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Princeton Turns To McLaughlin

It was a prolonged process but Princeton finally named its new head coach tabbing Pat McLaughlin as their man. McLaughlin has spent the past two years at Reading (his first two as a head coach) going a combined 13-8 including a 9-2 finish in 2015. The Blue Devils started last year off going 9-0 before bowing to unbeaten Indian Hill in the regular season finale which determined the Cincinnati Hill League championship.

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A graduate of University of Dayton and Moeller High School McLaughlin will have his hands full at Princeton. The Vikings have finished 1-6 six times in the last 11 years in Greater Miami Conference play including three times in the last four years. Princeton hasn’t had a winning campaign since 2011. The once storied program has not been to the playoffs since 2007 when the great Spencer Ware was a junior.

Princeton has never lacked for athletes like Ware but McLaughlin knows it will take more. “We have to get the linemen bigger and pound the hallways to get the numbers up.” In the GMC nothing is more important than depth something that the Division II Vikings have struggled with over the past several years.

Why Princeton, what was appealing about this program? “It is still Princeton. The name recognition is there. We will embrace the past but allow the kids to create their own identity and make their mark on the program. Hopefully in five or 10 years they can look back and realize their place (in Vikings football history),” McLaughlin said about what drew him to the opening at the school.

How does McLaughlin get Vikings football back to a winning culture? “The first message is, it’s a daily process. That is something that worked at Reading. The kids bought into it and I hope the turnaround is just as fast at Princeton.”

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