatest thing ever. sarcasim of course. But actually she does not mind it all that much. This hobby keeps me home a lot, and generally I can stop gameplanning in between commercials to carry on a reasonable conversation.
Dubs: Do you watch much television?
jtrover55: Not a ton, but certainly a fair amount. I would say we generally try to get our daughter to bed around 7/8 and then usually watch tv until 9/10. My wife loves Grey's anatomy, Desperate Housewives and that is great GD time for me. I generally only like the Simpsons (love that one) and the Office, Scrubs and My Name is Earl is alright as well. SNL still makes me laugh also.
Dubs: Opinion of the Family Guy, since you seem like a sitcom guy.
jtrover55: Very good show as well. It seems to be on again and off again, but there have been a few episodes that I would rank in my top 10 off all time out of every sitcom.
Dubs: Which Griffin is the most like you?
jtrover55: I would say I have a little of all of them, but most likely the Dog. Although Peter does things that I wish I could do from time to time. Brian is the Dog. lol
Dubs: I think Stewie has a lot of the Brain in him from Pinky and the Brain to tie back to earlier.
jtrover55: Yes he is quite funny as well, but he is a little bit too evil, but very funny as well.
Dubs: What types of music do you listen to?
jtrover55: A like a lot of different types, but mostly ranges from Country to now what I will call soft rock. lol. But at one point I did go to Motley Crew in concert and I was a fan of the sex pistols in my early years. But things have changes for sure.
Dubs: Do the Sex Pistols really have a whole lot of musical talent? They seemed to be more show than substance to me, but then I was a Police fan at the time.
jtrover55: I was in 8th grade and a skate board fan. It seemed to go well with busting you butt on a half pipe. Although, I was completely through that phase by the end of that year.
Dubs: Now, my dad is a big country music guy, so when you say country, do you mean the Old School country like Willie, Waylon, Cash and Kris, or the new stuff that my dad refers to as Pop with a twang?
jtrover55: Old stuff mostly, Coe, Williams, Junior, George Strait, but Garth is pretty good as well. Most of the women are good as well, so I guess I fall somewhere in between. But without question I love the old stuff for sure.
Dubs: Did you watch the Oscars?
jtrover55: Very little of them. Not a huge fan. I mean I really enjoy movies but I do not get into the Hollywood scene all that much. And I like movies for the most part that either thrill me or make me laugh, and most of those do not win Oscars.
Dubs: No comedy has won Best Picture since The Sting in 1973, with one possible exception if you consider Shakespeare In Love a comedy. Should comedies get more attention at the Academy Awards?
jtrover55: I do not think so. It seems the academy awards are more for the glitz and glamour of it all, and usually comedy is not that. I also think the movies that make a point or do something moving wins. Most comedy's are not that deep but they do make you laugh, or at least they are trying too. Although something about Mary was a darn good comedy on a lot of levels.
Dubs: What are your favorite comedy films?
jtrover55: There�s Something about Mary, Airplane, Happy Gilmore/Waterboy, The Gods Must be Crazy, Monty Python the Meaning of Life/Holy Grail. Hot Shots.
Dubs: Do you not like Life of Brian?
jtrover55: It is pretty good as well. But the other two stand out more to me.
Dubs: So all St. Louis teams... Rams, Cardinals and Blues? Basketball team in there?
jtrover55: Yes for the first 3 and the basketball team would have to be the Bulls. Although not a big NBA fan. Do not know the last regular season game I watched more than a few minutes of. For that matter even the playoffs have not been real exciting for me as well, as far as NBA.
Dubs: Where and when did you first discover whatifsports?
jtrover55: GCTE sent me an email about Sim baseball. I believe this was in November of 2003.
Dubs: How long after that until you started to play GD?
jtrover55: I came across it one day searching the site and I believe it was in season 4 of Wilk and then Bryant, which I think was fall of 2004.
