It’s been 16 seasons since Terry Donahue stepped away as UCLA Football head coach to take a position in the broadcast booth and powder-blue Bruin fans have had rare opportunity to smile since. Donahue spoiled my generation. It’s true, Terry Donahue took over as head coach of the UCLA football team in 1976 (I was 8) and spent the next 20 years lulling Bruin fans like myself into believing that the Bruin head coaching position was something of a Westwood institution. With a steward like Donahue, UCLA fans prided themselves on the “Gutty little Bruins” mentality and 7 consecutive Bowl victories during the 1980’s (including 3 Rose Bowl wins). Donahue was at the helm when UCLA began its record streak of 8 victories over cross-town rival USC in 1991 and his total of 151 victories at UCLA are more than double the next closest coach on the Bruins all-time victory list. His 98 Pac-10 coaching victories (now Pac-12) are also a record.
In 1976, Terry Donahue was everything that UCLA, the institution as well as the football team and the exuberant fan base needed. Born in Southern California he graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks before attending UCLA and playing on the Bruin team that won the 1966 Rose Bowl as a 195-pound defensive tackle. He came back to UCLA as an assistant coach with Pepper Rodgers in 1971 and remained with his alma mater when Rodgers abandoned the Bruins 3 years later for the head coaching position at his own alma mater of Georgia Tech. Donahue stayed as an assistant coach under new UCLA head coach Dick Vermeil and when Vermeil departed for the NFL just 2 years later it was Donahue’s turn to take over as head coach at the ripe old age of 32. Under his leadership UCLA would become a Pac-10 power.
So 16 years after Donahue walked away and passed the baton to offensive coordinator Bob Toledo the Bruins find themselves at another crossroads and need to channel Terry Donahue to satisfy an angry, embarrassed Bruin-nation. Toledo is long gone having lasted 7 years, 2 of which were very good, and 5 that were not, yielding to the first of 2 prodigal sons who came home to save the program. Former Bruin wide receiver Karl Dorrell had never coached at any level anywhere, he still hasn’t unless I’m mistaken. Even more puzzling was that Dorrell had never been an Offensive Coordinator at any level prior to being named UCLA head coach in 2003. Dorrell’s UCLA teams did manage to make bowl appearances in all 5 seasons that he was head coach, but his teams lost 4 of those games against such notable BCS powerhouses as Wyoming & Fresno St. He had one victory and 4 losses against USC and UCLA’s 2005 Sun Bowl victory came at the expense of perennial Big 10 doormat Northwestern. But if Bruin fans were disappointed by Dorrell they have been absolutely numbed by Neuheisel.
Unlike his predecessor, former Bruin QB and Rose Bowl MVP Rick Neuheisel came to Westwood with a resume loaded with head coaching experience and more fanfare and goodwill since … Tommy Prothro? While some (including myself) had scratched our heads and reserved judgment until the end on Dorrell, many (including myself) praised athletic director Dan Guerrero and UCLA in selecting the local guy and a former Bruin hero as the man to turn things around and bring some gridiron success to Westwood. All but Terry Donahue himself of course as the Bruins original savior had passed over his former protégé’ in favor of Toledo back in 1995. Unfortunately for Bruin fans, Neuheisel has been an embarrassing disappointment posting a 21-28 record over the last 4 seasons including a brutally painful 50-0 defeat at the hands of cross-town rival USC last weekend. He went 0-4 against USC overall and the drubbing by the Trojans last Saturday was widely viewed as the worst defeat in the history of the school. If the Bruins fall to Oregon as expected in Friday’s first-ever Pac-12 Championship Game, Neuheisel will finish with the worst win % (.420) by a coach since UCLA moved to the Westwood campus in 1927. Regardless of the outcome, that will be Rick Neuheisel’s final game as head coach of the UCLA Bruins as he was fired this past Monday and the rumors about his replacement began swirling around Los Angeles like those delicious aromas on Thanksgiving Day.
