o.k. so I am not exactly %100 on Walkers side as far a taking over at H.C. but the argument about not improving our defense etc.,etc. damn! D.D. how many times I gotta reiterate myself??!! don’t get me wrong I think Chow should be a number #1 candidate! but to say our defense wasn’t better!!?? C’mon man! AGAIN! given the ineptitude of our offense,the inability to move the football,turning the ball over,keeping our defense on the field in every game,going 3-and-out all the time! Shit! what do you expect! even with all that,we still finished 30th in the nation in total defense! that’s amazing! considering what our offense didn’t do! so u guys gotta stop repeating that and look at the facts! I really think Chow and Walker together though! Damn! that would be deadly!

Jeff makes some good points DD.

Mark May on ESPN just suggested Pat Hill of Fresno State. I have not seen his name suggested yet. I think he could be hard nosed and good for the Bruins

DeWayne Walker needs to stay in his current position at least another two years and prove himself a true Bruin before being considered for the HC job and if he wants to be a true bruin he’ll stay.
But as previously mentioned, with his ambition to coach in the NFL he his more likly to bolt at the first opportunity.
At this point we certainly don’t need him to obtain his head coaching experiance at our expense. ENOUGH OF THAT.

Well, a lot of guys are stat conscious so I went to some stat pages to see where we actually ranked at the end of our 12 game schedule. I’m just throwing these figures out there for some discussion, not making a judgement.

Points per game - UCLA ranked 34th in the nation. BUT only 3rd in our conference at 22.8 PPG. SC and ASU ranked ahead of us. Respectable.

Pass Defense - UCLA ranked 71st in the nation and 5th in our conference. Notre Dame (3-9) ranked 3rd nationally. SC was 8th. Hawaii, a team that puts it’s defense on the field a lot and forces teams to throw to stay with their high powered offense, was ranked ahead of UCLA. Not too hot.

Run Defense - UCLA ranked 25th in the nation, BUT only 4th in our conference. Oregon St was #2, SC was #4. Brian Kelly’s Cincinnati team was 14th. Boise St. a team known for scoring quickly, forcing opponents to throw to catch up, was ranked ahead of us.

So, while we were respectable in points allowed and rush defense on a national basis, we were barely in the top half of our own PAC-10 conference in total defense.

I still can’t see an argument for Walker.

When are the interviews starting. I haven’t heard of anybody interviewing yet. What the hell!

some valid points Puke! good job. again though,lets factor in how many times our defense got the opposition to go three and out,or stopped the opposing team. then our offense got the ball back and went 3 and out and or,turned the ball over! Anyone who has been under the tutelage of Pete Carroll and most especially Bill Belichick! amd let’s be honest and truthful! our defense was o.k. as far as talent! Dorrell never got big name recruits and I think Walker did the best he could with Dorrells recruits! would be interesting to see what he would do with his own recruits! if we had an offense that sustained drives and kept our defense off the field for even a little while,i would love to see where our defense would be ranked in all catergories after that! let’s not also forget! we went from being ranked 116th in total defense before Walker took over! so yes! it was F’ing unbelievable what he did in one year! I hink everyone is being spoiled and expects perfection in two years! 116 to 30th??? Damn! I guess he shouldn’t be a coach!!! LOL!

For what it’s worth, I called a friend of mine in Virginia who has had some contact with Walker in the past. To quote him:
“The guy knows football. The people in D.C. thought he was a “good get” when he landed there. The players seemed to relate well to him and I’ll bet college kids like him a lot. He’ll make some noise at UCLA. The head coach gig? Sure, give him a shot.”

I can’t get behind this idea. Sorry.

If it’s Walker, he’ll hire co OC’s, Eric Scott and EB.
Then we can compare their rap sheets side by side.
We’ll get almost nothing but inner city kids, mostly from Crenshaw-the school that until fairly recently had been w/o accredited status!
Reminds me of the situation @Miami. Shannon was who the players wanted, a DC and “great recruiter”. So what happens? They succumb to the pressure after they can’t get their 1st choice, and he goes 5-7(defense didn’t even play that well) amid complaints from some of his players that they quit late in the season.
He’s not even in WAZZU’s top 5, and no one even thought enough of him to make him a DC until age 46.
Walker is holding up the search because a proven HC like GT’s new selection won’t come here because he’ll have to leave his DC behind.LET DW go, and get Tenuda or someone better in his place.
He can’t defend the spread and has little to offer us. WAZZU has already figured that out.

