|
ALSO SEE
Willingham brings untiring determination to ND
|
|
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Willingham's Cardinal stun No. 5 Oregon
By Hillary Wasch
Special to ESPN.com
Signature Game
October 20, 2001 -- Practice certainly made perfect for Tyrone Willingham's Stanford team when it came to executing an on-side kick. The Cardinal had worked on the play all week in practice and it turned out to be a key to its 49-42 upset of fifth-ranked Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
After Stanford scored a touchdown to cut a 14-point deficit in half with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Willingham had Mike Biselli chip the ensuing kickoff rather than boot the ball deep. Teammate Colin Branch recovered, leading to a touchdown by tailback Kerry Carter with 5½ minutes left.
Biselli, however, had the ensuing extra point blocked and the score remained Oregon 42, Stanford 41. But then the Cardinal turned an interception into the winning score with 70 seconds left. Carter's fourth touchdown run of the game and a two-point conversion gave Stanford the lead for good as it ended Oregon's home winning streak at 23, the longest in the nation.
This was Oregon's only loss of the season and deprived the Ducks of a berth in the national championship game. This might not have happened if not for Stanford's successful on-side kick.
"It's not a risk," Willingham said, "if you work on it like we did at practice."
Odds 'n' Ends
As a youngster, Willingham played with an electric football set, making up different formations.
When Willingham was 12, he watched on television as his alma-mater-to-be Michigan State played Notre Dame for No. 1 in 1966. The Spartans offense was led by Jimmy Raye, one of the few African-American college quarterbacks at the time. The game ended in a 10-10 tie.
L.P. Willingham Parkway in Jacksonville, N.C., was named in honor of Willingham's mother, Lillian, for being an inspiration to the city. She was a fulltime teacher and the first African-American on Jacksonville's board of education.
When Willingham was a senior at Michigan State, he met his future wife, Kim, also a student. They married in 1980 and had three children, Cassidy (born in 1984), Kelsey (1988) and Nathaniel (1990).
Playing against Notre Dame as a senior in 1976, he carried three times for 37 yards, had two kickoff returns for 24 yards and two punt returns for 27 yards as Michigan State lost, 24-6.
In 1978 and 1979, when Willingham was the secondary coach at Central Michigan, Kevin White was an assistant track coach at the school. More than two decades later, White, as Notre Dame's athletic director, hired Willingham as the Irish's football coach.
Willingham's nickname as an assistant coach at Stanford was "The Attitude Coach" because if any player needed an attitude adjustment, head coach Dennis Green sent him to Willingham's office, and the athlete would leave with a better attitude.
In 1990, while Willingham was an assistant, Stanford upset Notre Dame, 36-31, when the Irish were ranked No. 1 in the country.
As an assistant, Willingham coached two of the top running backs in Stanford history: Glyn Milburn and Tommy Vardell. Vardell was a first-round NFL pick after the 1991 season.
During Willingham's first season with Stanford in 1995, his team had the best Stanford start in 44 years, going 4-0-1.
In 1999, Willingham was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 5 Coach of the Year.
In 2001, Stanford finished ninth in the BCS and 11th in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls.
As Stanford's head coach, Willingham had a 3-2 record against Notre Dame.
His record in bowl games was 1-3 at Stanford.
Willingham's last game at Stanford was a 24-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the Seattle Bowl in 2001.
During Willingham's seven years as head coach, Stanford had 19 all-Pac-10 selections, including seven in 1999.
At Stanford, Willingham was a board member for Opportunities Industrialization Center West and was a National Advisory Board Member for the Haas Center for Public Service.
He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association rules committee.
Willingham was awarded the Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction in 2000 for his commitment to community service.
He was inducted into the Jacksonville (N.C.) Athletic Hall of Fame during the summer of 2002.
At Notre Dame, Willingham won 10 of his first 11 games before losing 14 of
25 to finish 21-15.
Under Willingham, Notre Dame lost five games by at least 31 points, including all three contests to USC. By comparison, the Irish under Bob Davie had just one such loss; Lou Holtz and Dan Devine had none.
Of Notre Dame's 20 worst defeats from 1964-2004, Willingham's teams had eight.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|
