UCLA will anounce Rick Neuheisel as the next head head. UCLA is trying to decide either to announce it on Sunday or Monday. Rick Neuheisel will retain DeWayne Walker as everyone has reported. In regards to the OC? Everybody is counting Norm Chow out of it. But their are talks that when the Tennessee Titans lose and are out of the playoff hunt; Norm Chow will really take a closer look at the UCLA OC position.

Now everybody knows Mike Bellotti will not be the next UCLA head coach. He is negotiating an extention with Oregon as previously posted.

More to come.

Good grief.

Good Grief is right. Just watched ESPN halftime show on New Orleans Bowl and all three guys — again Ed Cunningham — say UCLA “is to be admired for going after Bellotti, but they have their man already in the fold — DeWayne Walker — all the recruits(in my mind SUSPECTS) really feel comfortable with him.” Okay, we are going to see about DG now. One — The Chancellor wants Al Golden; Two — The national, local media, players, recruits want Walker and Three - the Alumni, money people and a majority of the fans want RN. So, DG, who I’m sure REALLY, REALLY wanted Bellotti to say yes and solve his problem must decide between 1) Golden: Chancellor’s man but unproven 2)Walker: Media, Players and Recruits choice who means mediocre with wins at home and destruction on the road and 3) Quality, Exciting, Smart, Alumni and Supporters Love but carrying a whole, bunch of Samsonite with him. Dan? Envelope please. That why you get the big bucks.

Can somebody give me an estimate as to what such a search firm would be paid for all their “fine” (barf) work?

A couple of gypsys and a Ouija board would be cheaper and more honest to boot.

And what fool would retain and pay them for this?

It’s like a nightmare that won’t stop, 24 hours a day, every day a new BS story about candidates.

I feel violated.

Bruinbuddy: If this is like business and what I read in Sporting News, the Search Firm probably gets about $100K to do search (usually tied to coaches’ agent) and if you hire the candidate given to to you by the firm, you probably need to pay a percentage of their contract package. Meaning they might get a check for 15-20% OF total package payable over 1-2 years.

DD is right… it is still the Donahue/Fields era

DG has been exposed with this search firm err person… DG is just a little puppet bruin.

Donahue F-ed up the ‘98 title run with his “those are my recruits” comments.

OK this is slightly off topic but I think goes way back to the heart of the matter. I’ve been trying to rack my brain and can’t remember or find the information on the internet.
Back in the 1970’s some time there was a member of the UCLA football team that was arrested for murder. When the news of the murder and arrest hit the news everybody went ape.
The question of how this guy got into UCLA became the question of the day. It raised the question of UCLA’s recruiting policies. It seems everything stems from this incident.
Anybody help me out with the name of the football player?

Man, this is truly, truly a rollercoaster ride! Man, I’m totally disgusted by this. DONAHUE?!??! can we please go beyond that?????!!!!!! For the love of anythign HOLY!

Guys, the national media with respect to announcers and coaches don’t like Neuheisel. No one truly wants to see Neuheisel back, for an array of reason, not the least of which is that he will make headlines about winning and being dominant. GUys like Bob Davy don’t know what the fook they’re talking about. That guy was mediocre at ND and everyone knows it. That is why he hasn’t coached since.

Expect much of the same tomorrow during the Las Vegas Bowl. Even though BYU is going to kill us, there’s going to be a list of excuses for DW and the announcers are going to push for his hiring. It’s going to be EMBARRASSING!! They’re going to run multiple segments about all of this. Tomorrow is going to be one GIANT political commercial for DW. How fitting that is going to be, as we head into a Presidential election year.

Dorrel Hates Me- Yeah, they were his recruits, which is why they didn’t play for the national title and fooked it up at the end. Those were DEFINITE Donahue clones.

totally on board with the previous comments. ucla has a history of nice guy coaches who cant win, im sure the media and peers think theyre swell guys, but we sit suffering inexplicable losses and predictable 3rd tier bowl trips. ENOUGH! give me the jerk that gets the W for once!