First off I gotta say I have to agree with running the campaign against DW’s potential occupancy of our next HC job. While the emotion and excitement he may bring to the players is a big factor, and I like that about him, his inflexibility as far as defensive schemes goes is a major turn off. The inability to stop any team with a decent passing offense (think Utah, BYU, even Stanford, and any team running the spread) is evidence to the prior statement.
Give this guy another couple of years at D coordinator, which is plenty of time to bring in quality recruits and train them the Walker Way. Or let him jump ship to UW and be a rookie experiment there.

One thing I would like some clarification on is why so many of you are pulling for Norm Chow. His PPG average is none too impressive with his current job, and the W-L record over the past 3 seasons is just as mediocre. Maybe I’m looking at the wrong stats here, but somebody please give me a little insight as to why Norm is up towards the top of the list.

Like I said b4, DG has already made up his mind…it’s DW. He’s just dragging this thing on until after the bowl game, making it look like he was looking for a HC all this time; and “just happened to make up his mind” @ that time. Don’t be surprised fellas. He’s not kidding anyone.

Ok satisfy everyone DG…..Rick as HC - Walker runs the D and piss off SC fans by making Chow our OC…..

We give Neuheisel a chance….keep Walker around to REALLY prove himself and Chow speaks for himself.

Along with those 3, we probably keep 90% of our commitments and we start 08 off on the right foot.

Neuheisel just doesn’t seem to be the right guy and don’t know if he could take Ucla to the next level! he just doesn’t seem like he is a big time college coach! I really like Chow or Walker! better yet! both of them! Chow as H.C. and O.C. and Walker as asst coach and D.C.

Chow ain’t coming here as an OC. And the school doesn’t really want Rick.
It looks like it’s Walker, and I feel helpless. Wish there was something I could do.
Soon we’ll have a bunch of guys running around in fatigues like Miami.People can’t discuss another candidate w/o asking if DW will “approve” it.
He ain’t that good to be consulted.Go after Grobe or Kelly. They’ve accomplished something.

No….dude didn’t say Neuheisel isn’t a big time college coach, did he?

Dude, Neuheisel’s overall record is 61-35. He’ won 4 bowl games including the Cotton Bowl and the Rose Bowl. That’s 2 BCS bowls nowadays.

How many bowl games have Chow and Walker won as a head coach?

ZERO. Neuheisel isn’t a big time college coach? Dude!

As much as I would like to see Rick Neuheisel hired as head coach, the reality is he won’t be.

There just aren’t enough guys around who remember 1983 when we started out 0-3-1 before Rick took over as QB. We ended up 6-4-1 that year with a win over SC. Neuheisel, as QB, went 6-1. Then we completely dominated Illinois in the Rose Bowl something like 48-9. And, Illinois was a highly ranked team.

And, I guess people want to hold some bogus free boat rides for recruits and a “major” gambling scandal (he won a neighborhood NCAA tournament basketball pool) against him. Funny, no one seems to remember that he had an inter-office memo from admin at UW approving participation in the kind of pool he entered. He won over $4 million in a settlement with UW and the NCAA.

Forget his record and bowl wins as mentioned by Denny. He has baggage. What a joke.

The reality is this. If Norm Chow really wants the job, I mean REALLY wants the job so he can reside in LA year ’round, it is probably his.

Agree with all of what you say except mentioning Chow. If we hire Chow, Walker comes next, so it is like hiring Walker now, maybe even worse. We need to hire someone who will be here for ten years at least, so Walker will get tired of waiting.

It’s beginning to sound like the same old BS as before when Dorrell was hired. All the decent candidates or people mentioned are dropping by the wayside, taking themselves out of the running or being hired somewhere else.
Now we are going to hear the same crap about how we need to go with DW because it recruiting time and we need him there to recruit.
Where is all the talk about hiring a head hunter by the weekend? More BS. We are going to be left holding the bag like we do every time we need to hire a coach.
I don’t have an ax to grind or a personal favorite candidate, except maybe Tricky Ricky, but I do want us to have a decent coach. I don’t want us to go through 25 years like the BB program did before we finally hired a decent coach.
I just feel like we are getting the run around from the athletic office and the administration. If the powers to be are content with us being a mediocer football school then they should say so. If the alumni and heavy hitters are content being an also ran to the Brain surgeons over on Figueroa than own up and we can get on with life and cheer on the BB team.
Who ever the people were who ponied up the 2+ million to buy out Dorrell had better get something for their money. If they are content that Karl got the boot and could give a shit who the new coach is then say so. Otherwise it’s time for $$ to talk and BS to walk!

We need a top notch proven coach! DeWayne Walker is not ready as a head coach.

The new and improved defense from last year was supposed to be better this year. We have given up a ton of yards in too many games. We were even outgained by 200 yards by BYU- that was a lucky win because of the turnovers.

