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Report: Miami Hurricanes to meet with Jon Gruden; 'zero chance' he accepts?
Posted at 12:04 PM on Wed., Dec. 1, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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This might interest Cowboys fans who hope Gruden would be a candidate for Jerry Jones.
By Barry Jackson and Susan Miller Degnan
McClatchy Newspapers
MIAMI -- The University of Miami remained in strong pursuit of Jon Gruden on Tuesday, hoping to lure the former Super Bowl-winning coach to head up the Hurricanes' football program.
Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt traveled to Tampa to meet with Gruden, a meeting expected to take place Wednesday. Hocutt went there to gauge the level of Gruden's interest, according to a high-level Miami source.
But FoxSports.com reported, citing a person close to Gruden, that there is a "zero percent" chance that Gruden will accept the coaching job, even though he is meeting with the Hurricanes
Another UM official said Gruden declined overtures from UM initially, but has begun to show some interest and suggested to Hocutt he is considering the job. But UM isn't sure about whether he would take it if offered. Hocutt wants to determine that Wednesday.
Two members of UM's Board of Trustees said Gruden is UM's top choice and are hopeful he will be receptive. But they expressed concern he might decide to wait for an NFL job.
Meanwhile, UM has put together a list of other candidates that it has interest in if Gruden says no. That list includes Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, Connecticut's Randy Edsall, Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Arizona's Mike Stoops, plus at least two others names, sources said.
To prepare for the possibility of Gruden accepting the job, UM asked athletic department employees to quickly piece together a plan so that 2011 tickets could be put on sale shortly if Gruden is hired. UM also has done an evaluation of how much it believes Gruden would boost attendance.
Canesport.com reported that final details are being hammered out with Gruden and that he will be named coach barring a last-minute glitch. But several trustees said the process has not reached that point.
If Gruden takes the UM job, UM's offensive coordinator could be his brother, Jay, a former quarterback at Louisville and head coach of the United Football League's Florida Tuskers.
Gruden, 47, won the Super Bowl as Tampa Bay's coach in the 2002 season before being fired after the 2008 season. He held four college jobs early in his career -- graduate assistant at Tennessee (1986-87), quarterbacks coach at Southeast Mississippi State (1988) and receivers coach at Pacific (1989) and Pittsburgh (1991).
Gruden went 95-81 in 11 years as an NFL head coach. He was 40-28 in four years as coach of the Oakland Raiders, then replaced Tony Dungy as Tampa Bay's coach to start the 2002 season.
He went 57-55 in seven seasons with Tampa. He was fired after going 4-12, 9-7 and 9-7 in his final three seasons.
Before getting the Raiders' head coaching job, he was an assistant for the 49ers, Packers and Eagles.
Gruden did not return calls left with his wife and agent. He told his bosses at ESPN on Sunday that he does not plan to take the UM job but has not ruled it out publicly.
Those familiar with the search said if UM does not land Gruden, it prefers a clean-cut, established, successful head coach from another college.
Another trustee said UM has ruled out head coaches with baggage, including former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach , former South Florida coach Jim Leavitt and North Carolina and former UM coach Butch Davis. Leavitt, who coached Kansas State when Hocutt played there, could be a possibility for a UM assistant job.
One trustee noted UM's two most recent head coaching hires in football were promoted from coordinator jobs (Larry Coker and Randy Shannon) and UM "won't do that again. They want someone who is running a successful program that they think can win a national championship."
Said another UM official: "There won't be people flying under the radar as far as success, that we're interested in."
If Gruden does not take the job, UM is expected to ask for permission to speak with Mullen, a former Florida Gators offensive coordinator, plus several others. Mullen, 38, took over a Mississippi State team that went 4-8 in 2008. He went 5-7 in his first season but is 8-4 this season.
Although Hocutt has interest in Mullen, one UM official said, "We would have to scrutinize that one. Is two years of head coaching experience enough? There's a difference of opinion on that."
Hocutt will make the decision on the head coach but will make sure UM president Donna Shalala agrees with the choice, a UM official said.
Mississippi State athletic director Scott Strickland told The Starkville Daily News on Tuesday that he's working on a new four-year contract for Mullen, with a raise. "We're going to be smart and aggressive in this process," Strickland said.
Mullen was asked by the Starkville newspaper if he wished to comment "on the speculation you will be meeting with Miami officials or that you're currently mulling over an offer from Minnesota." Mullen did not respond to that question but sent out this tweet: "With all the rumors, all I am mulling over is the flu and what bowl we are going to."
Harbaugh, who would be of interest to UM if he's willing to leave Stanford, is 57-27 as a head coach: 29-6 at San Diego and 28-21 at Stanford, including 11-1 in 2010. Edsall has been Connecticut's coach since 1999. He is 73-69 but has had four consecutive winning seasons.
Whittingham has been Utah's coach since 2005 and is 58-19, including 10-2 this season. Stoops has been Arizona's coach since 2004 and is 40-40, including 7-4 this season.
Hocutt plans to meet with additional candidates on the road if he cannot lure Gruden. As one school official said, "For a head coach, it can happen very fast. Even the hiring process is faster than practically any other person at the university."
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It's possible he takes it, because he knows Jerry might stick with JG.
