CJ Entus Head coach Cho Kyo Nam has resigned from his position.
CJ announced that "Coach Cho has wanted some time to recharge, with this season as his last... ...he will have some time to himself, and make plans for the future."
Couch Cho started his career as Coach of Gamei E-noch (not sure) in 2002, and continued his career as the coach of GO and CJ Entus.
He led the CJ team to two second places finishes in the 2nd halves of the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and also saw SkyHigh win CJ the 08-09 Winners League title after a reverse all-kill.
CJ will begin internal discussions about Coach Cho's successor, while and coach Kim Dong Wu will be temporary head coach of CJ Entus
Wonder what he'll move on to. And given his public support of Savior, it's believable that the guy's actions really hit the coach hard. Can Effort continue to be monstrous without this particular coach?
Did the Savior incident impact him THAT hard? A 10 to 10 head to head score against SKT isn't bad at all!
Cho CREATED CJ from scratches of dusts. Omg, I can't believe this. If there are such things as founding fathers of e-sport, he is one of them. Oh man...almost makes me wish that CJ won instead.
I remember MBC vs CJ playoffs sending Darkelf on Python vs. Sea. Out of all players (much/savior/irs/xellos), he sent darkelf. That sealed his place in my heart to always trust him: win or lose.
It's going to be sad seeing the CJ bench without him.
CJ Entus has revealed today that their manager, Cho Gyuu Nam, has stepped down. Kim Dong Woo will be temporarily taking care of the team while CJ finds a successor.
It has been confirmed that the decision was Manager Cho's. One personnel in CJ has said that "Manager Cho Gyuu Nam had revealed strongly that he wants this to be his last season, and after much negotiations, we have respected our manager's opinion".
Cho Gyuu Nam, who has revealed his retirement, has said that "If it's something as simple as a Thank You Crest, then I would thankfully accept it but I don't need anything else", and has refused any official ceremony or requests for interviews, and ended his career just by saying good bye and a simple meal
On August 03 2010 12:05 TwoToneTerran wrote: Best or atleast second best coach in the league retires, damn.
best is coach park for sure
You don't know crap about Xellos, Cho, and Go if you can say this with a straight face. There's no doubt that this man is in the running for #1 of all time.
On August 03 2010 12:10 Milkis wrote: lol i got beat T_T
More information from it
CJ Entus has revealed today that their manager, Cho Gyuu Nam, has stepped down. Kim Dong Woo will be temporarily taking care of the team while CJ finds a successor.
It has been confirmed that the decision was Manager Cho's. One personnel in CJ has said that "Manager Cho Gyuu Nam had revealed strongly that he wants this to be his last season, and after much negotiations, we have respected our manager's opinion".
Cho Gyuu Nam, who has revealed his retirement, has said that "If it's something as simple as a Thank You Crest, then I would thankfully accept it but I don't need anything else", and has refused any official ceremony or requests for interviews, and ended his career just by saying good bye and a simple meal
Holy shit. So the result of the playoff has nothing to do with his decision.
CJ is a top team, ran by a top company paying top bucks. Hell, on paper, CJ owns OGN and GomTV. It has a deep history and recently produced an OSL champion. I know that Cho is being paid around $200,000 U.S. dollars a year according to that TL article regarding the founding of CJ as well. On paper, his current occupation is the envy of many.
Yeah. Maybe Coach Park is getting results, but Coach Cho sacrificed a ton for his players and put together the CJ team with his own hands. For those who remember professional Brood War history, he's impossible to forget. See this thread, for starters, as a brief glimpse as to what he did.
Very sad news. I'm a bit worried for CJ Entus - assuming Proleague continues in some form. Apart from EffOrt, they just don't have S-class talent, and I don't see who else could get out of them what Cho has.
(Crazy idea: Iris retires from playing full-time and turns into a genius coach? Except Iris is still very good, so that might not be great for CJ either.)
I'm willing to bet a limb or something that it has to do with Savior. I'm pretty sure Coach Cho is pretty disillusioned because he put absolute trust in Savior only to get it destroyed
On August 03 2010 12:15 Zona wrote: Yeah. Maybe Coach Park is getting results, but Coach Cho sacrificed a ton for his players and put together the CJ team with his own hands. For those who remember professional Brood War history, he's impossible to forget. See this thread, for starters, as a brief glimpse as to what he did.
