The UW assistant coaching search
Richard Linde, 13 December 2008, updated
19 Feb 2009
Updates to the original article (13 Dec) can be found in the table
immediately below and, also, in Table 1 below, where all the rumblings
are listed plus the guys who have been officially hired.
| 2/19/2009 -- The UW has officially
announced that Dan Cozzetto will be its offensive line coach
and run-game coordinator. Quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier will
also be the offensive coordinator. |
| 2/12/2009 -- The UW has announced the hiring of Jimmy
Dougherty as its wide receivers coach. Dougherty has coached the
last five seasons at the University of San Diego. (Link
to UW announcement). Also, based on two sources, Bob
Condotta is reporting that Dan Cozzetto may soon be named the
offensive line coach. Cozzetto is currently the tight ends coach
at ASU. |
| 2/09/2009 -- It is being reported that offensive line coach
Jim Michalczik is taking a post with the Oakland
Raiders to join his friend, head coach Tom Cable. Here's a link
to Bob Condotta's story. |
| 1/27/2009 -- Seattle Times is reporting that newly hired
wide receivers coach Aaron Roderick will stay at Utah for
personal reasons. Link to story.
Mike Anderson and Klayton Adams have been hired as graduate
assistant coaches. |
| 1/18/2009 -- Aaron Roderick (Utah) has been
hired as wide receivers coach, according to
this link.
Also, his hire has been confirmed by the University of
Washington. |
| 1/16/2009 -- Washington has officially confirmed the hiring
of Mike Cox (linebackers), Jeff Mills (safeties), Joel Thomas
(running backs), and Doug Nussmeier (quarterbacks). Utah's wide
receivers coach Aaron Roderick is rumored to be in the hunt for
the same
position at UW. See the following link. |
1-18-2009 -- Summary of assistant coaches apparently in
fold:
Offensive Line Coach - Dan Cozzetto
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks - Doug Nussmeier
Running Backs - Joel Thomas
Wide receivers - Jimmy Dougherty
Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach - Nick Holt
Defensive Line/Special Teams - Johnny Nansen
Linebackers - Mike Cox
Cornerbacks - Demetrice Martin
Safeties - Jeff Mills |
| 1/14/2009 -- A source has told the
Fresno Bee that offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier
has been hired by UW to be its quarterbacks coach. According to
the paper, "Nussmeier was a record-breaking quarterback for the
Vandals from 1990-1994, and a number of assistant coaches who
served at Idaho have been added to the Washington staff in
recent weeks."
Steve Sarkisian has found a way to
economize his workload. According to my thesaurus, a synonym for
the word vandal is an "uprooter." Hiring one Vandal is all that
is needed. You hire one Vandal, and he'll uproot other coaches
for you -- maybe even PSAs from other parts of the country. |
| 1/12/2009 -- Molly Yanity of the Seattle P-I is reporting
that running backs coach Joel Thomas out of Purdue has been
hired for the same position at Washington. Nothing is official
from Washington yet. |
| 1/6/2009 -- Footballscoop.com is
reporting that Jeff Mills of Youngstown State and Mike Cox of
the St. Louis Rams will be joining Washington's staff. They are
expected to work on the defensive side of the ball, according to
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, who speculating on the matter
projects Cox as the linebackers coach and Mills as a secondary
coach. |
| 1/5/2009 -- The Seattle Times is
reporting that Nick Holt, 46, of USC has accepted the defensive
coordinator's post at Washington, as well as assistant head
coach. UW will make an official
announcement today. Molly Yanity of the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer has been at the front of this story all
along. Congratulations to Molly. |
| 1/5/2009 -- According to the Seattle
Times, Steve Sarkisian is still talking to USC's Nick Holt
about the defensive coordinator's job. Apparently, Holt would
have total control over the defense at UW, unlike his current
role at USC, where evidently he's playing second fiddle to Pete
Carroll. Scot Loeffler who has
been rumored to be in the hunt for the quarterbacks' coaching
position is
apparently headed to Florida. |
| 12/30/2008 -- According to a story on
the web, which is quoting an anonymous source, Rocky Long
has been hired as defensive coordinator at San Diego State.
Former UW player Nigel Burton (1999) is rumored to be in the hunt for
the defensive coordinator's role,
according to a story published on RGJ.com. Burton's name
came up in Sarkisian's first interview after being hired on Dec.