I have been trying to promote a Bruin club in Bakersfield over the past several years. It is a hard sell when we are not winning.

this is moving Walker’s way, unless DG has a surprise out there.

Ha! Guess what? CBS Sports line is reporting that they spotted Dorrell @ the Duke campus, possibly interviewing for the HC coaching spot. Here’s the column as wrote by the AP:

DURHAM, N.C. — Former UCLA coach Karl Dorrell was spotted on the Duke campus Monday while the Blue Devils’ search for a coach dragged into its third week.

Dorrell, who was fired last week after the Bruins finished a 6-6 this season, was seen in the passenger seat of a convertible near Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Don Yee, Dorrell’s Los Angeles-based agent, declined to comment, while athletic director Joe Alleva did not return a telephone message left by the Associated Press.

Duke is looking for a replacement for Ted Roof, who was fired Nov. 26 after wrapping up a 1-11 season with a ninth straight loss. The Blue Devils went 6-45 during Roof’s four-plus seasons in Durham.

Dorrell, who will be 44 on Dec. 18, surfaced as a possible candidate late last week. Others believed to be under consideration include Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson and former East Carolina coach and Boston College assistant Steve Logan.

One of Duke’s top choices, former Navy coach Paul Johnson, was hired last week by Georgia Tech. Former North Carolina Central and current Grambling State coach Rod Broadway also is known to have interviewed for the Duke job.

If hired, Dorrell would become Duke’s first black head coach in any sport. He went 35-27 with five bowl appearances during his five-year tenure at UCLA.

Alleva has said he wants to hire someone with head coaching experience in the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, and with a reputation for developing offenses.

Under Dorrell, the 2005 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Drew Olson set four school passing records and led the Bruins to a 10-2 finish and a No. 16 national ranking that season.

Their 7-6 record a year ago was marked by an upset of then-No. 2 Southern California that knocked the Trojans from the national title game.

The Bruins closed this season with losses in five of seven games — yet entered the annual season finale against USC with an outside chance at a Rose Bowl berth. But two days after USC’s 24-7 victory, Dorrell was fired, and he announced later last week that he would not coach the team in its Las Vegas Bowl appearance against BYU.

AP NEWS

YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!!!!! I SUPPORTED DD SINCE THE WEB SITE STARTED. BUT I CAN’T SUPPORT YOU GUYS ANY LONGER. YOUR NOW BASHING DW WHY?? ALL HE HAS DONE IS MAKE OUR DEFENSE BETTER, YOU SAY HE HAS NOT BEATEN A SPREAD OFFENSE. SO, TELL ME WHAT WAS OREGONS RECORD BEFORE DIXON GOT HURT. ONLY CAL BEAT THEM AND BEARLY. NONE OF THE PLAYERS HE COACHED WERE HIS PLAYERS. THE DEFENSE WAS UNDERSIZED BUT IT KEPT US IN ALL THE GAMESBY HALF WAY THROUGH 3rd QUARTER WE WERE STILL IN ALL THE GAMES. THE IN ABILITY TO SCORE GAMES WAS THE PROBLEM NOT THE DEFENSE. REMEMBER THIS SAME DEFENSE IN 2005 WHEN THEY COULD NOT STOP ANYBODY. IMAGINE THAT OFFENSE WITH THIS DEFENSE. SO STOP BASHING DW AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK. LEACH FROM TT WHAT HAS HE EVER WON IN THE BIG 12. HOW MANY BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS DOES HE HAVE. MARIUCCI 6-6 IN CAL AND RUNS A WEST COAST OFFENSE. THATS GREAT ITS WORKED WONDERS FOR UCLA FOOTBALL. NEUHISEL LOVE HIM BUT TOO SHADY. THE ONLY COACH THAT SHOULD BE WORTHY IS JUDE JONES NOW THAT’S AN OFFENSE. GET OFF DW BACK AS AN ALUM I WILL SUPPORT HIM IF HE ENDS UP BEING OUR HEAD COACH. DW HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR UCLA FOOTBALL THAT NO OTHER DEFENSE CORDNATOR HAS DONE..TELL ME WHOS BETTER.

Am I missing something–where is all of the “evidence” that DG is leaning towards Walker? Local scribes may be pro-Walker, but not sure how this reflects on what DG is thinking or planning. Personally I would be really surprised (and disappointed and upset) if Walker is selected, but I doubt it’s going to happen.

A sobering article on the state of UCLA football at the Sporting News:

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=316969

o.k.,so the consensus from a lot of people here is that we are shell-shocked from hiring an assistand! I.E.Dorell. and it is totally justified! but I still have not gotten any proof or evidence against D.W. or Norm Chow! they should be the top two candidates!!!!