Those who think that Cho is JUST another manager/head coach, read that article ASAP.
And then watch this video:
This is the man who molded Nal_ra, Xellos, Savior, Gorush and many others from the dust into what they became. He gave up his own career to take care of these progamers wanna be. Boxer had to open up his own pocket to keep his team running for 6 months before SKT gave the sponsorship. But Cho here used everything he got to keep CJ running for 4 years with minimal sponsorship. Xellos lost his own father, needed to support his mother, yet nonetheless stood by Cho during the worst of crisis and gave up his own prize money to keep CJ running.
Cho always believed in his kids and his kids always believed in him. Savior was responsible for the revival of CJ and the two of them probably had a great deal of emotional attachment. Savior's slump was very likely also a source of emotional stress for Cho throughout the years. Being betrayed like that is no different from being betrayed by your own son or daughter.
This is somebody who truly believed in e-sport and its players.
I wonder if this news has been kept away from CJ players as well.
Forget about All In The Family. This needs to be front page news!
My sadness knows no bounds.....T_T Oh Cho....we salute you. I feel like TL.net should put together some sort of farewell card of a sorts...I mean, the man has contributed so much to the E-sports community....
On August 03 2010 12:09 dukethegold wrote: WHAT IS THIS?
This is like Boxer retiring from Starcraft!!!
Did the Savior incident impact him THAT hard? A 10 to 10 head to head score against SKT isn't bad at all!
Cho CREATED CJ from scratches of dusts. Omg, I can't believe this. If there are such things as founding fathers of e-sport, he is one of them. Oh man...almost makes me wish that CJ won instead.
Oh wow, the greatest coach ever is ending his run.... More than any individual in e-sports, be it player or coach, no one defined his team as much as Coach Cho.
Thank you for all the amazing teams you brought together, and good luck wherever you may go.
On August 03 2010 12:38 Pyrrhuloxia wrote: Lol picks Snow instead of Effort and then runs off. Lame.
You better be joking. Actually joking or not this kind of comment shows that you really don't know the history of this man, his sacrifices, and his impact not only on CJ Entus as a team, but the professional brood war scene.
On August 03 2010 12:42 darkmetal505 wrote: Ch(n)oooooooooooooooo!
This was just so abrupt. Was there no discussion of his retirement before?
Maybe he kept it secret not to affect CJ's current season and playoff run? It could have been a huge distraction to the CJ players. (Maybe it could be a motivator as it was his last run as manager/coach? But I think the distraction would still be more significant.)
On August 03 2010 12:09 dukethegold wrote: WHAT IS THIS?
This is like Boxer retiring from Starcraft!!!
Did the Savior incident impact him THAT hard? A 10 to 10 head to head score against SKT isn't bad at all!
Cho CREATED CJ from scratches of dusts. Omg, I can't believe this. If there are such things as founding fathers of e-sport, he is one of them. Oh man...almost makes me wish that CJ won instead.
On August 03 2010 12:07 jalstar wrote:
On August 03 2010 12:05 TwoToneTerran wrote: Best or atleast second best coach in the league retires, damn.
best is coach park for sure
Can't agree with you there. Park may be a tactical master, but Cho's history with e-sport is deep and emotional.
That doesn't make him the best coach. Someone who wins is the best.
do you really want to try and argue that CJ has not been one of the most dominant teams? they've done well throughout various proleague seasons and let's not forget their long history of individual league winners such as gorush, nalra, xellos, savior, and effort
Nonononono wtf..........Wow. I'm really heartbroken over this.......as I was with Savior. What the hell are we going to do T_T I love this man so much. When was it indicated he was thinking of leaving during the season? Sigh............I don't even know what to do now T_T
Noooo coach Cho Cho's resume is absolutely SUPERB. He truly cares about his players... There's a lot that went on behind the scenes, I suspect the scandal hurt him a lot (savior >:O)
Progaming lost a real class act. I appreciate all the great moments made possible by Coach Cho's guiding hand behind the careers of so many successful progamers, many of them some of my personal favorites.