Donahue’s fingerprints on the search firm are discouraging. If we were going to pay someone to do a search, why not someone independent, instead of someone who should have been expected to offer advice anyway? UCLA already paid Rees for 14 years. And he comes back to the trough for more? Geez.
I’m not that concerned about Rick becoming disinterested and tailing off in a few years, if he’s the man. This is his dream job. Colorado and UDub weren’t, and while Boulder and Seattle may be nice places to ski and visit and drink coffee and hot chocolate, they aren’t dream locations unless you love long distance running or cold or fog. They can get old. I see Rick working his butt off to have UCLA’s best coaching record ever, and Walker (who is Pac-10 recruiter of the year) as assistant head coach working every bit as hard — toward his goal of an NFL head coach’s job. That’s an attractive recruiting combination in all neighborhoods.
Golden doesn’t sound that bad either. A top recruiter in the East. But it sounds like Penn State is his dream job, and that we’d just be a stepping stone on his career path. Hiring a old UVa buddy from outside with only interim interest in UCLA, as a coach in a sport as important as football, would really be stepping on himself and certainly get Block’s chancellorship off to a very poor start. UVa isn’t exactly a football power either.
Go Bruins!!

Is anybody else considering not renewing his/her season tickets if DG hires anybody other than someone with both experience and success as a college head coach? Nearly all the games are on TV anyway, and it basically kills the entire day to drag up to the Rose Bowl. Why should any fans continue to torture themselves if DG doesn’t get the message that we need/deserve/demand someone who is a proven successful head coach, when you can stay at home, watch the debacles on TV and not go hoarse yelling at the stupid coaching?

It was the 1980s, and it was cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to hire a contract hit on the judge hearing his drug trial. It was Darryl Henley. He was arrested at the Rams practice field–he’d been drafted by the then-L.A. Rams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Henley

I forgot to add: the moron Henley tried to set up the hit on his judge ON THE JAILHOUSE phone.
(*rolls eyes*)

I’ve been telling y’all since the search process started that I feel the hand of Scary Terry Donahue in this. How else can you explain this total train wreck. Now we have direct proof. Scary Terry destroyed decades of Bruin football and single handedly torpedoed the gold standard of professional sports–the SF 49ers. I will cancel my 4 season tix and refuse to donate anymore money to UCLA if we hire another lame ass coach. If Bellotti had been hired, I would have run to Westwood to triple my tix and donate a bucket of money. That’s the message that Danny G needs to hear from the Bruin fan base. By the way, the answer to tooth fairy’s trivia question is Billie Don Jackson from Texas who played for Scary Terry but was admitted to UCLA even though he could not read or write. I understand that Billie Don became a model prisoner and that Scary Terry counseled him through prison, which is a nice thing. Finally, the Slickster is still the best man for the job. He deserves a 2d shot at coaching and besides, I could use a little help filling out my brackets for March Madness. Later…..

that was BILLY DON JACKSON from Texas…..

I will cancel my season tix, if we dont’ choose a head coach that has experience and fits the factors I feel we need to emplooy. I have no problem doing that.

Agreed. Why drive over to the Rose Bowl (and deal with the traffic) when I can watch our debacles from the comfort of my living room. Hire an experienced coach. Otherwise, I can deal with only going to Pauley to watch Bruin sporting events live.

Thanks Bruce,

I am going to come out of retirement and start up a new business shortly.

I have to know at least as much as those guys do which is actually nothing, that makes me at expert in their field.

I imagine Mr. Walker is a little anxious about now. He probably didn’t get much sleep last night. This is Game Day for our gutty little Bruins! This team has been through a lot of emotional ups and downs. But it is game day! Whatever you may think of DW, he is our coach today. None of us should presume we know how or what he is going to do. Our team faces a very good team. DW has a whole lot of people looking at him through a microscope to see how he handles things. Will he blow it? Will the team’s performance reflect the confidence they have in him. There is a lot of pressure.
My guess is that he knows how to handle the pressure and that, no matter the score, the team will play with intensity and pride and you will not see us quit as long as there’s a chance of victory. DW will probably not get the HC job no matter how we do today, but for today he is our coach. He is part of our family; and families stick together. Let’s all wish him well.