No jeff, It is because the KD experiment was such a huge failure that the burden of proof is ON YOU to show why DW or Chow should even be considered. Frankly, they should be the absolute last resort if we strike out on everyone else, because UCLA cannot afford to be a training ground anymore. I haven’t gotten any convincing proof or evidence that shows that DW or Chow should leap other more qualified candidates with HC experience, so they go to the bottom of the barrel.

Lost to Utah 44-6
LOST to Notre Dame 20-6 (by the way, only game ND won)
Lost to Washington St 27-7
Lost to Arizona 34-27
And finally for the grand hoorah
Lost to our Arch Rivals 24-7

hey JC, you got one finger pointing @ us while the other 4 are pointing @ you. Do you home before you start shooting your mouth!!!

Enough of this Walker BS…DG is history if he hires DW or makes him part of a deal. The coach we need/want isn’t going to put up with this crap, he’ll want his own guys… we need to clean house and hire a football coach who will establish his own NEW culture with no hold overs from the past, unless HE chooses to.

Um ,JC , that would be JUNE JONES ,just thought you should know. Jude was somebody the beatles sang about .

DW is a good defensive coordinator but not worthy yet of the head coach position at UCLA. I believe DG will not take a another shot in the dark with an inexperienced head coach. Our next coach should be a offense minded, EXPERIENCED (HEAD COACH) individual such as Rick Neuheisel, Pat Hill (Fresno St) Steve Mariucci (if he commits for 5 years)or June Jones (Hawaii)

Lets try a new attitude at UCLA - PAT HILL (FRESNO ST)

Pat Hill, I can see that. But people pleeeeeze stop mentioning R.N. and S.M.

JC it’s all about bashing Walker now. I thought the site would be shut down when Dorrell was fired.

I think Pat Hill is way to rough around the edges for Westwood.

Ticked ,I think that’s the idea .His supporters want that element brought to westwood because of the ” SOFT ” perception .

Pat Hill is a helluva good coach. I love the physical style of play his teams always bring. The one NFL guy from Fresno State that typifies Pat Hill football is Lorenzo Neal. He will knock your ass out.

Has Hill found the perfect home for himself in Fresno? Well, his kids are grown and out of school. Is it time to bring Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere football to Westwood?

If we can’t out-slick Carroll with Rick, maybe we can just knock his ass out with Pat Hill.

Someone are saying it’s “all about bashing Walker now”. I’m sorry but I have to disagree. Many people here including myself believe that while Walker did a commendable job improving the defense over the past two years albeit with some notable defensive lapses in key games, he simply does not deserve consideration as head coach at a school like UCLA with his resume.

That said, I would be open to him remaining on as DC if the new head coach and Walker are agreeable to the idea. Personally, I would support Chow and Walker in these roles. Also still supportive of Neuheisel (although some are discounting the possibility).

as UTAH proved, d.w. is aVERY lousy def. coor. __ Losing to the worst N. D. team in history , is proof , that d.w. is not EVEN an average def. coor. __

Well, my brother called me out on something. It seems Lorenzo Neal was at Fresno St. before Pat Hill got there. Sorry, my bad.

Gentlemen-

We don’t simply need a new head coach at UCLA; we need a change of culture. WE have mired in mediocrity, what ifs, what could’ve beens since I’ve been breathing. All of that MUST stop. Regretfully for DW, that’s not something he can bring to UCLA. He hasn’t the experience or the attitude to do so.

While Norm Chow doesn’t have Head Coaching experience, he’s a highly experienced coach. DW simply isn’t. If he’s interested in learning, fine. Go learn at TUlsa, Duke (like KD), Wazzu, if they want you that badly, or any directional school like southwest northern eastern state. I don’t want you using a school that has suffered in mediocrity, has endured bargain coaches who have used the program to learn, and has forced its fan base to accept mediocrity as a stepping stone to advance your career.

No thank you.

AFter decades of mediocrity, why do some of you insist on “”giving someone a chance?”"” WHY?!?

Incidentally, this issue about losing recruits and having to retain DW to recruit the inner city is ridiculous. The best recruiter of all is winning.

Going to Rose Bowls and being among the top-10 teams year in- year out is the best RECRUITER any school could ever have.

We have enough players to win now. Look at the just released all pac-10 honors. UCLA had 9 all pac ten players given honors. USC had 3.

A good, experienced coach can forge a title winning team with such a cast of players.

Winning = recruiting.

Diego….X’lnt point on winning = recruiting. As far as your “Why?” question, maybe those tolerating mediocrity haven’t suffered long enough.

