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Bowling Green athletic director Derek van der Merwe has said Urban Meyer helped him decide on hiring Eddie George as the Falcons' next coach.
George was the Tennessee State coach for four years, going 24-22. After his successful tenure there, he was hired as Bowling Green's coach. At George's introductory press conference on Monday, van der Merwe revealed Meyer pushed him to hire the former Ohio State and NFL running back.
"I said, ‘Give me names. Please give me as many names as you can,'" van der Merwe recalled about his phone call with Meyer, via FootballScoops. "He said, ‘I have one name for you. I want you to talk to Eddie George. I said, ‘the Heisman Trophy winner, right?’ He says yeah. He says, ‘Don't look at anything. Don't read anything on him. Don't read his background. Talk to him. Talk to the human being.’
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“After meeting with Eddie George during the search process, it became very clear to me that Eddie checked every aspect of that profile that we created. Eddie is someone who cares about people, values personal growth and development. He defines himself by his ability to adapt, adjust, and have success in every aspect of his life.”
Meyer helped connect George to Bowling Green, and van der Merwe says the former NFL running back blew him away, so he quickly hired him.
George was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year last season.
Eddie George praises Derek van der Merwe
After Eddie George was hired to be Bowling Green's next coach, he praised Derek van der Merwe. George said he and the AD got along from the get-go.
"We have like minds," George said of AD Derek van der Merwe. "Our vision is in harmony. Where he wants to take this program holistically, and what I envision, is our football program on and off the field... within our conversations, we realized there were more similarities (than not). I'm like, 'Man, we can do some great things together.'"
The hope is George can help turn around Bowling Green and make the Falcons contenders in the MAC again.
George will coach his first game at Bowling Green at home against Lafayette on Aug. 28. The Falcons went 7-6 last season.
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