In looking across the Web this morning, I stumbled on this gem. It's a story from 1982, when Kansas hired Mike Gottfried away from UC.

There are some similarities to this situation that are interesting. There is also the amount of salary involved, which is just mind-boggling 25 years later.

Quote:Former Cincy coach Gottfried nets five-year KU pact

By Chuck Woodling, Sports Reporter

Wednesday, December 29, 1982

He turned football programs around at Murray State and Cincinnati. Now Mike Gottfried has a third challenge.

Gottfried, a 38-year-old native Ohioan, was named Kansas University's new football coach this morning.

"I talked to many people about the Kansas University job," Gottfried said at a news conference at Allen Fieldhouse, "and, to a man, everybody felt this was a great opportunity."

Gottfried, who guided Cincinnati University to back-to-back 6-5 records against tough competition, was given a five-year contract calling for a salary of $57,000.

Don Fambrough, fired on Dec. 3, was making $49,980 per year.

KANSAS ATHLETIC director Monte Johnson said Gottfried was near the top of the list ever since the search began to find Fambrough's successor.

"Our first priority," Johnson said, "was to find a coach who had been successful at the major college level and had been able to turn programs around. One of the first we talked to was Mike Gottfried."

A native of Crestline, Ohio, and a former quarterback at Morehead, Ky., State, Gottfried spent a dozen years as a high school head coach and a college assistant before securing his firs college head job in 1978 at Murray, Ky., State.

The racers were 4-7 that season, but 9-2-1 in '79 and 9-2 in '80, and Gottfried used that as a springboard to the post at Cincinnati.

Last fall, the Bearcats lost five games, but four of them were on the road to Alabama, Florida State, Miami of Florida and South Carolina - all toughies.

Gottfried said he decided last Wednesday to take the Kansas job after visiting here a week ago Saturday.

The announcement of Gottfried's decision was delayed until today, he said, because Cincinnati athletic director Mike McGee asked for some time to prepare their search for a new coach.

GOTTFRIED stressed he wasn't frightened by the checkered history of KU football and the ultimate fate of most of its head coaches.

"I'm not worried about that," he stressed. "I have a lot of confidence. I'm looking forward to the new challenge ahead. The goal of any coach is to be in a conference where you can win the national championship."

Great find. Where'd you find that....microfiche? ;-)

Good find.

Nice to see coach's salaries have kept up with inflation.

It was up on the Kansas Web site, for some reason.

I'm certain the only other place it exists is microfiche.

Quote:GOTTFRIED stressed he wasn't frightened by the checkered history of KU football and the ultimate fate of most of its head coaches.

"I'm not worried about that," he stressed. "I have a lot of confidence. I'm looking forward to the new challenge ahead. The goal of any coach is to be in a conference where you can win the national championship."

[/quote]

He should have been worried.

Good find Socko.