12-07-2004, 08:58 AM
Irish eyes look to Louisville
Petrino said to be latest candidate
By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff | December 7, 2004
Notre Dame's search for a football coach appears to have turned from Utah eastward toward Kentucky, where sources familiar with the process said the Irish are focusing on University of Louisville coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino, 43, who guided the Cardinals to a 10-1 record this season and a spot in the Liberty Bowl against Boise State, has become the hot coach du jour now that Utah's Urban Meyer has signed a deal to coach at the University of Florida.
Petrino reportedly has been offered a multiyear deal to take over at Mississippi and also has been working on a contract extension at Louisville. Apparently, it was the timing of those developments that prompted Notre Dame to jump into the fray. While no offer has been made, sources close to the process say Notre Dame officials were working the phones yesterday to see if Petrino would be interested.
The last thing the Irish need is a repeat of last week's events, when school officials flew to Salt Lake City confident that Meyer would accept their offer. When Meyer informed them that he was going to Florida, the Irish had to swallow their pride with the knowledge that a coach who had a clause put in his contract that allowed him to leave for Notre Dame without penalty was turning them down.
Asked last night to comment on any dealings with Petrino, Notre Dame associate athletic director John Heisler said, "Our policy is not to comment on any rumors until we find a replacement."
While Petrino's success at Louisville the past two years has been well-documented, so was his aborted attempt to sign a deal with Auburn last fall. Auburn officials flew to Louisville to negotiate with Petrino without informing Louisville officials or Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who remains the Tigers' coach.
The episode was an embarrassment for Auburn and tarnished Petrino's reputation. He apologized, saying it was a mistake in judgment by a young coach.
Until then, Petrino appeared to be on the fast track. He had started out at his alma mater, Carroll College, and paid his coaching dues through the ranks at places such as Weber State, Idaho, Arizona State, Nevada, Utah State, and Louisville. He joined Tom Coughlin's Jacksonville Jaguars staff for three seasons, then moved to Tuberville's staff in Auburn as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator in 2002 before returning to Louisville as head coach last season.
Two names that can be taken out of the mix are California coach Jeff Tedford, who received a five-year extenstion yesterday, and Baltimore Ravens senior consultant Jim Fassel, who stated that his intention is to land an NFL head coaching job next season.
Whether Notre Dame feels it can hire a coach who has had some ethical issues is a question it must ask. But the firing of Tyrone Willingham after just three years seemed to signal a change in policy at Notre Dame, with more influence by the Board of Directors and perhaps less from administration officials such as athletic director Kevin White.
The next few days should be a further indication of the power structure and direction at Notre Dame.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
<a href='http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2004/12/07/irish_eyes_look_to_louisville/' target='_blank'>http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/foot..._to_louisville/</a>
Petrino said to be latest candidate
By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff | December 7, 2004
Notre Dame's search for a football coach appears to have turned from Utah eastward toward Kentucky, where sources familiar with the process said the Irish are focusing on University of Louisville coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino, 43, who guided the Cardinals to a 10-1 record this season and a spot in the Liberty Bowl against Boise State, has become the hot coach du jour now that Utah's Urban Meyer has signed a deal to coach at the University of Florida.
Petrino reportedly has been offered a multiyear deal to take over at Mississippi and also has been working on a contract extension at Louisville. Apparently, it was the timing of those developments that prompted Notre Dame to jump into the fray. While no offer has been made, sources close to the process say Notre Dame officials were working the phones yesterday to see if Petrino would be interested.
The last thing the Irish need is a repeat of last week's events, when school officials flew to Salt Lake City confident that Meyer would accept their offer. When Meyer informed them that he was going to Florida, the Irish had to swallow their pride with the knowledge that a coach who had a clause put in his contract that allowed him to leave for Notre Dame without penalty was turning them down.
Asked last night to comment on any dealings with Petrino, Notre Dame associate athletic director John Heisler said, "Our policy is not to comment on any rumors until we find a replacement."
While Petrino's success at Louisville the past two years has been well-documented, so was his aborted attempt to sign a deal with Auburn last fall. Auburn officials flew to Louisville to negotiate with Petrino without informing Louisville officials or Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who remains the Tigers' coach.
The episode was an embarrassment for Auburn and tarnished Petrino's reputation. He apologized, saying it was a mistake in judgment by a young coach.
Until then, Petrino appeared to be on the fast track. He had started out at his alma mater, Carroll College, and paid his coaching dues through the ranks at places such as Weber State, Idaho, Arizona State, Nevada, Utah State, and Louisville. He joined Tom Coughlin's Jacksonville Jaguars staff for three seasons, then moved to Tuberville's staff in Auburn as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator in 2002 before returning to Louisville as head coach last season.
Two names that can be taken out of the mix are California coach Jeff Tedford, who received a five-year extenstion yesterday, and Baltimore Ravens senior consultant Jim Fassel, who stated that his intention is to land an NFL head coaching job next season.
Whether Notre Dame feels it can hire a coach who has had some ethical issues is a question it must ask. But the firing of Tyrone Willingham after just three years seemed to signal a change in policy at Notre Dame, with more influence by the Board of Directors and perhaps less from administration officials such as athletic director Kevin White.
The next few days should be a further indication of the power structure and direction at Notre Dame.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
<a href='http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2004/12/07/irish_eyes_look_to_louisville/' target='_blank'>http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/foot..._to_louisville/</a>