MIAMI (WSVN) - Two Florida International University coaches spoke with Sports Xtra’s Mike DiPasquale to discuss their teams and their upcoming seasons.
FIU football head coach Mike Macintyre and FIU baseball head coach Rich Witten met in person for the first time.
They have talked over the phone plenty of times but with recruiting and sponsoring their team, they have had little time to meet, until now.
Mike Macintyre: “Well we talked on the phone, actually this is the first time we’ve met in person, he’s been recruiting, I’ve been out fundraising and doing all kinds of things, so we definitely will, and I’ll go to baseball games, and I love the sport, I enjoy watching it, and definitely went to some last year when I first got here. We’re all in this together, we all want to help each other because I think as all the teams are successful, it helps everything.”
Mike DiPasquale: “Coach Mac says it’s the first time you’ve met him in person. What do you think of him?”
Rich Witten: “From everything that I’ve heard, there’s a lot to love, there’s a lot to love, and it’s been great to meet him and like coach Mac said, I can truly feel the bond within the athletic department.”
Mike DiPasquale: “What about selling the program? Do you go through different obstacles, if they are obstacles, then maybe other programs?”
Mike Macintyre: “When you come in to turn something around, and then our program being only 20 years old, trying to get more and more followers, more and more fans, that process is going out there kind of like a politician, you got to meet people, talk to people, you always have to positive and persistent. You have to do all of that, you can’t just be a football coach. You have to wear four or five different hats to be successful here.”
Rich Witten: “We have the ability to attract premium recruits here at FIU. Really good baseball players in South Florida and all over the country want to come to FIU. They want to be a part of this university, they want to be able to play baseball here, and for us, we’re always going to be able to recruit talent.”
Mike DiPasquale: “Both programs, which I’ve covered, have had an issue of attracting fans to come to games on game day. What do you do to spark up that enthusiasm?”
Mike Macintyre: “It has to be an event and a game. It can’t just be a game, not in South Florida. That’s something that [Athletic Director] Scott [Carr] and our administration is working hard on to change to make better, and so then I think it all works together. They have to be ready in the event area and we have to keep building in the team area, and then I think it all comes to a great point. When that is, I don’t know, but I know one thing that both sides are working extremely hard to come together as one and make it successful.
Rich Witten: I’ve been overwhelmed already in just a couple of weeks at the amount of support and fans and alumni of people all throughout South Florida and Miami, and quite honestly all over the country that have an unbelievable passion for FIU baseball, and want our program to be successful, they want to support it, and ultimately it will be our job to put a product out on the field that they want to come to watch.”
Mike DiPasquale: “One of the things that a lot of fans in South Florida like is when FIU plays Miami. Now in baseball, you guys play each other, football it’s been a while, and one of the biggest wins ever in the program history was when they beat the Canes. Is that something we should expect to see in years to come?”
Mike Macintyre: “We would love to play Miami, but I don’t know if they’re going to play us, but we would love to play them, love to play them.”
Rich Witten: “It’ll be nothing better than to beat UM when we have that opportunity, but I also want to make sure we are focusing on ourselves, and putting the program into the best place it could possibly be.”
Mike DiPasquale: ” Do you come in hearing what some people say, maybe some fans saying that FIU is the little brother to the University of Miami?”
Mike Macintyre: I haven’t heard that, but he’s [Witten] correct, we need to worry about FIU, and get our team better, keep working with ours and then play whoever’s on the schedule.”
Rich Witten: “They can call us the little brother or underdog if they want to, come the end of May when we’re competing for a championship, I’ll be just fine to be the younger brother, the little brother competing for that.”
Mike DiPasquale: “You have predicted, and correct me if I’m wrong, at your press conference you said ‘we’re going to the Regionals in 2023’, you did say that right?”
Rich Witten: “I don’t know if that was my exact quote that we are going to the Regionals, but I have no problem making that call, I have no problem with it. We have a ton of talented players on our team, and quite honestly if that’s not the expectation, what are we even doing here?”
Mike DiPasquale: “How do you feel about the team you have right now and the players you have brought in?”
Mike Macintyre: “Well I definitely believe there’s a big buy-in, I’ve seen a change from the very first spring practice to now. We have practice one coming up, that’s all I’m worried about is practice number one, but I see a buy-in, and I see a good effort, and then we’ll have to keep developing our football team. There are so many moving parts on a football team. We’re going to have 110 guys out there practicing and we got to figure out how we best fit together.”
Mike DiPasquale: “Is there more pressure on first-year head coaches?”
Rich Witten: ” I embrace pressure and our players need to embrace pressure. I wouldn’t have taken it if didn’t enjoy the pressure, it’s an old saying, but ‘you have to turn pressure into pleasure’, and you have to be comfortable becoming uncomfortable, and we’re going to learn how to do that, we’re going to face adversity and we’re going to push through it.”
Mike DiPasquale: “The message to fans. What is your message coach and what is your message coach?”
Mike Macintyre: “Well my message is buy season tickets, I mean that sincerely. If you buy season tickets you’re putting action where your words are. That’s what I’m asking, buy season tickets, believe in us, be patient, be persistent, be positive and we’ll eventually get where we want to go.”
FIU’s season opener of football is at home on Sept. 1 against Bryant University, so buy those tickets.
Both coaches, great guys to meet.
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