Penn State's search for a coach, which lasted nearly two months, finally ended Friday when the school hired Bill O'Brien to fill the 26th, and final, opening in college football. Still, members of Penn State's search committee said that precision was more important than speed, though they didn't consider their 58-day process too long, anyway.
"I come from the academic side of the house," said John Nichols, professor emeritus of communications and international affairs at Penn State and a member of the six-person committee. "For us, a two-month search, that's breaking the sound barrier."
At Saturday's press conference to announce O'Brien's hiring, both interim Penn State President Rodney Erickson and acting athletic director Dave Joyner used the words "careful" and "deliberate" to describe the search that led them to the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator.
Elsewhere in college football, hires went swiftly by comparison. Illinois chose Tim Beckman 12 days after firing Ron Zook. Kansas replaced Turner Gill with Charlie Weis in 12 days as well. And Ohio State ended Luke Fickell's one-year interim run by hiring Urban Meyer two days after the regular season ended.
But Joyner, who led the committee, said that finding Penn State's first new head coach since 1966 required a measured process. "We took our time on purpose," he said.
"This is a very important hire for Penn State for many reasons," Joyner added. "The search committee set out to find the right fit for Penn State, someone who will extend our legacy of academic and athletic excellence."
Joyner divulged few details of the process, though he did say O'Brien was the only coach to whom he offered the job. Only several people acknowledged interviewing, including Penn State's Tom Bradley and Larry Johnson Sr., who will remain as defensive line coach. Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak and Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements were among those reportedly on Penn State's search list as well.
Joyner called reports that coaches "ran away from this job" incorrect. Former Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan, who spoke with Joyner during the search, said that he knew "for a fact" that Penn State had some "really good applicants," though he declined to name them.
"Not guys out of work or retired, but I'm talking about solid guys already at programs looking for an upgrade," Conlan said. "I don't think [the Jerry Sandusky scandal] scared off anybody. Maybe the timing of it, maybe the hire taking longer than people expected it to go. This is a prime-time job."
Ultimately, the search committee maintained its deliberate pace because of the circumstances surrounding the position. O'Brien replaced Joe Paterno, who built Penn State football into a national brand but was fired after 46 years as the Jerry Sandusky scandal emerged.
The committee, formed Nov. 28, included representatives from athletic, business and academic backgrounds. Nichols called the committee unique in college football, since many programs turn over their searches to outside consulting firms.
"President Erickson said, 'These are special times. We find ourselves in deep trouble here, and we're going to do this right. We're going to have a search committee and we're going to have some pointy-headed academics on it,'" Nichols said.
Nichols, who co-chairs a college sports reform organization called the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, said the committee was not merely a "rubber-stamp" group. Nichols said he interviewed O'Brien three times, individually and through Skype. The group also sought recommendations from many who knew O'Brien and had several conversations with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Joyner made the initial contact with O'Brien early in the process, and committee members said O'Brien kept "creeping up the list" after that. O'Brien advanced to the top during Penn State's week at the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas, and the process moved from there.
"If the choice was the danger of losing two, three or four recruits and hiring somebody quickly that we're not 100 percent about and could get us into deeper trouble?," Nichols said before pausing. "What, have these people [who questioned the time frame] been under a rock for the last two-and-a-half months?"
Nichols said that the committee performed a thorough background check on O'Brien because it was "looking for somebody with the highest level of integrity." That became even more important following the charges against Sandusky and perjury charges against two university officials, including athletic director Tim Curley (currently on administrative leave).
"I guarantee you that we know every parking ticket [O'Brien] has," Nichols said. "? Given the current circumstances, to make a hire quickly without the due diligence, and later discovering that there is a problem, that would have been bad in any circumstance. But for it to happen now at Penn State would be intolerable."
Nichols later added, "Bill O'Brien has the highest level of integrity. If my guarantee doesn't come through, I would be thunderstruck."
Noteworthy: O'Brien met with the team Sunday before returning to the Patriots. At the meeting, players confirmed that linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden will remain with the team. Vanderlinden joins defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. in staying.
In addition, Charles London will join Penn State's staff as running backs coach, the Nashville Tennessean reported. London coached with O'Brien at Duke in 2005-06. The former Duke running back was an offensive assistant/quality-control coach with the Tennessee Titans last season. He also was a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2007-09.
nfl power rankings week 13 nfl power rankings week 13 patrice patrice tether lana peters lana peters
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.