Tim Landis Resigns As RPI Football Coach

Tim Landis finished his first season as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute football coach, with a 4-5 record, and he was looking forward to his second season.

However, on Friday, RPI announced that Landis had resigned his post after just the one season in Troy.

Offensive Coordinator Guido Falbo will serve as interim head coach for the 2012 season.

“It's a trying time right now," Falbo said. "It is for the coaches, for the program, for the insitution and everybody.”

Falbo said he was shocked to learn of the resignation and this came as a total surprise.

“This was all a surprise," he said. "You have to move forward though. The program is bigger than any one person."

The reason stated for the resignation was personal issues, a decision  that the RPI staff was respecting.

“In the athletic world, you like to be proactive," said RPI Athletic Director Jim Knowlton.

Knowlton called the entire football team together on Friday to inform them of Landis' decision and the plan moving forward.

“It definitely took us back and we were surprised,” said quarterback Mike Hermann.

The players rallied around Falbo and are hoping to move forward, stronger as a unit.

“We talked about family," Falbo said. "We talked about keeping things together. We talked about moving forward and doing the things that make us men of Rensselaer.”

While Falbo was announced as the interim coach, it was also announced that RPI will begin a nationwide search for its next coach.

“What happens in the future will play out in the weeks and months ahead," Knowlton said.