4B
Thursday, November 21, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Holtz's reason for quitting still a mystery
By Jim Litke
AP Sports Writer
SOUTH BEND, ind. — One of the stories Lou Holtz likes to tell is about a man who jumps off a 12-story building, reaches the seventh floor and says, "So far, so good."
On Tuesday, he became the man in that story.
On Tuesday, he became the man in that story. For 75 minutes, Holtz sat at a local television station and answered questions. He could not say why he bailed out on Notre Dame or where or when he was going to land. He hadn't thought that far ahead.
"I cannot honestly give you a reason for my resignation, except to say I feel it is the right thing to do. People will say there has to be more to it than this, but believe me, there isn't," Holtz said. "I have no plans for the future."
He read those lines directly from a prepared statement. When he strayed from it, his answers were only slightly more revealing: It hurt to leave. He was not being pushed. He left because leaving was — and he must have repeated this a dozen times—the right thing to do.
That was Holtz's story on this day, anyway, and he was sticking to it.
"One of the positive aspects of leaving Notre Dame at the present time is, I think I am leaving behind a solid football program and a talented team that will give the new coach a chance — and I want to reiterate, a chance — to win in his first year."
And yet, the longer he went on, the more he reminisced, the less convincing Holtz became. It was like watching a balloon with a pinprick somewhere along the surface deflate very slowly. There was the sense that if he sat there long enough, the truth would leak out: He did not want to go.
"I always felt some remorse every time I left a place. But when I left," Holtz said, "I always had a place to go to ... I don't know how I'm going to handle not having anything to go on to."
Between 1946 and 1950, what the 59-year-old Holtz remembers as his formative years, Notre Dame was undefeated. His first head coaching job was in 1969 at William & Mary. From there he went to North Carolina State, the NFL's New York Jets, Arkansas and then Minnesota. At the last stop, he had a clause written into his contract guaranteeing him an out if Notre Dame ever called
On Tuesday, he remembered his family's reaction when Notre Dame finally did — 99 wins, 11 years and one national championship ago.
"My mother felt you coached at Notre Dame until you died," Holtz recalled. "Then you went straight to heaven."
That will not happen to him now.
But not because Holtz isn't deserving. And not because his health or his enthusiasm is waning, because he is afraid of breaking Knute Rockne's record for wins in a career (105), or because he wants to go back to the NFL and clean up a messy career record there (3-10, before he resigned with one game left in the 1976 season), either.
It won't happen because Holtz has plenty of productive years of coaching left. Which begs the question: Why leave a place he didn't want to leave?
The best guess is this: In 1994, Holtz's team finished 6-5-1, falling out of the Top 25 for the first time since his first season at Notre Dame. His close friend and longtime supporter, athletic director Dick Rosenthal, was leaving, to be replaced by the more businesslike Mike Wadsworth.
With that change, Holtz's job changed, too. There was more structure, more defined responsibilities, less stroking of his ego. After a successful 1995 season, Holtz and Wadsworth sat down in December with Father Bill Beauchamp, who oversees the athletic department, and drew up a "lifetime" contract. Holtz was put on the hook to win and attract quality players.
Two months later, he told Wadsworth to start thinking about finding his successor. Tuesday, Holtz made it formal. His life was in freefall. He was coping fine. So far.
Ted Bokern, Overland Park sophomore, takes the ball down the field with Taylor Larson, Silt, Colo., junior, in close pursuit. Bokern and Larson were participating in Eungsoo Oh's HPER 112 advanced soccer class.
GR Gordon-Ross / KANSAN
Switzer gives punter a kick at greatness
Barry Switzer has committed some well-publicized gaffes in his nearly three years as an NFL head coach.
By Dave Goldberg AP Football Writer
Letting Chris Boniol kick a record-tying seventh field goal at the end of Monday night's 21-6 victory wasn't one of them. In fact, it was a demonstration of why Switzer is now 35-13 as a head coach — his players like him because he cares about them.
Boniol's kick with 20 seconds left in the game tied the mark previously achieved by Jim Bakken in 1967 and Rich Karlis in 1989.
Switzer knows the consequences.
The extra three points set off a minor melee that ended without blood being shed. They also gave the Packers more incentive in any playoff games they might have, which despite Monday's victory by Dallas, could still be at Lameau Field.
But the long-run effect the field goal will have on his team is more positive than negative. It reinforces for the spear-carriers (everyone but Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders) that their coach is willing to give them their time in the spotlight.
"If Reggie White needed a sack record, you know they'd have him go after our quarterback," cornerback Kevin Smith said after the game.
Remember this, although Switzer sometimes uses college analogies, he won't run up the score the way he sometimes did while coaching Oklahoma. There are no pollsters to impress in the NFL.
And just three weeks ago, he told Jerry Jones to get lost when Jones, standing next to him on the sideline
in Miami, urged him to go for an extra touchdown in a game that was already clinched, to rub Jimmy Johnson's nose in the dirt.
Monday night's mele took place in part because the Packers had no idea that Boniol was kicking for a record.
On the previous play, Aikman took a knee in the gentlemenly way it's done in the NFL. The Dallas linemen gestured to the Green Bay linemen to stay down, that there would be no play.
Then came the timeout, and then
came the record-tying kick.
AND ANOTHER SEVEN THREES The last time a kicker had seven field goals, the game was even stranger than the one Monday night.
It took place Nov. 5, 1989 in the Metrodome, with Rich Karlis kicking for the Minnesota Vikings against the Los Angeles Rams. Karlis kicked his seven field goals, the Rams scored three touchdowns and the game went into overtime tied at 21-all.