On August 03 2010 12:42 darkmetal505 wrote: Ch(n)oooooooooooooooo!
This was just so abrupt. Was there no discussion of his retirement before?
Maybe he kept it secret not to affect CJ's current season and playoff run? It could have been a huge distraction to the CJ players. (Maybe it could be a motivator as it was his last run as manager/coach? But I think the distraction would still be more significant.)
Wow this is .. unexpected. Coach Cho was there when I started watching professional Starcraft and I immediately felt he was one of the pillar of that world. Never thought he'd stop. I suppose all things must come to an end eventually. Sad.
On August 03 2010 12:12 gdroxor wrote: Say it ain't Cho!
I won't let this amazing post go unnoticed.
Total bummer. I didn't really start actively following BW until after saviors reign. I was always impressed at the depth of CJ's roster. I wonder how this effects Idra, if at all.
Damn... Coach Cho was my favorite member of CJ and truly an awesome coach and leader. Everyone's already expressed his greatness better than I can, but I had to post to say that I admire Cho's spirit and accomplishments and I wish him the best in the future.
Savior gone, now Cho. This is going to be a completely new team, for better or worse.
He was with them from the beginning; I think the only coach departure that would have the same significance nowadays would be Coach Lee Jaegyun leaving Stars.
Horrible terrible sad news... Despite being the rival to SKT, he was an amazing coach how he counter predicted SKT players in Playoffs. And I remember how he led all the way to Semi-Finals last year which was amazing by the coach decision. Whether or not you will be back to CJ once more, you will be missed by many. I bid you farewell.
Hats off to the man. One of the greatest figures in E-sports history.
It's pretty easy to blame this on Savior but something tells me there might be more to this. I mean, he still has a very solid team and Effort definitely has the potential to rival Xellos and Savior. Doesn't make too much sense that someone who cares so much about his players would suddenly leave. If it really is all because of the scandal, though, fuck Savior. Whatever it is, wish him the best of luck in the future.
Edit: for once, Rek's post cheers me up slightly XD
this sucks man, Coach Cho was so good. It must be hard for him leaving CJ, especially after all he's been through with his players >.< I'm sure his team will be very sad that he's leaving. =\
For what it's worth, stand-up guy... he built the team and really struggled to make them self-sufficient. I think he achieved what he had set out to do. Hopefully he'll jump on board with commentary or something else related to the scene.
Ok I can't handle this After the drama with Savior and DE, after so many old players I love but are now gone from CJ, after all the new talent he has brought up, Coach Cho...
You know what I like about him the most? The fact that he trusted his players. He made you believe you were the best, that you can beat anybody.
Long before Skyhigh got his reverse all-kill, when he sent DE against Sea in that Ace match...speechless...
glhf Coach Cho, to whatever you pursue, your players and I will miss you.
Cho's dedication to the team since the GO days were amazing. His relationship with the players was touching and it was like a fairy tale when they finally found a sponsor.
On August 03 2010 14:07 Rekrul wrote: you guys all seem stupid enough to think this is Mr. Cho's end game
lmao, give me a break. cho will be back.
Dude you always come out of no where and bring some light to the situation. So real, its not totally over.
But yeah , this is kinda lame... Cho was by far my favorite coach. I just... liked him more. All those old CJ articles that are being re posted are all really good reads, esp the ones from last years finals.
My jaw actually dropped when I saw the title, him resigning after putting so much into the team was really surprising (I suppose he had to resign eventually, but I thought that was still a ways off). While I never liked CJ too much I always respected coach Cho for what he did for the team and how he cared for his players. I think the Savior scandal hit him pretty hard, though I doubt that was the only reason for the decision. I'll be sad to see him go, and I hope he comes back in some way.
why would he do this? coach cho is amazing for what he's done for cj. reading that thread about how he took care of his players is really heartwarming. what a great man, hope he has success after starcraft.
Coach Cho basically put everything on the line for CJ, even if you aren't a CJ fan you should recognize that this guy has been an integral part of the community and it's development. The would be vastly different without him.
