The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, December 05, 2000, Page 9, Image 9
Former Texas coach new hire at Arizona THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TUCSON, Ariz. - After three years as a TV football analyst, John Mackovic decided he wasn't through with coaching after all. When Arizona called about the opening created by the resignation of his good friend DickTbmey, Mackovic jumped at it On Monday, Mackovic appeared at a news conference to be introduced as the Wildcats’ new coach, the fourth program he has led in whatwillbehis 14th season as a major college coach. “The TV gig was nice, but it’s not coach ing," he said. “It doesn't have the same feel of coaching.” Mackovic, 57, returns to the school where he was a young offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1973-76. “It’s been a long wait,” he said, “but I feel like I’m finally home.” Since then, he’s had a nomadic career that included coaching Wake Forest from 1978-80, the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs from 1983-86, Illinois from 1988-91 and Texas from 1992-97. He was Coach of the Year in all three colle giate conferences, but decided to quit the profession when he was fired by Texas after a 4-7 season. He then worked for ESPN. “I chose to say I was retired because I was hurt,” Mackovic said. “I just didn’t know if I wanted to continue because I felt we had done the things that were asked of us and we had put our program at Texas in not only a competitive but a winning position, but we had an off year.” Athletic Director Jim Livengood first con tacted Mackovic a week ago. They worked out the details of the five-year contract at meet ings late last week in Phoenix. Livengood said no one else was offered the job. “I think the biggest thing that probably convinced me more than anything else is that he has a passion, a burning desire to get back into college football and coach young peo ple,” Livengood said. Livengood said he wanted an offensive minded coach, and Mackovic fills that bill. He said he will call the plays. “I will be vitally involved with all parts of the program,” he said, “but I do expect to be involved on a minute by minute basis with the offense.” After 14 years as coach, Tomey resigned moments after the Wildcats lost to Arizona State 30-17 in the season finale. One of his main failures was his inability to get Arizona to the Rose Bowl. The Wildcats are the only Pac-10 team never to make it to the Pasadena classic. “I want us to be the best. That’s why I do things,” Mackovic said. “First of all, we have to get to and win the Rose Bowl. This university has not been there. That would be my No. 1 obligation to our team, our university, our fans." He also talked about bolstering dwindling fan support. Mackovic said he wants the home crowd to become “as ferocious and as fearsome and as loathed by opponents as we can make it It can be done. It's been done other places in the Pac-10 that at one time were not known for their home field advantage.” He said he had turned down another offer recently and had been contacted by a third school but had already accepted the Arizona job. Mackovic’s record in 13 seasons as a col lege coach is 85-64-3. He was 30-34 with the Chiefs. He was offensive coordinator at Purdue in 1977 and was quarterbacks coach for Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys in 1981 and 1982. Mackovic directed Texas to a 10-2-1 record in 1996 but was fired after the Longhorns went 4-7 in 1997. His overall record at Texas was 41-28-2. Mackovic said he had no problems going to a school where the basketball program overshadows football "It overshadows only in the sense that they've had such phenomenal success, and they deserve every bit of the recognition,” he said. “That Arizona logo with the Saguoro cactus sticking out of it, that is better blown today than anybody could have dreamed, and that helps every team in recruiting. “Lute (Olson) deserves all that success. Our job is to earn that same type of reputation and same kind of admiration.” Big 12 conferenceputs seven in bowls BOWLSfrompagelO took place in 1998,” Snyder said. “They believe this is a different team.” KSU then got its bowl wish by accepting a Cotton Bowl bid, the oretically the No. 2 bowl in the conference, where it will play Tennessee. The Volunteers have a freshman-laden team attempting to bridge a gap from one era of strong teams, which included die 1998 national champions, to another. Snyder was asked virtual ly no questions about UT. In other games involving Big 12 Conference teams: Holiday Bowl (Dec. 29): Texas (9-2) vs. Oregon (9-2) The Longhorns have been strong since a pasting by Oklahoma, with Chris Simms’ growing more into the quarter back position as Major