TUCSON, Ariz. -- After two years as an ESPN football
analyst, John Mackovic decided he wasn't through with coaching
after all.
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Mon, December 4
John Mackovic will be following one of his good friends, Dick Tomey, at Arizona. Under Tomey, the Wildcats have established a real defensive personality. John will be a very offensive minded coach for Arizona and the Wildcats will become more of a John Mackovic-style team: an explosive offense, balanced, wide open, physical and exciting to watch.
The Pac 10 has become so competitive that recruiting is vital. One of the keys for John will be how quickly he can put together a staff and how quickly they can recruit in the hotbed of California and secure that Arizona kids play at home. The conference is different now. It's not just recruiting against the California schools but you've got to worry about Oregon, Oregon State and Washington now, too.
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When Arizona called about the opening created by the resignation
of his good friend Dick Tomey, 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
headed in what will be his 14th season as a major-college coach.
"The TV gig was nice," he said, "but it's not coaching. It
doesn't have the same feel of coaching."
Mackovic, 57, returns to the school where he was a young
offensive coordinator and quarterbacks 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 head coach
at 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 collegiate 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 contacted Mackovic a week
ago. They worked out the details of the five-year contract at
meetings 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 people," Livengood
said.
Mackovic's salary was not disclosed pending approval by the
Board of Regents.
Livengood 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 college 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 1995 and won the
Big 12 championship 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 programs overshadow 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 known today than anybody could
have dreamed, and that helps every team in recruiting.
"Lute deserves all that success. Our job is to earn that same
type of reputation and same kind of admiration."
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VIDEO
  John Mackovic returns to the coaching ranks as head coach of the University of Arizona. RealVideo: 28.8  John Mackovic has the desire to take the Arizona Wildcats all the way to the Rose Bowl. wav: 250 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 |