Doesn't feel right with him gone can only speculate but I guess the whole betting scandal with Savior bringing bad press and then CJ faltering in the play offs may have been a factor in this. Again, just speculating but despite how good CJ has been to the team there is only so much bad press a company can take.
He and Savior are the primary reasons I'm a CJ fan. If the man had a weakness, perhaps it was that he loved and believed in his players too much at times, even though that was also his greatest strength. It feels like CJ essentially let Kwanro go to give Savior the second Zerg spot on the team and that Coach Cho never stopped trying to get MJY his spark back, perhaps in repayment for what Savior did for CJ. When I first heard about Savior and match-fixing, my first thought was to feel bad for Coach Cho.
I'ts hard to not cry now I came to CJ because of coach Cho and Savior. Well, I guess I'm going to stay anyway. But how are the CJ players going to play without fear now?
Man, Coach Cho was the main reason for me to become a CJ fan
On August 03 2010 14:47 EvilTeletubby wrote: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
For what it's worth, stand-up guy... he built the team and really struggled to make them self-sufficient. I think he achieved what he had set out to do. Hopefully he'll jump on board with commentary or something else related to the scene.
To me he really doesn't seem like the extroverted guy suitable for commentary. Rekrul's post gives me hope that we'll see more of him though.
Honestly, this is part of any sports, including Esports. Coaches get fired (just ask former SKT1 coach Joo Hoon), coaches resign, new ones come in. Yes, it's very sad to see such a legendary figure of the scene leave, but now we must pour our support towards the new manager, whoever he may be.
On August 03 2010 21:22 jpak wrote: Honestly, this is part of any sports, including Esports. Coaches get fired (just ask former SKT1 coach Joo Hoon), coaches resign, new ones come in. Yes, it's very sad to see such a legendary figure of the scene leave, but now we must pour our support towards the new manager, whoever he may be.
This coach essentially MADE the team.
He MADE CJ Entus players, he is a tactical genious and one of the main reasons why CJ magically gets favorably matchups.
On August 03 2010 14:47 EvilTeletubby wrote: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
For what it's worth, stand-up guy... he built the team and really struggled to make them self-sufficient. I think he achieved what he had set out to do. Hopefully he'll jump on board with commentary or something else related to the scene.
To me he really doesn't seem like the extroverted guy suitable for commentary. Rekrul's post gives me hope that we'll see more of him though.
I read a post here that says he was ridiculously well-paid as coach. And he isn't just taking a break due to personal reasons. Reason for quitting? Who knows, but career switch should be out, and no wonder all fingers point to savior.
On August 03 2010 21:22 jpak wrote: Honestly, this is part of any sports, including Esports. Coaches get fired (just ask former SKT1 coach Joo Hoon), coaches resign, new ones come in. Yes, it's very sad to see such a legendary figure of the scene leave, but now we must pour our support towards the new manager, whoever he may be.
This coach essentially MADE the team.
He MADE CJ Entus players, he is a tactical genious and one of the main reasons why CJ magically gets favorably matchups.
Yea, so did Coach Joo Hoon. Then his whole team tanked when boxer left and he was then replaced by Coach Park.
I'm not denying his accomplishments. I'm just saying this is all part of a sport's cycle. I'm just glad that he was able to leave on his own terms and with his head high.
Damn, I thought CJ made a good run this year, perhaps Coach Cho's had enough drama this year with the match-fixing incident and stuff. Wishing him the best whatever he decides to do now.
Like many, I'm a CJ fanboy, and it goes without saying that we all love Coach Cho. Man, sad tidings indeed, and one has to wonder what significance the Savior incident played in all this, or if it was merely just another bad thing that happened at the same time. Bah, shit.
Removing my anti-CJ hat and appreciating what Coach Cho has done raising Go and Entus. From GoRush/Xellos to Savior/Iris and Kwanro/Movie/Skyhigh/Effort. Now Hydra and Snow has potential future quarter finals to finals. Excellent coach. Always sad to see someone go, fan or not, even for awhile.
Obviously a very smart man, pretty much born to be a coach IMO.
He has trained many great players, and I've heard many great things about his setup. Obviously very good with people and a great leader. I hope to see him back involved in the scene in the near future.