Well put bones. I agree 100% with you. Even though we all have our different opinions and agenda. We must all support UCLA. The last thing I want to see is another lose. Everything else will take care of itself. Rick Neuheisel will be the next UCLA head coach. An announcement will either be Sunday or Monday.

You heard it hear first.

Javier I beleive you and i’m realllly glad.

They better announce it is Neuhesiel and soon! My heart is with the Bruins tonight, but my wallet is taking BYU and giving the points. I don’t have any faith in Walker to lead our beloved Bruins to a victory tonight (or any other time for that matter). I feel bad for our kids. They shouldn’t be playing in a third tier bowl.

Bruinbuddy: It is a good business….the key, according to the Sporting News writer, is that the search firm have good contacts with Coaches’ Agents — they all have them now. That buffers the coach and he can “honestly” say that “I have had no contact with UCLA.” That’s semantically correct. That’s what Nick Saban kept saying as his agent was negotiating with Alabama…same with Rodriquez and Mich.
And Bluebruin — You are absolutely correct…tonight will be an ESPN commercial for DW’s hiring..even if we are losing 31-0 and going 3 and out.

I wonder about some of the guys posting at bruinsnation. They still have guys yammering on and on about how UCLA should hire a “big name” coach. Their latest example of a “big name” coach is Mike Bellotti. Of course, Bellotti, being of sound mind, told Guerrero he likes his Nike contract more than he would an Adidas contract. The funny thing is this: I live in Oregon six months out of the year, and Bellotti is not considered a “big name” coach up here. Up here, he is thought of as the guy from Chico State who took over after Rich Brooks got the program on the right track. Bellotti is thought of as a coach who gets his team off to fast starts, but always ends the season with a string of losses. He really isn’t appreciated. It is interesting to me how the cliche “The grass is always greener…..” fits in this situation.

So, I thought it might be fun to ask coaches and fans up here what they think of UCLA’s considering Neuheisel as their new head coach. I talked to 12 people and what I heard generally went like this:
“Yeah, UCLA is gonna bring “Neuweasel” back. Old Slick Rick. But, they’ll probably start kicking ass again. He wants to prove himself BAD! Bellotti will hate it.”

Isn’t that funny? UCLA people think Bellotti is the HOT commodity “big name” coach, and Oregon people think Neuheisel will bring the UCLA progam out of he doldrums and give Bellotti fits.

I think the bruinsnation guys pushing this “big name” coach line must be about 24 or 25 years old. Erickson and Bellotti are their idea of “big name” coaches. Yet, Neuheisel has an overwhelming winning record against both those guys. But, at 24 years old, who among us had a knowledge base broad enough to voice a refined opinion? It seems so ironic that, while the bruinsnation guys continue to plead with Guerrero to eschew Neuheisel in favor of a “big name” coach, it looks like Guerrero is going to hire Neuheisel, and, in so doing, give them their “big name” coach.

Whether it is Rick or DW, the program will be in the same position in 3-4 years. If Rick is chosen, he will fall victim to his own misdeeds as he enters the LA fold and attempts to compete with USC in recruiting. If DW is chosen, he will be the Raiders next head coach within 4 years. Either way, the program will find itself back at this exact place with all of us saying we told you so. Golden is not the answer either. This is a crying shame that a program of this stature cannot, and will not, attract the man that could change the UCLA football landscape forever. How is it that Arkansas and Michigan can pull off such magic in this process and we take third and fourth choices?

Who cares. What, are your feelings hurt. I don’t care if UCLA hires their 8 man on their list. As long as UCLA hires a good coach I am excited. Stop your crying. You just have to wait 48-72 fours for your answer.