Here’s what I hate. I’m in Las Vegas during the 2004 Vegas Bowl. I’m walking through the Treasure Island sportsbook with a UCLA windbreaker on. It’s about 2 hours before game time and some guy looks at me and says something through his tequila like, “I’m betting Wyoming against you guys tonight. You guys are money burning losers. Too soft, man. Them Cowboys’ll whup your ass!”

Geez, Wyoming did beat us. What an absolute joke. Wyoming!!?? We couldn’t beat Wyoming?

OUCH!! I feel your pain on that one, About To Puke. Those are the kinds of indignities we’ve suffered as alumni for years.

Diego, thanks for bringing up the topic of recruiting and winning. I couldn’t agree more that winning will in large part take care of recruiting.

This is one reason Chow’s apparent lack of dynamic personality doesn’t bother me with regard to recruiting. Sure others may have more pizzazz, but the ability to say to a recruit that he’s shaped two recent Heisman trophy winners in Palmer and Leinert plus his experience with the BYU QBs and Phil Rivers seems like a strong sell to me. QB is arguably the most important position on the field, so by being able to recruit the best QBs, it would follow that blue chip players at other positions would want to go to a school with such QBs. What do others think about this?

I don’t know much about Pat Hill but if he can bring a tough brand of football to UCLA I would support that too.

HEY TOM IF YOU WATCH THE GAMES MOST OF THE POINTS WERE SCORED IN THE 4th QUARTER. UCLA WERE IN ALL THE GAMES. UTAH 7 ND 6 WST 7 USC 7 I DON’T CARE IF UR THE BEST DEFENSE IN COLLEGE IF YOUR OFFENSE CAN’T SCORE YOU WILL NOT WIN. IF I’M WRONG GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF GREAT DEFENSE WITH NO OFFENSE. I DON’T KNOW IF DW SHOULD BE A HEAD COACH, BUT YOU GUYS SHOULD NOT BE BASHING THE GUY. DID YOU FORGET HOW UCLA LOST ITS CHANCE TO PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL TITTLE IN 98. THEY COULD NOT STOP ANYBODY THIS LASTED ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE 2005, 0 DEFENSE. THE ND GAME LAST YEAR I DO NAT PUT IT ON DW I BLAME KD AND HIS SORRY ASS OFFENSE.

Hey JC, I think your shift key is stuck.

Karl will likely get hired at Duke and will be paid more for coaching there than he made at UCLA. If you consider the cost of living and housing in North Carolina to the LA area he will be making almost double what he made at UCLA.

DW is a good recriter but I am not impressed with his ability as a DC.

Norm doesn’t have the personality a head coach needs. Try to remember Prothro, Vermeil and Donohue, they all could be very fiery. With Chow he may be telling the press conferences what he had for breakfast, not what he plays to do to win.

Rick is street wise now as a head coach and won’t make the old mistakes again. He is gonna give the press some cockiness, but so did Harbaugh and it worked for him.

Rick wants the job and will work for that cheesey salary it pays. The health plan probably includes treatment from interns at the medical center and haircuts from some barber college downtown. But at least Rick wants the job and will not be interviewing for the PR value.

Recruits will embrace Rick’s personality and he will fire them up for the games. Why not bring Barnes back too in some way? That is John not Billie.

JC, I don’t, and I don’t believe many of the others do, necessarily believe that DW didn’t do well at UCLA, but why do you feel we should take another shot at a coach that needs to learn?

Okay, so he had the defense in the top 30 nationally. You believe that warrants the job? Two years as a DC with a hihgly talented pool of players, and what, two years as a DB coach on the Redskins make you believe that he’s qualiyt enough to run a top Division 1 program??

If you agree with the people that wanted KD out, which it sounds like you do, because of his lack of experience, why are you advancing the hiring of someone that’s LESS qualified than DW?

PUKE….. Do you remember when the Bruins used to recruit players from the Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Modesto and Stockton regions? What happened? Is DW afraid to take his coaching possee up there. People talk about kids that will play for the school with heart. Well there they are, picking cotton and grapes. Sizing peaches at the canneries and rounding up steers to be made into Big Macs. Don’t forget those guys Pat Hill has recruited well in his home territory and elsewhere getting the leftovers that SC and Cal don’t want. There is one of those type of kids right here in Southern Calif and Harbaugh is on him like he was his only child. The kid is Kris Proctor at Big Bear HS. You have to see the kid play to appreciate him, he is a QB/DB but will play safety in college. I have seen most of the good ones this year at some of the big time HS programs and Proctor s at the least a shade better in all areas, and did I mention an honor student. The answer isn’t always recruiting down in the inner city, there is talent there no doubt. But the next coach has to realize talent is where you find it, not the obvious places.

