A 5th grader applied for the Incarnate Word coaching job and he should get it

Incarnate Word announced last week that it had relieved head coach Ken Burmeister of his duties after 12 seasons on the job. The Cardinals struggled through a disappointing season that saw them go 7-21 overall and just 2-16 in Southland Conference play.

UIW Director of Athletics Dr. Brian Wickstrom has been putting some feelers out to coaches and agents across the country to find a replacement, but one candidate in particular caught his attention.

Townsend Holan is a fifth grade student from Omaha, Nebraska who reached out to Dr. Wickstrom by email saying that he would like to be considered for the position.

“As a fan, I know that the secret to winning consistently is to have a plan,” Holan wrote. “What I see in this program is a process and I like where this team is going. So if you let me guide the team, you would not regret it.”

Dr. Wickstrom said the young man’s email struck a chord with him because he was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, which is also where Holan is from.

He said he came away impressed with the fifth grader at how insightful he was in his approach and also spoke about how appreciative he was that Holan had the courage to seek out the job.

“My favorite part was that he only asked for one year to turn it around,” he said. “Because coaches want four or five years to turn the program around but he said he needed just one year.”

The University of Incarnate Word is in San Antonio, TX and is a private catholic university whose athletic programs compete in Division I as part of the Southland Conference. They made the jump to D-I in 2013 and have yet to win the conference or appear in the NCAA tournament.

Whoever ends up getting the job will be faced with the daunting task of answering the question: Are you smarter than a fifth grader?