HUNTINGTON - To best illustrate where Marshall football coach Mark Snyder stands in the eyes of his boss, consider a story from Woody Hayes.

No, Snyder is not a Hayes protégé. Right school, wrong era.

But Hayes offered a bit of advice years ago to an aspiring administrator named Bob Marcum, and it sticks with Marcum as he wraps up his seventh year as the director of Thundering Herd athletics.

Marcum was heading from Canton, Ohio, in 1971 to become an associate athletic director under Lou McCullough at Iowa State. McCullough had worked with Hayes at Ohio State and was about to oversee a much less prosperous football program. Hayes offered departing words of wisdom to both.

"He said, 'Going to Iowa State, don't buy into four years,'" Hayes said. "He said, 'Everyone thinks you ought to buy into four years. You need to look at five years.' Because he said, 'The first year is usually a waste, anyway. OK?' And he said, 'You've got to get your players in, got to study your conference, those kinds of things. Good luck.'"

Conceivably, Marcum might not get the last word if Marshall suffers through another 3-9 season or worse. There is a president and a board of governors above him, after all.

But Marcum expressed his patience with the football squad, which did finish 2007 with three victories in the last five games. He sees players eagerly arriving in the Shewey Athletic Building, whether they're going to meetings, weight training, academic tutoring or other tasks.

"I think Coach Snyder has had [a difficult task]," Marcum said. "A new conference, a conference that possesses a whole lot more speed, not having as many skill players as we've had in the past. I think he's built it back up to where I feel [we have a good chance]. We have 17 starters, we have the player of the year, defensively, back from two years ago, more speed than we've ever had before. Sure, the schedule's tough, but I think, slowly but surely, we're getting more competitive in that conference."

This fall's nonconference slate includes a trip to Wisconsin (a one-shot deal signed before Marcum took office in 2002), a trip to West Virginia (part of the seven-year deal brokered with the help of Gov. Joe Manchin), a home game with Cincinnati (a home-and-home series that began last year) and a home game against Southern Illinois of the Football Championship Subdivision.

The one-shot deals all but end for the Herd after this year. Marcum set one for 2010 at nearby Ohio State, but he is looking for one-for-ones and two-for-ones with brand-name schools such as Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.). The next nonconference vacancy is in 2012.

"We've paid a lot of dues," he said. "I don't think Clemson has played here. I don't think South Carolina has played here. I don't think North Carolina has played here. I don't think Michigan State played here. The only one who has played here is Kansas State. They showed up and had great fans.

"That's another great thing about people coming to Huntington, is we do have great fans. Whether it's a conference school or a nonconference, they recognize the treatment they get from our fans."

Marcum also sees better days for basketball under second-year coach Donnie Jones, and he lavished praise on the job baseball coach Jeff Waggoner did, taking the Herd to the finals of the C-USA tournament. The Herd overcame a double whammy in the spring - not only did it play league games at Appalachian Power Park for the third season, but its new nonconference home site wasn't playable, thanks in part to heavy spring rains.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to build an on-campus field, one that could compare respectably with some of the very nice diamonds at Rice, Tulane, East Carolina and elsewhere. Funding is an issue, but acquiring a usable site seems to be a bigger issue.

"It always seems like people are telling us this land's available, until you look into it," Marcum said. "And then you find there are a few more wrinkles than what they were led to believe. And if you could ride around the things adjacent to our campus, sure, CSX has some land over there. American Car and Foundry, they have a great parking lot, that would be a great place."

HUNTINGTON - To best illustrate where Marshall football coach Mark Snyder stands in the eyes of his boss, consider a story from Woody Hayes.

No, Snyder is not a Hayes protégé. Right school, wrong era.

But Hayes offered a bit of advice years ago to an aspiring administrator named Bob Marcum, and it sticks with Marcum as he wraps up his seventh year as the director of Thundering Herd athletics.

Marcum was heading from Canton, Ohio, in 1971 to become an associate athletic director under Lou McCullough at Iowa State. McCullough had worked with Hayes at Ohio State and was about to oversee a much less prosperous football program. Hayes offered departing words of wisdom to both.

"He said, 'Going to Iowa State, don't buy into four years,'" Hayes said. "He said, 'Everyone thinks you ought to buy into four years. You need to look at five years.' Because he said, 'The first year is usually a waste, anyway. OK?' And he said, 'You've got to get your players in, got to study your conference, those kinds of things. Good luck.'"

Conceivably, Marcum might not get the last word if Marshall suffers through another 3-9 season or worse. There is a president and a board of governors above him, after all.

But Marcum expressed his patience with the football squad, which did finish 2007 with three victories in the last five games. He sees players eagerly arriving in the Shewey Athletic Building, whether they're going to meetings, weight training, academic tutoring or other tasks.

