Ohio fans, and maybe even players, were stunned when, shortly after the team’s Mid-American Conference Championship game victory, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Ohio head coach Tim Albin would leave Ohio to take the head coaching opening at Charlotte.
Like many folks in the Ohio community, I was shocked. Not because Albin didn’t deserve a better job but because of how much Albin loved the Ohio Football program.
Let’s be honest: the MAC is not the pinnacle of success in college football. A move to the American Athletic Conference gives Albin and his family a much greater financial gain while also giving Albin a much larger NIL fund to work with when assembling a football team.
Albin deserves all the money and resources he can get in pursuit of playing on a national stage in college football because he is an incredible football coach worthy of the national stage.
Many Ohio fans have criticized the nature of Albin’s departure for a myriad of different reasons. To start with, Albin was announced to be leaving Ohio before the celebration of a MAC Title began back in Athens. This, however, is not Albin’s fault.
College football is a fast-moving business, one that waits on no one. Charlotte knew it had its guy and wanted to get started as soon as possible. Albin would likely tell you he wished he had some more time to celebrate the deeply coveted MAC title with Ohio, but that’s not how the cards fell. And that’s OK.
Although the timing of it all has left Ohio fans with a sour feeling regarding Albin, let’s not forget how impactful Albin was in his 20 years in Athens.
The Albins, Tim and his wife, Brooke, perfectly embodied what Athens is for 20 years. Since coming to Ohio in 2005 as an assistant, Tim Albin embraced the town and gave back to the city and its residents both on and off the field.
The annual Pups at Peden event provided resources and financial aid to dog shelters around Athens County every season that Albin was the head coach. The Albins were pivotal parts of Athens, giving back in more ways than one.
On the field, Albin will go down as one of the greatest coaches in Ohio history. Albin tallied an impressive 33-19 record with the Bobcats, giving him the second-best winning percentage in program history.
Albin also accomplished something only three coaches in program history were able to do — win the MAC Championship game. Albin’s final note to Ohio is not his devastating departure; it is his carrying of his team to a blowout 38-3 championship victory over rival Miami. Not even Hall of Fame coach Frank Solich could accomplish what Albin did by winning the MAC Championship Game.
Albin achieved success the right way. He made sure his players understood and appreciated the history and culture in Athens while also serving as impactful residents. Neither those at Ohio nor those in Athens County were shocked when Ohio football players were out doing charity work because of Albin’s influence and leadership.
The Albin family made the small town of Athens a better place for 20 years in a row; Ohio fans should not forget this because Tim Albin made a decision that he felt was best for him and his family.
In a final note to the Ohio community, Tim Albin wrote: “We will forever be tied to Ohio University and to Athens County. The Albins aren’t from Ohio, but Ohio is home for the Albins.”
Albin forever changed Ohio for the better. Despite Albin’s departure, Ohio will be a perennial contender in the MAC. In the last 20 years, under Albin and Solich, Ohio has gone from a middle-of-the-pack MAC team to a powerhouse at the group of five level.
Ohio should thank Tim Albin and his family for all they did to improve the Ohio Football program and its fans.