I hate to concede (and compromise?), but I also vote for Neuheisal. My first choice, like most, was C. Petersen, but it’s apparent he doesn’t like the LA scene - I’m sure he likes and respects UCLA itself. Agree with BruinBuddy that although Chow is talented, he just is not a head coach-ceo-leader type. Leach seems cheesy - like how Neuheisal used to be. P. Johnson is taken.

Hopefully, former Neuweasel learned from his errors; plus we all can’t deny that he loves UCLA. I guess my backup choice now is June Jones.

Norm chow likes to sit in the pressbox and chart plays, analyze defenses, determine down-and-distance tendencies of the defense, decide whether the best call against a team’s cover 2 defense is to High-low a corner with two receivers or force the middle linebacker to cover a crossing pattern and then throw to a back underneath him.
He gets off on the X’s and O’s. He has avoided the head coach type duties because they are too time consuming and include things he doesn’t like to do. Things like:

Hiring and firing staff
Making sure coaches and players comply with NCAA rules
Preparing a defensive game plan
Counseling players
Preparing a budget
Consulting with University Administration and faculty
Solving student-athlete problems on campus
Assigning assitant coaches to certain geographic areas from which to recruit. Then fielding the bitching and moaning from the same coaches when they don’t like where you have sent them.
Determining which players should earn scholarships and disappointing some players in so doing.
Monitor staff expenditures and verify validity of same.
Management of staff. Merit evaluations, promotions, etc.
Represent the university at charity and alumni functions
Attend to media requests for interviews and tape TV show

They don’t pay these guys the money they do just for showing up on Saturday. Remember, there is an off-season conditioning program to organize, spring game logistics, attending and/or performing coaching clinics, etc.

Chow has never enjoyed these duties. And, quite frankly, attending to these things would take him away from what he does best.

Bruin Buddy…Sure I remember us getting guys from the Northern Section of the CIF. But, I remember more fondly us getting guys like Mel Farr from Brownsville, Texas; Kenny Easley from Virginia; Freddy Mitchell from Lakeland, Florida…we snatched these guys right out from under other big time schools.

Here is a trivia question for you. Who is the only UCLA QB since 1960 to have an NCAA national championship ring?

Troy Aikman transfer from Oklahoma

FUSC…you are sharp. He got his ring when at Oklahoma after he got injured and they won the NC. He transferred the next year.

The sad thing is, for the last 53 years we have had great athletes on our football team and never won a national championship. It is time to stop this madness.

Puke, you present some knowledgeable arguments why Chow would not make a good fit as head coach except you are perhaps overlooking one major point–he WANTS to be a head coach! I am pretty sure he understands all of the other tasks that he will need to handle as head coach, not that he will necessarily enjoy them, but the man has stated his stated his desire to be head coach quite clearly.

As for others who say that Chow doesn’t have the “personality” needed to be a head coach–quite frankly I think this is a bunch of bull. He may not fit your perception of what a head coach should be like, but I contend that this is a false perception. Don’t forget that the man was a well recognized football player himself. I’m sure he has plenty of fire to succeed as head coach, although he may not present it in a way that you understand. Do any of you remember Tom Landry? Don Shula? Not exactly effusing with personality types. Both had pretty good careers as head coaches.

Let’s quit with the “doesn’t have the personality” argument because it’s really a vague and ambiguous way without merit of weeding out somebody. If you don’t support Chow, so be it, that’s fine, but the “personality” argument has no credence in my opinion.

By the way…down-and-distance tendency is usually how a defense tries to predict what play an offense will run. However, some teams will play specific defenses in certain situations. Being able to predict if they will blitz in certain pass or run situations, for instance, is part of what an OC tries to do.

Lifelong Fan…Fair enough. Maybe you’re right.

d

Puke–appreciate your knowledge, passion, and willingness to concede a point.

We all ultimately want the same thing–Bruin football that we can be proud of.

Life Fan….You got it. I just want a solid program that is well respected.

My problem with Chow and Jones is that they are too old and I don’t think Jones would be a great coach because his offense wouldn’t work with our (lack of) offensive talent. I wanted peterson but now i just want a realitively young guy with fire and heart. Rick Neuheisal!

Who said we have a lack of offensive talent, FUSC?