Dubs: Season 4 of Bryant would have come up a week before Season 4 of Wilkinson I believe.
jtrover55: Yes I signed up for Bryant and then I tried to get GCTE in it but it was full, We both joined the ODAC in Wilk that next week.
Dubs: Do you play any other WIS games currently?
jtrover55: No I do not. I really enjoyed them for a time, but currently the only game I play is GD.
Dubs: Alright, that seems like a good segue into the coaching side. Your coaching career seems really varied, usually leading to the Big 12. What is your proudest GD moment?
jtrover55: There are many, but the proudest would have been beating DDINGO in the CC in Bryant about a week ago, but that did not happen. lol. Winning my first NC with Washington MO was awesome. I took a lousy team in season 6 to the eventual promised land in what I would argue is the most competitive DIII world � at least at the top. My second greatest moment was taking Tulsa in my first season from 3-10 Sim to win the CC. There were a lot of solid coaches, I think 7 and I took that team and pulled that off, most likely one of my greatest turnarounds.
Dubs: I looked up that Washington (MO) team, three straight national titles, 4 of the last five, appearances in the national title game in seven of the last eight years.
jtrover55: Yeah I have built a team there that I think in many regards is what this sites goal is � A true Grid Iron Dynasty. My run over the past 8 seasons has been absolutely crazy, a lot of great coaches and still manage to pull that off. Pretty cool even for a lower level.
Dubs: What would be your AHA moment in this game? I noticed like most of us you had some early struggles, but then it really kicked in.
jtrover55: I would say when I took my first team to DII. That was in Wilkinson I think. I got to play with recruiting techniques and started to understand a little more. I picked up a couple of new teams and started to learn what was going on. Of course, it took a couple of season before I even read the forums and that helped a ton But maybe sadly my AHA would have been in Stagg, I cherry picked a California Lutheran team from wlarson, took them to the promised land in my 3rd season, wlarson seniors though. But I learned a lot there as well.
Dubs: I noticed that in getting to an Elite in Warner, you spent one year at DII, DIAA, DIA Non-BCS, and then right to Nebraska. Would you say it was easier to move up in the new world than you found it to be in the other worlds?
jtrover55: Yes, yes I would. But that is right when I had hit a high level of success and a high level of understanding of the game. My goal was to get to the top quickly. I lateraled to a very solid team after 2 seasons and took it from there at DIII. I almost won a title there, but came up a hair short in what was a very sad day in my marriage. Not for anything sad, but because my wife made us leave from our trip early and I could not game plan in the 2nd half. I may have lost anyway, but I do not no for sure. I also picked teams that would send me up the ladder quickly. Either good teams or OK teams in weak conferences. I did go 15-0 with Kent State which was not bad, but only played 3 humans so it was not a great feat.
Dubs: What is the biggest difference in recruiting at an Elite to recruiting at a BCS school, or is there a major difference?
jtrover55: That is pretty tough. In general I would say it is slightly easier to recruit, but it has to be or you will lose your job in a second. My first season at Nebraska was not much different at all. They were bad before me and I thought recruiting would be easier. It was not. However, by my 2nd and 3rd classes I found it much easier. I could now knock off other non elite bcs that were within 360 for around 10k, maybe as little as 7k. Whereas a non bcs I find it to be 9-13k in general. I would give them about a 20% advantage overall, assuming everything else is equal.
Dubs: Because of the firing consequences, is it harder to turn around an elite than a BCS team and how do you think each of those compare to Non BCS?
jtrover55: In general I would say yes. That is not always the case, depending on the conference and other coaches. But in general picking up a few season old sim or a elite sim for 4 seasons in a tough conference, it will be very hard. You have to succeed so fast. The only saving grace is if you win your bowl game I do not believe you get fired, but some have said unless it is at least a level 3 at an elite that is not neccesairly true. But yes it is harder than a non elite. That being said turning around a non elite is not all that easy either in a tough conference. basically you need to win 11 or maybe even 12 games with a bowl win to move up a level. I think at least 10 wins with a bowl win to not drop a level. In a good conference, some very good coaches could have 8-9 win seasons for 5 seasons and be gone, even if they took over a historic 3-10 team. Non bcs can be fun as well, but it is the little big leagues in my mind. I stayed at Tulsa because I did not quite understand the big leagues. I made the jump in Bryant first and then shortly after to Mizzou. I personally would not stay at a non bcs for an extended period of time.