On the first overtime, the Vikings held and the Rams lined up to punt.
Minnesota's Mike Merriweather broke through, blocked the punt and tried to fall on it, but it skittered through his arms out of the end zone. Merriweather, thinking he needed the touchdown to win the game, lay in the end zone banging his fists on the turf while his teammates celebrated.
The Vikings had indeed won, 23-21 on the safety, the only overtime game in NFL history decided that way.
There also was a strange footnote.
Instead of celebrating the win or congratulating Karlis, Minnesota coach Jerry Burns spent most of his time after the game berating his offense for failing to get into the end zone.
Another big weekend ahead for college football
Perfect seasons at stake for Buckeyes, Sun Devils
The Associated Press
This is the week of The Game, the Big Game and the Most Played Game. Teams also are playing for barrels, bells and buckets.
Most of all, bowl bids and perfect seasons are on the line Saturday as the college football season moves into its final weeks.
Yale is at Harvard in The Game, Stanford at Cal in the Big Game, and Lehigh is at Lafayette in the 132nd meeting between the teams. Carm Cozza coaches his last game for Yale, Stanford needs a win for a bowl bid and a victory gives Lafayette the Patriot League title.
Kentucky is at No. 9 Tennessee with the Beer Barrel up for grabs, Duke is at No. 13 North Carolina for the Victory Bell and it's Indiana-Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Afterward, both coaches — Purdue's Jim Colletto and Indiana's Bill Mallory — kick the coaching bucket, with neither returning next season.
As for the national title, No. 21 Michigan is at No. 2 Ohio State in a game that needs no subtitle and No. 4 Arizona State plays Arizona in the Civil War. The Buckeyes and Sun Devils, both 10-0, are a win away from giving the Rose Bowl its first
matchup of undefeated, untied teams in 66 years.
It doesn't take much to see the importance of the Michigan-Ohio State game. As early as Tuesday, Buckeyes coach John Cooper was wound tighter than a ball of string. At his weekly news conference, he didn't even wait for questions before saying he won't disclose his starting quarterback — Stanley Jackson or Joe Germaine — until gametime.
Asked why, Cooper snapped, "Just to give you guys something to think about this week. To give Michigan something to think about this week."
Perhaps Cooper's 1-6-1 record against the Wolverines, including last year's 31-23 loss that spoiled a perfect season, has something to do with his testy behavior.
Michigan's Lloyd Carr said, "Certainly, they have had opportunities, and it's just happened that we've had things bounce our way."
The Sun Devils travel to Tucson. Since 1982. Arizona is 11-2-1 against ASU.
"They're going to the Rose Bowl," Arizona linebacker Armon Williams said. "We just want to finish strong."
Germaine or Jackson aside, Buckeyes can keep Wolverines out of end zone. ... OHIO STATE 31-21.
vs. Maryland (at Miami)
No.21 Michigan (plus 17) at No.2 Ohio State
No. 3 Florida State (minus 34)
Seminoles have won last four meetings by 37.8 points per game ... FLORIDA STATE 49-10
No. 4 Arizona State (minus 7)
at Arizona
Can Wildcats ambush Jake Plummer and spring annual upset? . ARIZONE 28-14
Michigan State (plus 8) at No.7 Penn State
Paterno the kids are headed for Fiesta or Orange bowl ... PENN STATE 31-24.
No. 8 Brigham Young (minus 6)
at Utah
Winner moves on to WAC title game. . . BRIGHAM YOUNG 35-31.
Kentucky (plus 27 1/2) at No.9 Tennessee
Bill Curry's last game as coach of the Wildcats ... TENNESSEE 37-20.
no. 12 Washington (minus 11)
at Washington State
Lou Holtz's last game at Notre Dame
Stadium. . NOTRE DAME 52-0.
Apple Cup at stake as Huskins hope for Cotton Bowl bid... WASHINGTON 27-21.
No. 18 North Carolina (minus 29 1/2) at Duke
A loss and Blue Devils become ACC's first 0-11 team ... NORTH CAROLINA 45-14.
Iowa State (plus 201/2)
at No. 14 Kansas State
Troy Davis gets his second 2,000-yard
season; K-State gets win No. 9. ... KANSAS STATE 44-27.
Auburn (plus 6) at No. 15 Alabama
'Bama needs Iron Bowl win to advance
to SEC title game...AUBURN 27-21.
No. 16 Syracuse (minus 31)
at Temple
Orangemen prep for next week's Big East showdown against Miami. ... SYRA-CUSE 52-7.
Tulane (plus 24) at No.18 LSU LSU has won last 12 meetings. ... LSU 41-21.
No.23 West Virginia (plus 4 1/2)
WVU's shaky offense is the difference.
.. VIRGINIA TECH 21-10.
South Carolina (plus 6)
at No. 22 Clemson
No.24 Iowa (minus 11)
at Minnesota
Visitors have won last five games. .. CLEMSON 27-24.
Golden Gophers come up short in coach Jim Wacker's last game. ... IOWA 31-27.
Boston College (plus 21 1/2)
at No. 25 Miami
Probably BC coach Dan Henning's final game. MIAMI 42-14.
Others: Yale (plus 5) at Harvard — YALE 21-20; Stanford (plus 2 1/2) at California — STANFORD 28-27; Lehigh (no line) at Lafayette — LAFAYETTE 32-22; Indiana (plus 7) at Purdue — PURDUE 28-24.
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