Has anyone ever heard Fresno St. football labeled as “soft” NOT! but how many times have we heard on national tv, UCLA being labeled “soft” (Terry Bowden ABC)- time to change this perception. NO MORE SQUEAKY CLEAN,SOFT,CONSERVATIVE,CRY BABY COACHES (DICK VERMEIL, TERRY DONAHUE, KARL DORRELL). NO UNPROVEN FEEL GOOD COACHES ( D. WALKER, N. CHOW,) - BUCK THE TREND AND LETS BRING SOME BITE BACK TO UCLA - PAT HILL FRESNO ST. - CHECK HIS CREDENTIALS, HE IS PROVEN, HE IS EXPERIENCED, HE IS SOCAL CONNECTED, HE DOES UPHOLD A HIGH ACADEMIC ACHIEVING ATHLETIC STANDARD, HE IS A BULLDOG WHO CAN PISS ON PETE CARROLL’S PARADE. LETS START THE MOVEMENT NOW!!! WHO IS WITH ME

You know MET’s got a good point…

Pat Hill has been a great coach for the Bulldogs. In order to earn respect for Fresno State, he has challenged ANY and ALL football teams to play his; many have not taken that challenge. He has great passion for the game; he is totally blue collar. A few years ago, he turned down the Oakland Raiders HC job… After all, what kind of a f—–n MORON would want to quit a good college coaching job and work with that other IDIOT, Al Davis? Oh yeah, LAME KIFFIN from that suspect dirt college where you can get your B.A. in FINGERPAINTING: DIRT $C (O.J.U.)($UC). At least we know Pat Hill is very intelligent.

What makes anyone think that Hill is at all interested in the job, I would agree that he is curious about it per the Fresno fishwrap on line. But he has a bowl game to win for now and FSU wants to upgrade their program even more with better players and facilities. Pat Hill could be a great coach, but do you really think he wants to come to Westwood knowing the condition of the facilities and the entrance requirements. He can get great JC players in with a 2.0 and they waive the SAT if they have 56 units completed. That includes on-line classes. Which I think the admissions department frowns upon in Westwood. As far as HS recruits go, I haven’t heard of him having any denied admission to FSU.

Hill is more of a Texas type coach. likely looking for a school, if he is lookig at all, that will give him total control and has alot of cash to back him up. I don’t see UCLA giving him half of what he wants.

This is not the glamor job that many of you think it is. Sure there is alot of press exposure, but for every positive aspect of the job there are two negatives to deal with.

Rick N is aware of the good and the bad and still wants the job. That is impressive to say the least. I believ that all the interviews that DG wll be doing are all looky-lous; curious but not serious, interested but not committed, and for obtaining leverage somewhere else, while keeping their name in the news.

How about some love for Matt Moore now, he wanted to stay just needed some love, he is getting it in the NFL now.

Bruin Buddy…yeah, I think Pat Hill would only be interested in the UCLA job if he views it as being one step closer to a return to the NFL. He has close ties with Bill Bellichick and word is he enjoyed his cup of coffee in the NFL.
I know Hill looks like he is a refugee from a Mad Max movie (someone said he should enter the stadium on a Harley, LOL) but he actually has his roots in southern California football having coached at a JC in the area. He was also an assistant under Dick Tomey at Arizona.
I think his name has come up more as someone we WISH was seriously interested in the job than as a viable candidate.

No Walker
No Chow
Yes June Jones
Yes Pat Hill
Yes Bronco Mendenhall
Yes Chris Petersen

Nobody who went to UCLA could honestly believe that the school cannot pry people away from Hawaii, Fresno State (Fresno! Come on!), BYU, or Boise State. I would be cautiously optimistic about Jim Mora Jr. or Steve Mariucci.

Joshua, the problem is, Hill takes pride in (and enjoys) the atmosphere he has cultivated at Fresno. Teams playing at Fresno can be a little intimidated. They have a rabid fan base and the stadium is similar to Oregon’s Autzen Stadium and Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium in that the fans are right on top of the field, close to the bench, etc. Hill uses the hostile atmosphere, and the fact his teams are famous for being very physical, as factors in recruiting and getting his team to believe they can beat anyone on their field.
I’m not sure Hill would see any advantage coming to UCLA where he would have to start over. The football program facilities at UCLA need a serious upgrade. And, Hill already gets enough pop in the local press and annual football mags to push whatever agenda he may have as far as future NFL career plans.

It isn’t about taking anyone at those schools; it’s about those candidates being a right fit at UCLA. It goes beyond being football only. Pat Hill, he’s a DAMN good football coach. Frankly, though, he’s a BIG ol’ redneck, too. The handle-bar mustache and cooter cap taht hasnt’ been washed in who knows how long, doesn’t jive with glitter L.A. Imagine a banquet of the city’s greats. You have the Lakers’ Phil Jackson sitting with Jeanie Buss; Pete Carroll with some fresh Co-ed, graduate student he just likely banged out in his office; Joe Torre with his significant other; Dr. Buss pimpin’ a fresh girley, Heff looking as dashing as always; Ben Howland looking nice and formal with his wife, and there’s Pat Hill, with his hair combed like Alfalfa from the little rascals and wearing some tie that you know he picked up at the Men’s Warehouse on the way to the banquet- the thing is probably a clip-on tie.