Especially, with no CBA agreed upon yet.
Posted at 12:04 PM on Wed., Dec. 1, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
This might interest Cowboys fans who hope Gruden would be a candidate for Jerry Jones.
By Barry Jackson and Susan Miller Degnan
McClatchy Newspapers
MIAMI -- The University of Miami remained in strong pursuit of Jon Gruden on Tuesday, hoping to lure the former Super Bowl-winning coach to head up the Hurricanes' football program.
Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt traveled to Tampa to meet with Gruden, a meeting expected to take place Wednesday. Hocutt went there to gauge the level of Gruden's interest, according to a high-level Miami source.
But FoxSports.com reported, citing a person close to Gruden, that there is a "zero percent" chance that Gruden will accept the coaching job, even though he is meeting with the Hurricanes
Another UM official said Gruden declined overtures from UM initially, but has begun to show some interest and suggested to Hocutt he is considering the job. But UM isn't sure about whether he would take it if offered. Hocutt wants to determine that Wednesday.
Two members of UM's Board of Trustees said Gruden is UM's top choice and are hopeful he will be receptive. But they expressed concern he might decide to wait for an NFL job.
Meanwhile, UM has put together a list of other candidates that it has interest in if Gruden says no. That list includes Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, Connecticut's Randy Edsall, Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Arizona's Mike Stoops, plus at least two others names, sources said.
To prepare for the possibility of Gruden accepting the job, UM asked athletic department employees to quickly piece together a plan so that 2011 tickets could be put on sale shortly if Gruden is hired. UM also has done an evaluation of how much it believes Gruden would boost attendance.
Canesport.com reported that final details are being hammered out with Gruden and that he will be named coach barring a last-minute glitch. But several trustees said the process has not reached that point.
If Gruden takes the UM job, UM's offensive coordinator could be his brother, Jay, a former quarterback at Louisville and head coach of the United Football League's Florida Tuskers.
Gruden, 47, won the Super Bowl as Tampa Bay's coach in the 2002 season before being fired after the 2008 season. He held four college jobs early in his career -- graduate assistant at Tennessee (1986-87), quarterbacks coach at Southeast Mississippi State (1988) and receivers coach at Pacific (1989) and Pittsburgh (1991).
Gruden went 95-81 in 11 years as an NFL head coach. He was 40-28 in four years as coach of the Oakland Raiders, then replaced Tony Dungy as Tampa Bay's coach to start the 2002 season.
He went 57-55 in seven seasons with Tampa. He was fired after going 4-12, 9-7 and 9-7 in his final three seasons.
Before getting the Raiders' head coaching job, he was an assistant for the 49ers, Packers and Eagles.
Gruden did not return calls left with his wife and agent. He told his bosses at ESPN on Sunday that he does not plan to take the UM job but has not ruled it out publicly.
Those familiar with the search said if UM does not land Gruden, it prefers a clean-cut, established, successful head coach from another college.
Another trustee said UM has ruled out head coaches with baggage, including former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach , former South Florida coach Jim Leavitt and North Carolina and former UM coach Butch Davis. Leavitt, who coached Kansas State when Hocutt played there, could be a possibility for a UM assistant job.
One trustee noted UM's two most recent head coaching hires in football were promoted from coordinator jobs (Larry Coker and Randy Shannon) and UM "won't do that again. They want someone who is running a successful program that they think can win a national championship."
Said another UM official: "There won't be people flying under the radar as far as success, that we're interested in."
If Gruden does not take the job, UM is expected to ask for permission to speak with Mullen, a former Florida Gators offensive coordinator, plus several others. Mullen, 38, took over a Mississippi State team that went 4-8 in 2008. He went 5-7 in his first season but is 8-4 this season.
Although Hocutt has interest in Mullen, one UM official said, "We would have to scrutinize that one. Is two years of head coaching experience enough? There's a difference of opinion on that."
Hocutt will make the decision on the head coach but will make sure UM president Donna Shalala agrees with the choice, a UM official said.
Mississippi State athletic director Scott Strickland told The Starkville Daily News on Tuesday that he's working on a new four-year contract for Mullen, with a raise. "We're going to be smart and aggressive in this process," Strickland said.
Mullen was asked by the Starkville newspaper if he wished to comment "on the speculation you will be meeting with Miami officials or that you're currently mulling over an offer from Minnesota." Mullen did not respond to that question but sent out this tweet: "With all the rumors, all I am mulling over is the flu and what bowl we are going to."
Harbaugh, who would be of interest to UM if he's willing to leave Stanford, is 57-27 as a head coach: 29-6 at San Diego and 28-21 at Stanford, including 11-1 in 2010. Edsall has been Connecticut's coach since 1999. He is 73-69 but has had four consecutive winning seasons.
Whittingham has been Utah's coach since 2005 and is 58-19, including 10-2 this season. Stoops has been Arizona's coach since 2004 and is 40-40, including 7-4 this season.
Hocutt plans to meet with additional candidates on the road if he cannot lure Gruden. As one school official said, "For a head coach, it can happen very fast. Even the hiring process is faster than practically any other person at the university."
------------- ------------------ -------------- -------------
It's possible he takes it, because he knows Jerry might stick with JG.
Especially, with no CBA agreed upon yet.