Applewhite battles illness and injury. UT Coach Mack Brown said Applewhite should be ready for the bowl game, as will two or three other injured Longhorn players.. Oregon, tabbed for the Rose Bowl until a loss to Oregon State in the last regular-season game, fea tures a balanced offense with a 1,000-yard rusher in Maurice Morris and a 2,000-yard passer in Joey Harrington. “They have a lot of speed," Brown said. “They’ve played in a lot of exciting ballgames; I think they’ve played in more overtime games than anybody else. It’ll be a speed game; there’ll be a lot of balls in the air.” insight.com Bowl (Dec. 28): Iowa State (8-3) vs. Pittsburgh (7 4) It’s the first trip in 22 years for Iowa State, which was taken above Texas A&M for the game in Phoenix, and will likely bring thousands of fans in tow to Bank One Ballpark, the home of Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. The ballpark will feature a unique, converted-field setting that harkens bade the Bluebonnet and Freedom Bowls of yesteryear. Already, ISU has sold 10,000 tickets for tye game and is asking for more. The Cyclones will face the Panthers, whose offense, while stellar; toiled in obscurity this sea son and got thumped by Miami near the end of the season. Still, Pitt took Virginia Tech down to the wire, and possesses possibly the nation’s best receiver in Antonio Bryant, who had 1,302 receiving yards for the season. “There’s only one team in the history of Iowa State that’s won nine games,” ISU Coach Dan McCamey said. “And that was in 1906.” Independence Bowl (Dec. 31): Texas A&M (7-4) vs. Mississippi State (7-4) Hello, Jackie Sherrill. The for mer A&M coach, who left the pro gram in a bit of a controversial swirl, gets to face his former pro gram in this matchup of two hard hitting, throwback programs. Both teams feature a fair run ning game with quarterbacks ver satile enough to throw often. MSU is fairly inconsistent, beating Florida 46-34 then getting blasted by Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl “Jackie and I aren’t going to play, I hope,” Aggies' Coach R.C. Slocum said. “It’s his team and my team out there. I’ve got a bunch of respect for Jackie, and he’s a good football coach. “There’ll be some additional interest there that Jackie coached here, and I worked (for him). “We’ve been an underdog before this season. We were an underdog against Texas; we were a nine point underdog to Kansas State, and we went up there and won by 10 ” Bob Stoops OU coach There was never a time where he and I had any problems with each other or arguments or anything else. He was a good guy to work for." galleryfumiture.com Bowl: Texas Itech (7-5) vs. East Carolina (7-4) The Red Raiders didn't beat a team with a winning record dur ing the season, so the Pirates rep resent a obstacle of sorts. ECU has a mobile quarterback in David Garrard, who is little known but comparable to Virginia Tech's Michael Vick. Redskins fire Norv Turner after 7-6 start THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ASHBURN,Va.- Dan Snyder didn't have much time nor many options. The Washington Redskins owner knew he wanted coach Norvliimer out The problem was replacing him with three games left in die regular season. After watching the most extensive team in NFL history fail to live up to his Super Bowl expec tations, Snyder fired Turner on Monday and promoted Passing game Coordinator Terry Robiskie to try to salvage the season. “It’s all about winning,” Snyder said. "We assembled the best team we could put together. At this point, we just really needed to make a change, driven with what I call some serious leadership." The owner pulled an all nighter in making his decision hours after the Redskins lost to the New York Giants at home on Sunday and severely hurt their chances of making the playoffs. anyaer ana nis Drain trust examined the available names from the pro and college ranis. At about 1230 am, they realized the obvious: With three games to go in the season, they would have to hire in-house. By 2:30 a.m., Snyder had cho sen Robiskie. At 11 a.m„ Snyder firedTUmer, who managed to pro duce only a 7-6 record this season with a $100 million roster. “I’ve obviously been put in a good position to haye an opportu nity to win,” said Huner, at times fighting back tears. “This team has a chance to be 10-6. That’s a disap pointment to me. There's part of me that would like to be a part of it There's part of me that under stands why it’s necessary to make a change right now.” TUrner, in his seventh season with the team, left with a 49-59-1 record and one trip to the playoffs. Robiskie, 46, is a former offen sive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders and was one of Timer’s first hires in Washington He is known for a