By the way, don’t think for a minute that Mike Bellotti’s agent didn’t contact this Reilly Bros firm…..he absolutely DID. Turns out old Mike B is negotiating a new contract with Oregon and there’s nothing like some leverage of UCLA’s interest. I’m in sales…..I have been USED for leverage several times in my career by a prospective customer who uses my proposal to get a better deal from the current supplier. It’s not real ethical, but it’s also Good Business and, hey, life ain’t always fair. DG and his team got used by Bellotti…live and learn.

About to Puke is right….the OTHER GUY’S coach always seems to be a genius. It’s like the GENIUS tag on Tedford. You all saw the end of their game with OSU when he put his freshman QB in a tough spot and gave up a tying FG and possible OT win. Then, a week later against us…..does anyone remember that trailing 23-21, at our 30, with a 47-yard FG attempt in the bank, he instead calls a down and out pass which Verner takes 80 the other way. Some freakin’ Genius!!!!!!

Thank you Bruce , I’m glad somebody else saw it for what it was .I did enjoy the panic exhibited by all the R.N. FAN CLUB MEMBERS .It helped make it clear to me that they don’t necessarily want the best qualified coach ; they just want RICK .

So RISE UP, who else is on your list of candidates to interview? Since you know the quality coaches.

If DW had any sense he would have been watching Oregon and Dennis Dixon films and putting that offense for our QB tonight.

Let’s get behind decision Rick, Golden whoever…does everyone remember that Carroll was SCs 3rd or 4th choice and their alumni were initially pissed due to his past record…I would say they hit a home run.

Bring Back Rick!!! He can then seek his revenge upon Barbara Hedges and SC.

Thanks guys… Billie Don Jackson

If I remember that incident really brought to light the issue of college recruiting. The suits at UCLA were really frothing at the mouth trying to figure out how an illiterate got into UCLA. The issue of what kind of atheletes we were seeking was really under question and things changed drastically.
Didn’t Prop 49 and the issue of the SAT’s start about this time too? All I can remember is that we started looking for nice clean guys who could make grades and not the usual football players who win games.
UCLA like to cultivate the image of squeeky clean athletes who make grades coached by gentleman coaches. Unfortunately, with the advent of the BCS era the name of the game is Wins and TV appearences. It’s all about the $$$$ now.
I really think the powers to be are really torn between having a squeeky clean image and winning football games and earning money in the era of Title IX budgets. The question is are they willing to swallow the poison pill -RN ? I say…GO TO THE DARKSIDE !

Guerrero has more sense than to hire Neuweasel. He knows the leopard doesn’t change his spots. After the bowls, we’ll see the real candidate - Petersen, Mendenhall, Leach, Jones - one of those guys will be our next HC. In two years we’ll be celebrating our Pac-10 championship and looking forward to a real BCS bowl game, not another Tidy Bowl.

Tommy Bruin, I pray you are right.

Rick Neuheisel would be our coach now, if Donahue had not blocked him, when he was forcibly retired. If it were not for a kicker named John Lee, Donahue would have lost many more games. I remember the 1988 Washington State game at the Rose Bowl, when UCLA was rated # 1 at halftime, when the # 1 team lost. Donahue had to call four stupid pass plays after Aikman got us down to the 5 yard line with an unbelievable pass to Arbuckle. He called four stupid plays in a row. He should have called a naked bootleg for Aikman to walk into the end zone. Donahue had four chances to win a national championship. He blew all four.

How about the Tommy Maddox versus Marinovich game at the Rose Bowl that UCLA had won, when we moved the ball down to the red zone with about two minutes to go in the game. Did
Donahue ice the game by running two run plays to eat up the clock. No, he had premature ejaculation and ran the ball in on the first play. Marinovich came right back and hit Johnny Morton on a post play to win the game in the identical fashion he did at WSU in his come from behind win with 1:51 left in Pullman earlier in the season. Final score 45-42. Should have been 42-38 for a UCLA win.

Donahue may have been a gutty little Bruin, but he could not win the big games. Rick Neuheisel won the biggest game of his career in the Rose Bowl against Illinois which was heavily favored against UCLA.