6. That source says his name came up, "because Sarkisian said he
remembered coaching against Burton when Burton was at Oregon
State and Sarkisian was at USC." Put Burton's name in
the weakly-rumored category. Remember that UW has fired two
defensive coordinators in less than a year's time: Kent Baer
(Dec 17, 2007) and Ed Donatell (around Dec 10, 2008). UW gave up
a school record 451.75 yards per game in 2008, ranking 110th out
of 119 teams in NCAA FBS football. Hiring a defensive
coordinator is a worrisome task for Sarkisian, in my opinion.
Watch for the media to turn up the heat on him in the next week or
two (the old antsy trick) if this task is not accomplished
sooner rather than later. |
| 12/21/2008 -- ESPN is quoting a
source who says that Ron English will be announced as the new
head coach at Eastern Michigan as soon as Monday. English had
been rumored for the D/C slot at UW. USC's Dennis Slutak, 36,
has officially accepted the job as new director of UW football
operations. |
| 12/19/2008 -- The Seattle Times (Bob Condotta) reports that rumors have
circulated that Sarkisian may have settled on current NFL
assistants Kennedy Pola and Scot Loeffler as running backs
coach and quarterbacks coach. The Orange
County Register writes that Sarkisian told them, "We'll see
if this thing (defensive coordinator) gets done in the next day
or so." A report from Gary Klein of the LA Times says Nick Holt
(USC) still might be in the running for D/C, though he
originally had removed himself from consideration. |
| 12/17/2008 -- This article by
Molly Yanity summarizes the hires announced yesterday by UW and
Steve Sarkisian. Also, see Table 1 below. Note that six
assistant coaching spots are left to fill. |
| 12/16/2008 -- Michalczik (O/C, OL), Martin (Secondary) and
Nansen (DL, ST) have been officially hired, along with Jared
Blank as the director of player personnel and recruiting coordinator. Yogi Roth may no longer be
a candidate for QB coach. Charr Gahagan will be an assistant to
the strength coach, Ivan Lewis. Official
release. Reportedly Michalczik will make $350,000 annually. |
| 12/16/2008 -- Bob Condotta reports
that none of Tyrone Willingham's assistants will be retained. He
writes that a source says that at least three of Sarkisian's
assistants (Michalczik, Nansen, and Martin) were working at UW
offices yesterday. Sark will hold a news conference today.
According to the LA Daily News and Orange County Register, Rocky Seto
has turned down the UW offer to be its defensive coordinator.
Rocky Long is a possibility. |
| 12/15/2008 -- Jonathan Okanes of the Contra Costa Times
is reporting that California line coach Jim Michalczik will
become the offensive coordinator for the new football
staff at Washington. He will also coach the offensive line.
Also, a rumor out of Montlake says Chris Tormey is gone. |
| 12/14/2008 -- Bob Condotta writes, "the guys at Dawgman.com are reporting a new name
as a possibility, if not the actual hire, for
offensive line coach --- Cal offensive line
coach Jim Michalczik." Also, some musings about
Rick Mallory for tight ends coach can be found in Condotta's
blog. |
According
to Scott Wolf of the LA Daily News, USC secondary coach Rocky Seto has
been offered the defensive coordinator's job and is mulling it over.
(Seto photo credit: Bobak Ha'Eri.)
According to Bob Condotta (the Seattle Times), "...current Idaho
assistant Johnny Nansen is reported to have been hired as the new
defensive line coach, Demetrice Martin as the secondary coach and
Charlie Camp as the linebackers coach."
Condotta writes that Ivan Lewis will be the new
strength coach, and current USC graduate assistant Yogi Roth has been
interviewed for the QB job. Also, Al Dorsey, who is currently an
administrative assistant at USC, could be a candidate to become the
O-line coach.
Molly Yanity
of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes that rumors are circulating
that Chris Tormey will be staying on in a recruiting capacity and could
coach tight ends.