tough-love coaching style from his dealings with tem peramental Redskins receivers Michael Westbrook and Albert ConnelL In his first meeting with the team, Robiskie made an impas sioned speech and received a standing ovation. “Terry is blunt and to the point," defensive end Kenard Lang said. “He’s like a stick of dynamite. He’s going to make something happen.” It was stark contrast to Rimer, anXs and Os strategist who never came across as an effective com municator or motivator. “Norv did not threaten play ers,” guard Keith Sims said. “Some guys took advantage of him. Terry - you’re not going to take advan tage of him.” Snyder said Defensive Coordinator Ray Rhodes, the for mer head coach at Philadelphia and Green Bay, was not interested in the job. 7 believe to get anyone to believe in you, trust you, you’ve got to motivate, and that’s my coaching style.” Terry Robislue new Redskins coach lo make the playons, the Redskins probably need to win their last three games in Dallas and Pittsburgh, and home for Arizona. “I believe to get anyone to believe in you, trust you, you've got to motivate, and that's mv coaching style, Kobiskie said. Robiskie’s first move was to fire Special Teams Coach LeCharls McDaniel, whose coverage and kicking units struggled much of the season. Tight Ends Coach Pat Flaherty will coach special teams as well as tight ends. 9901AitfHBt* Dc Umco9m.NO *88-8838 la&Omt 1st Place - $50 2nd Place - $30 r«c 3rd Place - $20 • HilMart Vf/ElV Karaoke! B-12 Every TuesdayJ The cornhusker Yearbook Preserving your college memories. Buy now and save $30 until Jan. 1 SENIO Get your senior portrait taken by a Walk-ins are the City Jan. noon 1 Bobby's career leaves questions BOBBY from page 10 something. Newcombe did, for that short moment against Louisiana Tech that fall, throw one beautiful ball after another. He had one hell of a half. And then the knee injury. It was unlucky and lucky at the same time - unlucky because Newcombe could’ve put his name beside the greats, as Crouch probably will in his stead, and lucky because maybe, as he was an unexcep tional wingback, he would have been an equally unexceptional quarterback. It is here where the opti mists and cynics divide and head to their respective comers, hashing out closing arguments as bowl season passes into spring and the search for that iconic NU I-back finally recap tures center stage from the dra matic quarterback affairs of recent years. And it is here where the jury is hung, irrevocably so because Bobby Newcombe has never been the world’s easiest mark, not to mention interviewee. I suppose the phrase may be walking contradiction. He was smart enough to recognize The Truth rather early in the game, and yet it seemed those brains forced him to over-think on the field at times. And here I am, the pot call ing the kettle black, by not allowing the Newcombe phe nomenon to die by simply leav ing it alone. It should say some thing that No. 12 chose not to field questions after the CU game, likely to avoid what Receivers Coach Ron Brown termed "the past being brought up.” Yes, it would have been. Unrequited talent has its fasci nations, especially to those who have often been labeled “those who cannot do” so they turn to sportswriting. Fans, too, could be accused of the same, replac ing journalism with the glory of a Monday morning chat-room debate. Newcombe fits the bill as unfulfilled potential with an asterisk that asks: Just what was his potential? Can we really know for sure? Might an NFL career answer the question? Or will Newcombe once again be the square peg trying to fit into the round hole? If his Husker career were to serve as any sort of foreshadow ing, No. 12 will draw the answer out, taking the curious along with him, dividing his support ers and detractors into equal numbers while they await a final verdict. Just what will it be? That's one question enigmas can never directly address and keep their uncertain status. Which is why, quite simply, it is impossi ble for the guessers, the well wishers, the critics and the faithful to leave Bobby Newcombe alone. That is until thunder Collins runs 91 yards of his own. The torch passed, the next whispers of His coming spreads Authentic Chicago Style Deli Worlds Best §1.29^ When finals have you craving zzz’s Burger King®has a way to please! Come In and Seize the FREEZE! Chewy & 0ew* IMWebraska h^TUmons Check Out The Union! -Billiards, Game Tables, and Foosball at the RecRoom -Study areas great for groups and individuals -24-hour Computer Lab for convenience -Copy Center for your copying needs Only at the UNL Student Union MOUNTAIN DEW i« a registered trademark of PepsiCo, Inc. It possesses -VheSMte■foll-bodied •flavor of -Vhe -VoilekbouA, yfeh has <x disb'ncbVe uoode>y Taste-.