Bob Toledo had one great run, and stupidly Dan Guerrero fired him for being the closest coach in our lifetime to win a national championship for UCLA at Miami. He fired Bob T for another insider selection that had no merit whatsoever.

I do remember the Gangster game with Miami in the Fiesta Bowl that John Lee won at the buzzer with a field goal. WE have such short memories about how mediocre Donahue was. Bob Toledo took us to the limit, but it was not enough for us, as Harrick was not enough winning a national championship in 1995 against Arkansas in Seattle for our basketball program. # 11 in case we do not remember. The only coach besides John Wooden to win a national championship, but he was not an insider nor was he invited to play golf at the LA Country Club with the AD.

Neither had the kiss of nepotism, cronyism or incest of the insidious and controlling insiders at UCLA. We need an athletic director in the mold of J D Morgan who knew what was best and delivered for UCLA. Did we all forget the Long Beach State tournament game at Pauley, when J D Morgan harangued the officials at half time in their locker room, and blew Jerry Tarkanian’s team out on fouls in the second half?
No more nice guys or followers of Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska who opined: The mediocre need their appointment to the US Supreme Court. WE don’t need Golden and any more nepotism, Mr. Block. Thank you.

Rick is the best choice for UCLA. UCLA Law did not admit him, in spite of his brilliance and his two careers undergrad. Dean Susan Reppy Westerberg did not go out of her way to admit him. He had to go to USC. Bill Walton went to Stanford Law. Yes, UCLA does not take care of its own.
We are such hypocrites to single out Rick Neuheisel for recruiting violations and a Final Four pool. We all bet on Final Four pools. So what, Barbara Hedges.

Washington previously had many players on the team on an alumni’s construction crew, but no one showed up for work– only pay checks. OU had two players on the payroll of a car dealership in Norman, but never showed up for work. Reggie Bush was on an agent’s payroll, and Carroll has skated so far. Stop the pettifogging and myopic hysteria.

Rick Neuheisel would not have lost the ridiculous biased call from the far side official, overruling the official on the spot. Replay the call, and you will see how unfair it was, and how the runner was down and did not fumble. IF the coach had contested the call in the rescheduled Miami game in 1998, UCLA would have beaten Tennessee in the national championship. I loved Bob Toledo, but he was not a fighter with the officials on that miserable call. That loss not the handicapped parking pass incidents cost him his job, even though he beat SC so many times in a row. Dan Guerrero needs to chart his own course and select Neuheisel and not pick a Block Head choice or capitulate to the mediocrity of Donahue sycophants. Been there and done that.

Where is our stadium on campus?

Well, guys, I am logging off until after the announcement is made. It has been a pleasure jousting with you. I think the decision has already been made, but if it hasn’t been, Mendenhall will probably give Guerrero about an hour of his time sometime tonight after the game in Vegas. I’m sure it will be in some off the strip hotel that doesn’t have a casino attached…you know, Mormons, gambling and booze don’t exactly go hand-in-hand.

We can expect an announcement on Sunday or Monday.

Anyway, here’s hoping the jolly, overweight fellow gives us more than a lump of coal. Hope Santa is good to you, too.

Merry Christmas!

I thought Bellotti rivaled Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire the way he tap-danced around his ‘non-interview’. But I do envy him for the quality of life issue, same with ATP: you usually live where you find work, and So Cal certainly is no longer the best place to raise a family. Most people where I work have no intention of staying here when they retire.

And BTW, EXCELLENT post, Pat M.

Can’t help one last word. AMEN. To what Pat M. and buycker had to say.

Pat M - I love everything that you posted. Nothing else can be said but thank you for the memories. Lets bring back. For those that don’t want him, you need to understand people make mistakes and people do learn from their mistakes. Rick has had success and downfalls. But that is what being a coach is. You always keep on learning no matter how many years of experience you have.

ATP and Pat M. — AMEN!!!

Let’s get excited about this choice and stop all the hating.
I am tired of seeing so much Cardinal and Gold around town, I want to see more Blue and Gold in the stores and on peoples back.