That’s just not going to work in Westwood/Beverly Hills.

Diego…No, I’m thinking he would have a tie on, alright. Trouble is, it would be one of those Hell’s Angels jobs with hand-painted pictures eagles and Harleys on it. You know, similar to the “dogs playing poker” painting. Also it would have a couple dollops of chili from Tommy’s Burgers smeared into the fabric.

I go for RN. Honestly, I haven’t heard anyone’s name come up that makes me really excited. Everyone mentioned is sort of a little better than OK or a little worse than OK. I do agree that whomever is hired has experience as a collegiate head coach.

Also, let’s hope that the Chargers lose a lot and miss out on the playoffs. They foolishly fired their head coach last year, picked someone up off the discarded heap, and haven’t come close to playing to their abilities. They need a new head coach next season!! I nominate Pete Carroll!!!

Carroll going back to the NFL would do a lot for UCLA football…

You’re right, About. After all, he’d have to match his wife’s dress.

There is an excellent blog by Bruin Blue over at bruinsnation. Check it out. He hits the nail on the head. I wish he could give Morrison, and to a lesser degree, Guerrero, a couple taps with the same hammer.

can you post it here?

Diego…..Should probably leave it up to the DD admin guys.

Speaking about ties. When I was young high school coach, Marv Hubbard spoke at our Football banquet way back in the early 70’s. He was wearing a short sleeve white shirt with a few coffee stains, a pack of Lucky Strikes in his shirt pocket and a big green tie with a rainbow trout jumping out of the water. The most impressive part were the trout’s eyes which lit up and blinked from a small 9 volt battery inside his pocket.

Pat Hill is Nolan compared to Marv Hubbard.

Think outside the box Bruin fans. Stop being image conscious, while this town maybe full of stars and glamour, the results will always be what matters most (wins). Steve Lavin fit the so called “ucla image” and look what that got us. Terry Donahue and Karl Dorrell also fit that “ucla image” and look what that got us. I seem to remember a fat, oddball, beer belly coach (BOB Toledo) who did not fit the so called image, getting our team to a rose bowl and a blown call away from the bcs title game. I’ve mentioned Pat Hill’s name out of respect for the program he runs.I could care less how he looks or what he wears, as long as he commands respect from his players and peers. I think DG should at least contact him and others to gauge their interest. Whomever gets the job will get my full support, but i am very hopefull that DG will do a thorough search, and interview experienced, winning head coaches. Even if they don’t fit the “powder blue” image.

Bruin Buddy ….Thanks for the Marv Hubbard anecdote. Loved it.

Is there any truth to the rumor that Oprah wants to accompany Dwayne Walker to his interview with DG?

Your a bad man BruinBuddy, that was damn funny! Your gonna stir it up now !I’m gonna go get my flak jacket on .

This site is getting retarded. We sound like a bunch of blue-haired ninnies that love to bitch and complain. Sleeping Beauty is out and that is great. When are you guys gonna truly understand that Walker did a very good job as the D.C….he may or may not be ready to be a H.C. I personally believe that he is not just yet rady and UCLA should not take any more chances on unproven head coaches

I just heard two talk show hosts on ESPN Radio talking about how Chow is a great O.C. and develops NFL quarterbacks…and how he would be pretty hard pressed to develop quarterbacks if he were busy Managing the entire program as a H.C. (duh - common sense) Is he ready to be a H.C. - who knows? Where in the hell did anybody read or hear that he wants to be a head coach….all I’ve heard and read is that he DOES NOT want to be a head coach. Have any of you realized that he gets a raise (wherever he is) every time he interviews for a H.C. job?! C’mon people. Please tell me where to find anything that indicates that he wants to be a H.C. - other than that he keeps interviewing…again, usually prompting a raise…pretty genius way to get a raise people.

Quit whining and bitching! Lets be more productive.
Look, lots of valid points here put everyone is chasing their own tails here. Go do something productive until an actual short list comes out, then we can talk.

Go Pat Hill. Obama Winfrey for d. coordinator

MME, oh, c’mon man. We are all just throwing ideas back and forth. Many of us need an outlet to vent. If we are offending you or boring you I hear a Shrek special is on TV tonight.

I’m more into the Charlie Brown Christmas Specials…or even watching the Angry Grinch too!!!