Michael David Neu (born December 29, 1970) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He was the head coach of the Ball State Cardinals from 2016–2024. He played college football at Ball State for Paul Schudel from 1990 to 1993. Neu played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for one season, in France Championnat Élite Division 1 one season, then in the Arena Football League (AFL) for 2 seasons from 1996 to 1997. He then served as the head coach of the af2's Augusta Stallions (2000), the AFL's Carolina Cobras (2001–2002) and the New Orleans VooDoo (2004–2008).[1] In 2016, Neu returned to his alma mater, Ball State.[2]
 Neu coaching the Ball State Cardinals in 2019 | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Born: | December 29, 1970 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Perry Meridian (Indianapolis, Indiana) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Ball State | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1994 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| As a player: | |||||||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||||||
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| As an administrator: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career Arena League statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Regular season: | AFL: 52–43 (.494) NCAA: 40–63 (.388) | ||||||||||||
| Postseason: | AFL: 2–4 (.333) | ||||||||||||
| Career: | AFL: 54–47 (.482) NCAA: 40–63 (.388) | ||||||||||||
Early life and playing career
editBorn in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 29, 1970, Neu is the son of Gwyndoline and Ed Neu.[3] He attended Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis, where was the starting quarterback.[4] He was named All-State as a senior in 1989. Neu grew up a fan of the University of Notre Dame.[5] In 1990, Neu enrolled at Ball State University and played quarterback for the Cardinals, starting for four seasons. As a senior in 1993, he led Ball State to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship, was named the MAC MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.[6]
Neu signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, where he served as a backup to Doug Flutie in 1995. He signed with the Grenoble Centaures in France. In 1996, Neu signed with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League, where he spent the season as a backup to Pat O'Hara. He appeared in a single game for the Predators, throwing and rushing for touchdowns. The following year he signed with the Nashville Kats, but never appeared in a single game.
Coaching career
editIn 1994, before pursuing a professional career, Neu would become a graduate assistant for Ball State.
From 1998 to 1999, he would remain with the Kats, but in the roles of quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator respectfully. In 2000, he turned to the af2 as the head coach of the Augusta Stallions. Neu returned to the AFL ranks in 2001 as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Cobras. When head coach Doug Kay resigned suddenly during the season, Neu was elevated to head coach of the Cobras, leading them to a Wild Card round loss to the Indiana Firebirds. After having the interim tag removed, Neu led the Cobras to the AFL Semifinals, where they lost to AFL runner-up, Arizona Rattlers. After taking a year off, Neu was named the head coach of the New Orleans VooDoo and led them to a 2004 South Division Title. During the 2006 AFL season, while the VooDoo suspended operations for the season, he worked as a professional scout for the National Football League's New Orleans Saints.
In 2014, Neu left his job as quarterbacks coach with the Tulane Green Wave football team, to take the same position with the Saints.[7]
Neu was named the head coach at his alma mater Ball State on January 7, 2016.[8] Neu was signed to a two-year extension in 2020.[9][10] In the 2020 season, Mike Neu guided Ball State to their first bowl victory in school history defeating the 19th ranked San Jose State Spartans by a score of 34-13 in the Arizona Bowl. [11] Ball State fired Neu with two games remaining in the 2024 season. In almost nine seasons, Neu had 40 wins and 63 losses, with 2020 the sole winning season. Colin Johnson succeeded him as interim head coach.[12]
Personal
editNeu has three children: Graycen, Carson, and Chase.
Head coaching record
editProfessional
edit| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| AUG | 2000 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in AF2 American Conference | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Tennessee Valley Vipers in Semifinals. |
| AUG Total | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1 | 1 | .500 | – | ||
| AF2 Total | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1 | 1 | .500 | – | ||
| CAR | 2001 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 3rd in AFL Eastern Division | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Indiana Firebirds in Wild Card Round. |
| CAR | 2002 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2nd in AFL Southern Division | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Arizona Rattlers in Quarterfinals. |
| CAR Total | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | 1 | 2 | .333 | – | ||
| NO | 2004 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFL Southern Division | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Colorado Crush in Quarterfinals. |
| NO | 2005 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 4th in AFL Southern Division | – | – | – | – |
| NO | 2007 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in AFL Southern Division | – | – | – | – |
| NO | 2008 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | T-3rd in AFL Southern Division | – | – | – | – |
| NO Total | 33 | 31 | 0 | .516 | 0 | 1 | .000 | – | ||
| AFL Total | 39 | 40 | 0 | .494 | 1 | 3 | .250 | – | ||
| Total | 52 | 43 | 0 | .547 | 2 | 4 | .333 | – | ||
College
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State Cardinals (Mid-American Conference) (2016–2024) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Ball State | 4–8 | 1–7 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2017 | Ball State | 2–10 | 0–8 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2018 | Ball State | 4–8 | 3–5 | 5th (West) | |||||
| 2019 | Ball State | 5–7 | 4–4 | T–3rd (West) | |||||
| 2020 | Ball State | 7–1 | 5–1 | 1st (West) | W Arizona | 23 | 23 | ||
| 2021 | Ball State | 6–7 | 4–4 | T–4th (West) | L Camellia | ||||
| 2022 | Ball State | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–4th (West) | |||||
| 2023 | Ball State | 4–8 | 3–5 | T–4th (West) | |||||
| 2024 | Ball State | 3–7 | 2–4 | [a] | |||||
| Ball State: | 40–63 | 25–43 | |||||||
| Total: | 40–63 | ||||||||
- ^ Ball State fired Neu with two games remaining
References
edit- ^ "A Neu Era: Mike Neu returns home as Ball State football coach". www.chatsports.com. Chat Sports, Inc. January 11, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ Dakota Crawford, "Ball State names Mike Neu head football coach", Indianapolis Star, January 7, 2016.
- ^ "Obituaries". www.furnituretoday.com. BridgeTower Media. March 25, 2002. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ Bob Kravitz (September 2, 2016). "KRAVITZ: Family and football bring Ball State alum Mike Neu back to Muncie". www.wthr.com. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ Zach Piatt (September 6, 2018). "Head coach Mike Neu revisits childhood as Cardinals prepare to take on Irish". www.ballstatedaily.com. Unified Student Media. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ "New Orleans VooDoo Coach Mike Neu to be inducted into Ball State Hall of Fame". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 30, 2004. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ^ Tammy Nunez (February 4, 2014). "New Orleans Saints confirm Tulane QB coach Mike Neu headed back to Saints as QB coach". www.nola.com. NOLA Media Group. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ^ "Ball State hires Mike Neu as head coach". USA Today. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Head Coach Mike Neu Inks Extension Through 2022 Season". Ball State University Athletics. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Ball State AD Beth Goetz says football coach Mike Neu will receive extension after season". The Star Press. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Cardinals Finish Memorable 2020 With Arizona Bowl Win". Ball State University Athletics. December 31, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ Sergio, Arianna (November 16, 2024). "Ball State University fires head coach Mike Neu after losing season". WTHR. Retrieved November 16, 2024.