When Tony Romo dropped back to throw the ball in practice, he made the wrong decision.

Romo, who was the reigning Ohio Valley Conference player of the year, chose to throw the ball down field rather than into the flat.

His head coach would have none of it.

Bob Spoo released his booming voice and let the quarterback know what he should have done with the ball.

It was defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni’s first day on the job in 2002.

“I had never seen this guy, who was supposed to be this super player, look so small and putting his head down,” Bellantoni said.

Four years later, Spoo is beginning his 20th season as head coach of the Panthers.

It is the second-longest continuous tenure in Eastern’s history behind Charles Lantz’s 24-year stint that ended in 1934.

His relationship with players and coaches is both a factor in his longevity and what Spoo points to as one of the reasons he comes back every year.

“I’ve been with some awfully good men that were players that I’ve just enjoyed being around,” he said.

Keys to longevity

Romo bounced back from his brush with Spoo and is now in the National Football League as a backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

He said Spoo’s quiet, but demanding method is similar to his current head coach, Bill Parcells.

“The great coaches are the ones who can do it for a long time,” Romo said. “They know how to teach individuals and they know how to get the best out of individuals.”

Romo’s last season with the Panthers was in 2002.

He said when he first arrived in 1999, there were some character issues on the team that went 2-10.

“He sensed that,” he said. “He wanted to turn it around and find the leaders of the team. He was a high character individual and he wanted the team to play the same way.”

Current Panthers see the same emphasis on quality characters.

Senior cornerback Ben Brown said Spoo cares about his players beyond the football field.

“Whether you play good or not, you’re going to leave here with a degree,” he said. “You’re going to show class on and off the field. That’s what he’s all about.”

But it doesn’t always go as planned.

Untapped potential

Brown started as a freshman in 2003 on a team that at one time or another, started Tristan Burge and Lucius Seymour, who were also freshmen.

Spoo started them because he had gotten rid of some players that had questionable character.

“We had some kids here who probably weren’t a good fit,” Bellantoni said. “(They) didn’t go to class or were not good people.”

Rather than tolerate the behavior, Spoo and the coaching staff decided to go a different way, even if it meant going through an unofficial rebuilding year.

The Panthers finished with a 4-8 record only one season after making the postseason.

Spoo said untapped potential is one frustration that comes with college coaching.

“When we bring (players) in and . give them an opportunity to get an education,” he said, “when they don’t carry out their end of it, those are the hardest things to swallow. Those aren’t fun.”

After going through the 2003 season, Eastern went through another under .500 year in 2004. But that all changed in 2005, when the Panthers went to the postseason for the ninth time in the last 12 years.

“He never wavered,” Bellantoni said. “He didn’t say we were going to go out and sign all of these (junior college) guys to turn it around.”

The practice field

When Spoo gets worked up on the sidelines, everybody knows it.

“He’s always had (a booming voice),” said John Smith, who coached with Spoo at Wisconsin in the 1970s. “There was no doubt when coach Spoo got fired up because the whole stadium could hear it.”

It was a sound that would be identified with Spoo for the rest of his career.

“That voice was a trademark, no question about it,” said Roy Wittke, who coached with Spoo for 13 years from the late-1980s to 2002. “He still has a tremendous passion for the game. There was never any question when he was around.”

The players get used to it after a while.

“I’ve been here five years so it doesn’t bother me anymore,” senior running back Vincent Webb Jr. said. “My skin’s a little tougher. With time you get used to it.”

Before he went in for Tuesday’s surgery, Spoo was working every day with the running backs.

Webb said it probably made him remember his days as a player.

“I think he’s a little bit younger when he’s out there with the running backs,” he said. “He’s a pretty intense guy and I love him as a coach.”

It is a sentiment that is shared by many.

Junior quarterback Mike Donato said he would look back on his years playing for Spoo fondly.

“He’s been great to play for and I’m glad that I can graduate from this place and tell my family that I played for coach Spoo,” he said.

The thing that sets coach Spoo apart, is his friendliness in the hallways, Brown said.

When he sees somebody he recognizes, he calls him out by name.

And he doesn’t just shake hands.

“He gives you a hug,” Brown said. “No handshakes, no pat on the butt. He likes to hug. He’s a loving guy.”