It is under those circumstances that UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero prepares to board a private jet bound for Boise with the promise of a 3-million dollar per year contract for the next Bruins Football Coach. Chris Petersen, head man for the Boise St Broncos and one of the most successful and well-compensated coaches in America is the target of Guerrero's offer and Bruin-nation will hold its collective breath hoping that Petersen decides to ditch Boise’s neon-blue turf in favor of powder-blue Southern California skies & Rose Bowl grass. Petersen is perfect for UCLA. At 47 years old, he’s still young enough to spend a decade or better in Westwood providing the type of stability the Bruins enjoyed under Donahue. His 71-6 record over almost 6 full seasons at Boise St is among the best in NCAA Division I over that period of time and his 2006 & 2009 squads finished the year unbeaten with victory’s in the Fiesta Bowl both seasons. Maybe best of all, there are currently 25 players on the Boise St roster that hail from the state of California (The majority from Northern California but I can overlook some minor faults) proving Petersen’s ability to recruit top notch talent here in the Golden State.
But what if Guerrero returns empty handed from Idaho as Stanford did just last winter when University officials offered their recently vacated Head Coaching position to Petersen and a similar deal worth $3 million a year only to find out he preferred Blue over Cardinal. Stanford had just finished a 12-1 season capped with a convincing Orange Bowl victory on national television and had a returning Heisman Trophy candidate (and likely winner) in Andrew Luck. If that plus the promise of Pac-12 competition and the ability to compete for a guaranteed BCS bid every year wasn’t enough to entice Petersen out of his potato-land paradise then UCLA could need a back-up plan. And with Penn State, Ole Miss, Kansas, Arizona State & Washington State also in the market for head coaches Dan Guerrero has no time to waste going through his potential options.
I figure Dan Guerrero certainly doesn’t need any help getting the big names still available together quickly and even less time to ascertain their respective qualities. So I searched for men who I thought could possibly fill the missing gap created by the loss of Coach Terry Donahue so long ago, that maybe are NOT on everybody’s coaching radar just yet. A young talented coach who could take over the program and offer a sense of stability and continuity that Bruin fans like myself have spent over a decade searching for. If you are looking for a list that includes retired Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti, fired Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach or even NFL commentator and former NFL coach John Gruden you won’t find them here. Even with the guys I mention below… we better move quickly.
Hugh Freeze, Arkansas State - At 41 years old Freeze is young and just completing his first season at the Division I level as head coach of the Arkansas State Red Wolves. That would give him the ability, like Terry Donahue, to have a long successful run in Westwood cementing his position with alumni and fans. Freeze has some big conference experience as he spent several years on the staff of the recently fired Houston Nutt at the University of Mississippi, two of those in charge of recruiting for the Rebels in the ultra-competitive SEC. Under Freeze Ole Miss brought in recruiting classes that were ranked 13th & 25th in the nation respectively. Freeze then served as the Head Coach for Lambuth University an NAIA school in 2008-09 and compiled a 20-5 overall record including 12-1 in 2009. Just last year he joined the staff at ASU as Offensive Coordinator and his impact was immediately felt as the Red Wolves went on to set 9 offensive school records during the 2010 season including total yards of offense (4,841) total plays (856), first downs (262), pass attempts (438), pass completions (266), completion percentage (.607), passing yards (3,057), passing yards per game (254.8) and passing touchdowns (23). The Red Wolves' potent offensive attack averaged 403.4 yards per game, eclipsing over 300 yards all 12 times it took the field for the first time in the history of the program. Arkansas State posted at least 400 yards of total offense in seven games during the 2010 campaign, the most ever as an NCAA FBS member. ASU, ranked 42nd in the nation in scoring offense, finished the season averaging 30 points a game and recorded at least 20 points in 11 consecutive games . This year, Freeze’s first as head coach has seen even more success for Arkansas State as the Red Wolves improved to a 9-2 overall record, with one loss at Illinois and the other suffered at the hands of BCS #5 ranked Virginia Tech. A 7-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference was good enough to get them into the conference championship game against the University of Troy this upcoming Saturday. One more victory and the Red Hawks are guaranteed of going Bowling for the Holidays which will be even more opportunity for Freeze to advertise his abilities to the nation via ESPN. One last positive for Freeze, and I know he has only been on the staff for two season so we certainly can’t give him much credit for this, but Central Arkansas does have 8 players from the state of California on the roster. How appropriate would it be for UCLA’s next coach to coach his last game against Troy?