Dubs: Yet, you have never moved straight up from I-AA to BCS correct?
jtrover55: That is correct, but only because the stepping stones. You can do it but you need to have a crazy good DIAA to pull it off easily. In fact I think I tried when I left Liberty in Bryant, but could not get a team. I took over Fresno and managed a very good season and then had an easy jump up. I cherry picked basically but still put together a strong season, so it was not all that bad. That season at Liberty I lost in the final 4 as well.
Dubs: So, it is easier to get a very good (12 win) non-BCS than an 0-13 BCS in your opinion?
jtrover55: Yes I think so. I tried for a bad BCS like 3-10 Sim run team and got turned down, I picked up Fresno, who was the defending conference champ and close to a 12-win team. So I believe it is easier.
Dubs: What do you look for when taking over a team?
jtrover55: Many things depending on my goal. When I knew I was going from DIAA to BCS, my goal was either a very solid team like Fresno or a team like Kent State, which at the time only had one other coach in conference, also they were good, so I knew a CC and a 12-win season would be easy and I could move up, I did not know I would go 15-0, but I really only had one very good win and that was my bowl game there. When picking most teams I look for great conference now, I want to play with either the best coaches or best group of coaches, that usually is the guys who win a ton or at least make the boards very fun. I like the competition for sure. Although having a team like Washington (MO) can be fun as well, 5 highly competitive leagues and one where I have a dominant team, not too bad overall.
Dubs: OK, so other than losing to a subpar Arkansas Pine-Bluff team coached by some hack three days ago, what is your most disappointing memory in GD?
jtrover55: That was it!! lol. I would say losing to Bronco in the NC with my Worcester State team � I felt I had a great shot at him and winning at the half. I felt like I had it. Also losing 3 straight NC games in camp was a little disappointing, at least at the time, I am certainly over that now. lol. Lastly one disappointing thing was I went 11-3 one season at Cal Lutheran and missed the playoffs with a NC caliber team. I lost to Paranoid twice by a few points and he won the NC, I also lost to either vhoward or dwhit and they made the final four that season. But those things happen regardless.
Dubs: OK, I'll give you a chance to prop up your boys. Was the ASC in Stagg four to five seasons ago the best DIII division in the history of the game?
jtrover55: That is a tough call, the boys in camp had some very good coaches. But I will argue Yes. It was an absolute awesome group of coaches. Everyone seemed to love the game and knew it inside and out. Every game was a battle and you knew it. Certainly one of my main reasons for truly loving this game. That group was great and I felt we all learned a ton from each other.
Dubs: Is your goal to be in the conference with dwhit in all 8 worlds? lol
jtrover55: Maybe, lol, he is a great Coach and a great guy. He was one of my first GD friends and I would say over my time here he has been one of my best. I do not know so much if I would call it a goal though. But I certainly have enjoyed our battles, without question, well vince is not to far behind, but I have not battled against any one coach more.
Dubs: What coaches have you learned the most from? Did you ever have a true mentor in the game? Have you ever mentored someone else for an extended period?
jtrover55: Dwhit and I have sitemailed game plans a lot, which I would say certainly he was a mentor. Deandg and I have had a lot of sitemails as well and he has given me a lot of advice, however as the elite coaches go, and I would certainly put Dean there, I have actually had moderate success against. As far as me as a mentor, I would say yes to a lot of guys. I think I have most likely had 10-12 guys that I would say I have had multiple sitemails from, asking for advice on multiple occasions. I do not beleive any of them have quite made it to the top yet, but some are very close. Many were conference mates but some were just guys I sitemailed about good luck in the playoffs or something. Almost everyone I have met seem to be great people, at least as far as sitemail goes.
