March 31, 2016
RENO, Nev. - The first couple months on the job have been a blur for Nevada's Marc Nudelberg, who's in his first season as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach. In two months in Reno, Nudelberg has joined the Wolf Pack in the thick of their spring training and has also welcomed his first child into the world.
Get to know Coach Nudelberg with a Q&A listed below as the new coach discusses multiple topics, including why he started coaching and advice he learned from Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher while at Florida State.
NevadaWolfPack.com: How have your first two months in Reno been?
Marc Nudelberg: It's been fantastic. My wife moved out here, which is great when your family joins you. Last week, we just had our first child, so it's been a bit of a whirlwind. Reno has accepted us very well, though. As far as the team goes, it's been great. I love the room - our running backs and special teams. Both units are coming along very well. The staff is fantastic as well. It's a great group of people to be around.
NWP: What made this job appealing to you and why did you end up coming to Nevada?
MN: I'd say first and foremost it was the relationship with Coach Polian. He's a very well-respected head coach in our profession. For me, I was excited to work with a special teams head coach and with a guy who has coached the position successfully for a very long time. There's a wealth of knowledge to learn from with this staff. Another reason was Coach Erb, who also has special teams experience. It's great to have multiple minds to bounce ideas off of here.
NWP: Is this your first time being on the west coast for an extended stay?
MN: When I was at Cincinnati, I spent a week out in California recruiting JUCOs and that was my longest time out in the west. I've been a part of the ACC, AAC and SEC, so it's cool to come to a new conference and new region and see how they do it.
NWP: As the special teams coordinator and running backs coach, you have two of the most experienced units on the team. Is it a relief to come to a new team and find your position has solid talent?
MN: Any time you come in and know that you're talented at your positions, that's going to help you be a better coach. That's especially true at the running back position; I can coach them on what to see and where to go, but they need to have the talent to do it. It's also nice to have veteran specialists. My last time as a special teams coordinator was at Cincinnati and we had two true freshman specialists. It's great to walk into a situation where guys are veterans and they know how to go to work every day.
NWP: While at Florida State, you were the product of Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher's coaching trees. What have you learned from those two highly successful coaches?
MN: I had a really interesting time and learned a lot from both coaches at Florida State. Coach Bowden was a phenomenal head football coach. He made faith, family and a lot of other intangibles off the field very important to the culture of your team, and it was great to learn that early in my career. It was also very beneficial to watch Coach Fisher come in and revamp the program. From him, I learned that it's all about recruiting and that if you're not recruiting, you're not working. I feel tremendously lucky to have learned from both of those coaches.
NWP: What made you decide to get into coaching?
MN: I actually started as an equipment manager while studying at Florida State. I quickly learned that I wanted to be on the Xs and Os side and help players learn the game. I didn't expect to make a career of it and I planned to go into business after graduating, but as I continued to progress, that fire kept burning. When it came time to say goodbye to the game, I realized I wasn't ready for that yet. At about the same time Coach Fisher came in and created a quality control position that allowed me to stay on the staff, and I decided to see how far my coaching career could go.
NWP: What's the best piece of advice you've gotten whether in coaching or in life?
MN: Well, one of the funnier pieces of advice I ever heard is a saying that there are two types of coaches in this profession; one's that have been fired, and those that are about to be fired. That saying always makes me laugh. I think the actual best piece of advice I've ever heard isn't really a sentence, but just something that has been instilled in me by my parents and the people I've worked for. Just try your best. Give it absolutely everything you have. If you do that and keep faith that the right things are supposed to happen, at some point, things will go your way. It won't always be easy, but if you love it and it's what you want, give it everything you got and it will be worth it in the end.
NWP: Has there been anything with coming to Nevada that has surprised you?
MN: I was really pleased with the unity of the entire school and the way there is support for everybody. For example, we see the swim team leaving the weight room in the morning and everybody is saying hello and cheering them on. I've been to some places where that type of unity doesn't exist. Everything here seems to be one big team, which is great.
NWP: What are you most excited about for 2016?
MN: Another opportunity. That's one thing we talk about to the guys; you only get 15 opportunities, so don't waste them. Every day is a chance to get better, so do everything in your power to make sure your'e exhausting all the opportunities you have to be the best player or coach you can be. I'm looking forward for the opportunity to win games, a conference championship and to be the best team that we can possibly be.