"I think Coach Snyder has had [a difficult task]," Marcum said. "A new conference, a conference that possesses a whole lot more speed, not having as many skill players as we've had in the past. I think he's built it back up to where I feel [we have a good chance]. We have 17 starters, we have the player of the year, defensively, back from two years ago, more speed than we've ever had before. Sure, the schedule's tough, but I think, slowly but surely, we're getting more competitive in that conference."

This fall's nonconference slate includes a trip to Wisconsin (a one-shot deal signed before Marcum took office in 2002), a trip to West Virginia (part of the seven-year deal brokered with the help of Gov. Joe Manchin), a home game with Cincinnati (a home-and-home series that began last year) and a home game against Southern Illinois of the Football Championship Subdivision.

The one-shot deals all but end for the Herd after this year. Marcum set one for 2010 at nearby Ohio State, but he is looking for one-for-ones and two-for-ones with brand-name schools such as Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.). The next nonconference vacancy is in 2012.

"We've paid a lot of dues," he said. "I don't think Clemson has played here. I don't think South Carolina has played here. I don't think North Carolina has played here. I don't think Michigan State played here. The only one who has played here is Kansas State. They showed up and had great fans.

"That's another great thing about people coming to Huntington, is we do have great fans. Whether it's a conference school or a nonconference, they recognize the treatment they get from our fans."

Marcum also sees better days for basketball under second-year coach Donnie Jones, and he lavished praise on the job baseball coach Jeff Waggoner did, taking the Herd to the finals of the C-USA tournament. The Herd overcame a double whammy in the spring - not only did it play league games at Appalachian Power Park for the third season, but its new nonconference home site wasn't playable, thanks in part to heavy spring rains.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to build an on-campus field, one that could compare respectably with some of the very nice diamonds at Rice, Tulane, East Carolina and elsewhere. Funding is an issue, but acquiring a usable site seems to be a bigger issue.

"It always seems like people are telling us this land's available, until you look into it," Marcum said. "And then you find there are a few more wrinkles than what they were led to believe. And if you could ride around the things adjacent to our campus, sure, CSX has some land over there. American Car and Foundry, they have a great parking lot, that would be a great place."

Odds are Marcum won't be in office when a new field is built. But then again, he only expected to be in the MU post for two years - remember, this was a "retirement job" of sorts after he stepped down at Massachusetts.

He calls his stint a time of transition, mostly successful. He helped shepherd the program from the Mid-American Conference to its new home, but he seems to be prouder of the transition within the athletic offices.

Case in point is the academic support services. With a strong program based in the Shewey building and led by Tara Helton, the football team has jumped to the top of the league's public schools in grade-point average.

"The academics reported someplace else," Marcum said. "Marketing was with ISP, nobody paid any attention to the media relations office - those young people over there, they didn't even work until 5 o'clock, when they could jump on someone's computer. They didn't have any computers. ... When you started looking at it, it was so fragmented it was unbelievable.

"So, slowly but surely, we have collectively pulled all those people together. I think, as a department, we trust one another pretty well. I don't think anybody runs around in fear of this or fear of that. We have walls and offices, but I don't think people pay much attention to them. ... I think we've created an atmosphere where people can perform. We know that we run the risk, when they perform well, that they might move on."

Indeed, key personnel have come and gone since 2002, but almost always to higher-profile positions. For instance, compliance directors have gone to Tennessee and Miami, and ticket office director Matt Monroe is heading to Maryland.

As Marcum jokes, he's probably the only one in the department who would turn down a job at a bigger-name school. At 71, what of his future at MU? His current contract expires in the summer of 2009.

"Those things are up to Dr. [Stephen] Kopp and the Board of Governors," he said. "Let me tell you something: When you look at Bob Marcum, I've had a great career in athletics. A super career. I've never displayed them, but I think I have 40 championship rings [from] various places, I've been to the Final Four, and I've just been very, very lucky to work with some good people.

"For a kid who grew up in the west end [of Huntington], it's been pretty good."

Marcum knows there is some grumbling among some of the green-clads - whether it be over the state of the football program, over the basketball hiring of Ron Jirsa in 2003, the lack of a baseball field, or even the shade of green on uniforms and souvenir wear.

He knows that comes with the territory. As he points out, friends come and go, but enemies remain.

"If you sit around and try to let other people manage your program, that have far less experience than you do, then all you're doing is running around saying, 'Oh, my God, someone said this, someone said that,'" Marcum said. "This is not the first rodeo I've ever seen. If anyone thinks South Carolina's an easy job [1982-88], they'd better go examine that deal. I think my 12 days in federal court down there proved that.

"At the same time, those things that we did there, we had a great time. We improved every program there. And you know what? We've improved about every program at Marshall."

To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.