Hugh Freeze was portrayed in the movie “The Blind Side” as the High School football coach of eventual Baltimore Ravens 1st round draft pick Michael Oher.
Tim Beckman, Toledo - If Freeze represents an offensive genius then the next two guys speak for the defensive side of the ball. 46-year old Tim Beckman also has enough time left in his coaching career to establish his legacy in Westwood with success on the football field. Beckman is currently in his 3rd season at Toledo after stints as a defensive backs coach at Ohio State and Defensive Coordinator at Oklahoma St. Picking up the pieces from a once proud program that had gone 13-23 in the three seasons prior to Beckman’s arrival as head coach in 2009. After just one rebuilding season Beckman got the Rockets turned around in 2010 with an 8-5 season that included a post-season bowl appearance for the first time since 2005. The 2011 season has seen continued success for Beckman and the Rockets who just completed an 8-4 season that has everyone in Toledo waiting on a possible second bowl invitation in the last two years. Beckman's efforts to change the mentality of the program have paid dividends in the class room as well as on the football field for those concerned about UCLA’s often talked about academic standards. In Beckman’s first semester overseeing the program, the team's combined semester GPA rose from 2.370 to 2.922, an average increase of more than half a grade per player. UT's team GPA has stayed in the 2.9 range ever since. Beckman’s competence on the recruiting trail is evident in the fact that both Rivals.com and Scout.com ranked Toledo’s 2010 recruiting class #1 in the competitive Mid-American Conference . Although there is not a single player on the Toledo roster that hails from the state of California, that can be expected with a limited budget and national TV exposure.
Gary Andersen, Utah State - As with Beckman and Freeze, Gary Anderson is still young enough at 47 years old to establish himself and a tradition at UCLA that will appease fans and alumni alike. I know his overall record of 14-21 over the last 3 seasons will put some skeptics off but when you consider that the Aggies 6 victories in 2011 (they have one game remaining on Saturday) equal the total number of victories Utah State achieved in the 3 seasons prior to Andersen’s s arrival you get an idea of the kind of turn-around going on in Logan Utah. Add to that, Utah State lost two heart-breaking road games this season at BYU and defending national champion Auburn in the closing seconds of both games. Andersen is the former Defensive Coordinator at the University of Utah and was on the sideline during the Utes undefeated 2007 season that included a BCS Sugar Bowl victory over SEC powerhouse Alabama. As for academics just this past week Utah State was one of 29 teams recognized by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) for Academic Achievement. "This is a tremendous honor for the student-athletes in the Utah State football program to earn. We take great pride in making sure that every student-athlete in our program graduates, and that is something that we stress throughout our entire program from the moment they walk on this campus during their recruiting visit," USU head coach Gary Andersen said . With the afore-mentioned academic standards at UCLA it’s refreshing to hear a coach focused on the books. Most enticing for Bruin fans used to home grown talent supplying the majority of the victories, 27 players from the state of California are currently on the Aggies roster displaying Andersen’s ability to attract top-notch players to outpost Logan. Imagine what he might be able to do in Westwood?
UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero will need to act quickly. Washington State fired their head coach and hired former Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach in the amount of time it took me to write this article so if he can’t get Chris Petersen out of Boise I’m hoping someone gets my article to him so he can re-route that private jet to Jonesboro, or Toledo, or even Logan and bring the Bruin faithful home our next Terry Donahue.
Rich Sharp
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