I had drinks with an SC insider/backer last night and he says he and his buddies are excited about RN coming, they know he will be successful and will once again make the UCLA/SC rivalry competitive and exciting year round not just one week out of the year.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!!!

Ho Ho Ho

BRING ON RN!!!

Just say NO to Neucheater.

Whoever it is I just want an announcement so that I can get behind the new head coach and root for a turnaround. GO BRUIN BLUE AND GOLD!!!

Pat M.

Thank you for your excellent post.. I linked to it in the comments of the following URL for the Daily News coverage of UCLA:

http://www.insidesocal.com/ucla/2007/12/search_update.html

What is your email address as you look at the situation with a similar perspective (except for Toledo, but I do agree about him not arguing against that bogus call in the Miami game which I remember like it was yesterday).

RN all the way! Any other choice would be stupid -
He will bring a Carroll-like excitement and charisma to UCLA - Done you dare foist upon us a 5-19 neophyte!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is the past with TD and Neu? Other than not using him as OC?

Steve

Thought I’d pass along some comments my son sent me. He’s the Prep Sports editor of the Oakland Tribune:

I don’t know. I think Bellotti is a good coach and all that. I guess where I hedge is that it ultimately comes down to what type of hire/coach you want. I keep hearing how UCLA needs someone to “compete” with Pete Carroll. Win recruiting battles with personality and wow the media, all that shit. I never got the feeling Bellotti was all that outgoing. He’s not Karl Dullard, but you get the idea.
There’s so many issues at work with the whole thing. Part of it is race. There’s this perception that SC gets all the best kids in the southland, and many of them in recent years came from urban schools or private schools. When Toledo was the coach he tried to recruit nationally and missed on a whole bunch of guys or they didn’t develop once they got on campus. He lost ties with the Mater Deis, Santa Margaritas, Servites, Long Beach Polys, Dorseys, Crenshaws, Tafts etc. of the world, and a bunch of their players like Palmer, Leinart, Kalil and Steve Steve went to SC. Dorrell started to rebuild those local connections, but he hired some assistants with, um, shall we say, ghetto ties like Eric Bieniemy and Eric Scott, the dude with the criminal record. The big deal with Dewayne Walker is they have a really good recruiting class for 2008 and a bunch of the top players are from LA or City Section schools like Birmingham or Venice. He apparently had a lot to do with it, so everyone is scared that if they don’t hire Walker all the players who have verballed will bail before signing day comes around in february. Plus, their defense was the only decent thing going for them the last couple years.
Personally, if they really want to make a splash and hire someone who has won at the college level, they’ll just get Neuheisel and give Walker a raise to stay as the D coordinator. I’m not sure what hiring the guy from Temple gives you except that he’s supposed to be a good coach and might take over for Paterno at some point. But Temple moved into the MAC, so they’re competing against teams they’re equal to now. Of course they’re going to be better!
Thinking totally outside the box, the guy at Rutgers (Greg Schiano) is a real no-nonsense, intense type, but he didn’t go to michigan so he probably wouldn’t go to UCLA. The guy at Cincinnati (Brian Kelly) loves to throw and has won everywhere. Some big school will hire him this year or next year. I just don’t like the idea of hiring a guy with no head coaching experience like Walker when it’s not a total rebuilding job.
The sad part is, nobody wants the UCLA job. There’s no hot coaching prospects on the West Coast from what I can tell. And where are all the former Bruin players now coaching or ex-UCLA assistants other than Neuheisel? Nebraska had Turner Gil and the guy they hired was a former D coordinator there. Michigan had Les Miles, even though he stayed at LSU. Guess they all used their UCLA education to get a real job

The only sight that would make sense for a statdium is where the VA hospital is on Wilshire blvd. To much red tape though, but that is prime real estate.

The LA Times is reporting that DeWayne Walker will interview with Chancellor Block. Now I’m nervous…

As far as a site for a new stadium, how about using eminent domain to take over the block where OJ lived in Brentwood, that’s not too far away and it is easy to get to the 405 from there.