Dubs: Since you play in a couple of worlds with him, just how good is jeffkahleb/34jayhawk?
jtrover55: Very, very good. I have not beat him yet, at least in regular season, I did beat him at Oklahoma with my Tulsa team in pre-season as well as beating ddingo Notre Dame team in pre-season, another coach I have never beaten, at least that I recall. But Jeff is darn good. Besides my 2 worlds I am in the same conference with I also lost to him in 2 NC games with my Cal Lutheran team. There are a lot of great coaches, but I would put him at the top or at least very, very close.
Dubs: OK, you seem to always end up in the Big 12, do you have a favorite college football team and if so, is that team in the Big 12?
jtrover55: That is funny, the answer would be I have a favorite school and yes it is in the Big 12, and that school would be Mizzou. Although I went to many Tennessee football games in college and they would be my favorite good team. Although Mizzou was pretty darn good in �97.
Dubs: See, the reason I ask is that I just have no interest in coaching a team in the SEC that is not Florida (well maybe Vandy would be fun). I don't want to play against Florida and I don't want to help their rivals. I take it you don't feel remotely that way?
jtrover55: That is true, I in general like the big 12. It feels like the home conference and since I never attended any DIA BCS school, I side with the big 12 typically. But in general I do not really feel all that attached. I want Mizzou to win and if they lose I am dissappointed, but if it was a good game, I am not going to allow that dissappointment to affect me much. It�s much different if the Rams lose. I went to the Super Bowl when we lost to New England and went straight home after the game. That most likely would not happen with Mizzou, unless maybe the NC game, which I doubt will happen.
Dubs: Well yes, as a lifelong Seahawk fan, I have carefully been dodging that team?
jtrover55: Now that makes sense. For both of us most likely.
Dubs: What is the best thing about GD in your opinion?
jtrover55: The competition and the accuracy of the game. Not that it is perfec by any means, but very seldom do I lose or win a game that I have no idea how it happened.
Dubs: Is there any major change you would like to see in the game?
jtrover55: I have several sure. 5-8 schedule is very high on my list and one I do not think would be too difficult for WIS to change. But there are many otheres that may be less controversial. more depth chart spots. And one I have seen now more recently is an offense or defensive settings with a little more control in the last 5-8 minutes of play.
Dubs: Computer generated or user generated 5-8 schedule in your opinion?
jtrover55: It would be easy to say whichever way they will do it will be fine with me, but I think starting off Computer Generated would be better. But I am somewhat on the fence here.
OK, I am going to close with something I call Trios. I will give you three choices of things, you pick the one you prefer.
TRIOS
1) Best Corny nickname: Heidelberg Student Princes, Knox Prairie Fire or Hamline Pipers
jtrover55: Knox Prairie Fire
2) McDonald's, Taco Bell or Subway?
jtrover55: McDonalds but the Bell is very close, and Subway is right behind Toothless Joe�s Day Old Possom.
3) OK, I�ll through in a Bible college special for you. Best Gospel Mark, Luke or John?
jtrover55: Luke
4) John Wayne, Humphery Bogart or Spencer Tracy?
jtrover55: John Wayne
5) Bell Biv or DeVoe?
jtrover55: Oh, I have no idea. Bell?
Dubs: See, you got Taco Bell in there the hard way lol
jtrover55: Yes.
6) Superman 1, Superman 2 or Superman Returns?
jtrover55: All three were very solid, but I will go with the original, Superman 1.
7) Birth of your daughter, Marriage to your wife or Rams victory in the Super Bowl?
jtrover55: Very tough one here and not real fair, but I will go with one of the two that will keep me in less hot water � Birth of my daughter. Marriage and the the Rams Superbowl win are very close though.
Dubs: Thanks so much for giving me the time to sit and chat with you. It�s been good getting to know more about you.
jtrover55: No problem, it�s an honor to be included.