Thanks for all the exciting matches <3
IdrA... whats the word from the inside?!?!?! Can't wait to hear. The guy was obviously very good to you... I'm sure he'll always put in a good word for you.
. . . After reading that I just cannot understand why a man with such passion would cut ties just like that. It must have something to do with Savior and his bullshit on his knees "it wasn't me coach begging". Coach Cho fucking even defending him from netizens at one point. Fuck Savior man greatest zerg ever or whatever I dun give a fuck - he backstabbed his coach and doused his passion in e-sports with lies and greed.
. . . After reading that I just cannot understand why a man with such passion would cut ties just like that. It must have something to do with Savior and his bullshit on his knees "it wasn't me coach begging". Coach Cho fucking even defending him from netizens at one point. Fuck Savior man greatest zerg ever or whatever I dun give a fuck - he backstabbed his coach and doused his passion in e-sports with lies and greed.
Fuck Savior.
I want to reserve judgment until the reasons are revealed and see how it pans out. However this is the only explanation I can think of that makes sense atm. Too bad some of Cho's selflessness, esp when it came to his financial situation and other's benefit, didnt rub off on savior.
a couple highlights from that CJ sponsorship thread:
starting February 2002. Because corporate support suddenly dried up, he had to run the team from his own pockets [until 2005]. Even while using his own money, he became well known among progamers for taking full care of his players.
[CJ] offered [Cho] 200,000 dollars in salary. But Coach Cho was the one to refuse, asking instead to raise the player salaries... so the players would not feel treated any less than any of their sponsored peers.
sad for korea i still remember his face when he called effort out of the OSL while he was losing. That is not a face of a coach, its the face of a father caring for his child. Farrell.
As a relatively new player to the Starcraft scene I regret the fact that I'm only just now learning in depth about Coach Cho and his history with team CJ and E-Sports due to the news of him retiring.
Coach Cho was one to raise great players and keep team chemistry in CJ. I don't think whoever takes on next can even get close to his coaching skills. This is a big blow to CJ. I see tanking season coming...
starting February 2002. Because corporate support suddenly dried up, he had to run the team from his own pockets [until 2005]. Even while using his own money, he became well known among progamers for taking full care of his players.
[CJ] offered [Cho] 200,000 dollars in salary. But Coach Cho was the one to refuse, asking instead to raise the player salaries... so the players would not feel treated any less than any of their sponsored peers.
On August 05 2010 14:53 JayDee_ wrote: This sucks for the pro scene, but it's probably best for Coach Cho. Eventually a person needs to get a real job that has a future.
O_O he had one of the most stable jobs out there, so I don't think that's why he quit.
He has done great things for the sport mr.cho has. He always seemed like a very stern character and kept all his players in check and where they needed to be and when. ONE OF THE BEST!!! IF NOT THEE BEST!!!!
Actually coach Cho was one of the few who knows which player to send in which situation. He sniped all the way through SKT1 players in playoffs, but as his Team consists of 1-2 mu players (sKyHigh, Movie, Snow), he eventually lost.
On August 05 2010 14:53 JayDee_ wrote: This sucks for the pro scene, but it's probably best for Coach Cho. Eventually a person needs to get a real job that has a future.
O_O he had one of the most stable jobs out there, so I don't think that's why he quit.
Don't make scared face O_O, make GO face -_- CJ are still hungry
On August 03 2010 12:09 illu wrote: Boxer can coach CJ?
then I'll change my team sig. Seriously... Well, now this concerns me because it means that the BW scene is deteriorating. Hopefully, BoxeR won't be next.
As much of a CJ hater as I am, I respect the fuck out of Cho and everything he did (especially back in the G.O. days) Sad to see such an awesome person leave the scene.
On August 03 2010 12:05 jaiBing wrote: is this for real? =/
after how strict TeamLiquid is, do you really have to ask? (and if this is just expressing your thoughts, my bad =D) Anyways CJ coach I always admired, strict but fond of his loyal players (ehh sAviOr was gay, not loyal)
Wow for some reason I just read the title of this article as "Coach Cho re-signing with CJ to become their coach again" a week after announcing his resignation. Disappointment ensued.