Table 1. Updated rumblings and official hires (19
February 2009)
| Name |
Position |
Status |
Source |
| Steve Sarkisian |
Head coach |
H |
UW |
| Rocky Seto |
Defensive coordinator |
DO |
OCR |
| Rocky Long |
Defensive coordinator |
OP |
McGrain |
| Ron English |
Defensive coordinator |
OP |
ESPN |
| Nick Holt |
Defensive coordinator |
H |
Yanity |
| Nigel Burton |
Defensive coordinator |
OP |
Hinxman |
| Mike Cox |
Linebackers |
H |
Condotta |
| Jeff Mills |
Secondary |
H |
Condotta |
| Joel Thomas |
Running backs |
H |
Yanity |
| Doug Nussmeier |
Quarterbacks; O/C |
H |
Lyght |
| Aaron Roderick |
Wide receivers |
DO |
Condotta |
| Kennedy Pola |
Running backs |
OP |
Condotta |
| Scot Loeffler |
Quarterbacks |
OP |
Condotta |
| Dan Cozzetto |
Offensive Line |
H |
Condotta |
| Jimmy Dougherty |
Wide receivers |
H |
UW |
| Johnny Nansen |
Defensive Line; special teams |
H |
UW |
| Demetrice Martin |
Secondary coach |
H |
UW |
| Ivan Lewis |
Strength Coach |
H |
UW |
| Charr Gahagan |
Assistant Strength coach |
H |
UW |
| Jim Michalczik |
O/C and Offensive line |
* |
UW |
| Jared Blank |
Recruiting coordinator |
H |
UW |
| Dennis Slutak |
Director of football operations |
H |
UW |
H = hired, O = Offered the job, RH = Reportedly hired. C =
Candidate, I = Interviewed, R = Rumored, FBS = footballscoop.com; O/C =
Offensive coordinator; DO = Declined Offer; OP = Out of the picture, *
left for Oakland Raiders
Candidates, age, present position, school/team:
Steve Sarkisian, 34, offensive coordinator, USC
Rocky Seto, 32, secondary coach, USC
Johnny Nansen, defensive line coach, Idaho
Demetrice Martin, 35, assistant coach, Mt. San Antonio
Charlie Camp, 35, defensive ends, San Jose State
Ivan Lewis, 29, assistant strength coach, USC
Yogi Roth, 27, grad assistant QBs, USC
Al Dorsey, 32, offensive administrative assistant, USC
Chris Tormey, 53, recruiting coordinator, linebackers, UW
Jim Michalczik, 42, offensive line coach, Cal
Rick Mallory, 48,
offensive line coach, Memphis
Rocky Long, 58, resigned as HC New
Mexico
Jared Blank, director of player personnel, USC
Ron English,
40, defensive coordinator, Louisville
Kennedy Pola, 45, running
backs, USC, Jacksonville Jaguars
Scot Loeffler, Quarterbacks,
Michigan, Detroit Lions
Nick Holt, 46, defensive coordinator, USC
Jeff Mills,
defensive coordinator, secondary, Youngstown State
Mike Cox, linebackers, assistant secondary, St. Louis Rams
Dennis Slutak, 32, director of football operations, USC
Nigel Burton, defensive coordinator, Nevada
Joel Thomas, 34, running backs, Purdue
Doug Nussmeier,
offensive coordinator, Fresno State
Aaron Roderick, 36, wide receivers, Utah
Jimmy Dougherty, offensive
coordinaaor, San Diego
Dan Cozzetto, tight ends, ASU
Washington's head coaching
conundrum.
There are 26 head
coaches listed in the table below, excluding Steve Sarkisian. The 2008 media guide lists 25
head coaches, excluding Tony Savage and Sarkisian. Savage, a head coach from Lincoln
high school, filled in for Hunt in 1918 when Hunt was off fighting in WW
I, according to the media guide.
Reggie Root coached one of the Odell years
(1948) due to
Odell’s illness, according to a fan who e-mailed me.
Sarkisian should be listed as the 27th
head coach if you believe the table below (which counts Tony Savage) or the 26th head coach
if you believe the media guide, which doesn't formally list Savage but,
instead, credits him for his work in 1918.
Or the 23rd head
coach if you believe the official
UW release, “The University of Washington announced today that Steve
Sarkisian has been named the 23rd head football coach in the sport's
119-year history at the institution.”
It is no wonder the UW football program is in such disarray.
| Coach |
Years |
W/L/T |
P |
| No Coach |
1889-1890 |
0 1 1 |
.250 |
| William B. Goodwin |
1892-1893 |
2 4 1 |
.357 |
| C. "Papa" Cobb |
1894 |
1 1 1 |
.500 |
| Ralph Nichols |
1895-1896, 1898 |
7 4 1 |
.625 |
| Carl L. Clemans |
1897 |
1 2 0 |
.333 |
| A.S. Jeffs |
1899 |
4 1 1 |
.750 |
| J.S. Dodge 1900 |
1900 |
1 2 2 |
.400 |
| Jack Wright |
1901 |
3 3 0 |
.500 |
| James Knight |
1902-1904 |
15 4 1 |
.775 |
| Oliver F. Cutts |
1905 |
4 2 2 |
.625 |
| Victor M. Place |
1906-1907 |
8 5 6 |
.579 |
| Gilmour "Gloomy Gil" Dobie |
1908-1916 |
58 0 3 |
.975 |
| Claude J. Hunt |
1917, 1919 |
6 3 1 |
.650 |
| Tony Savage |
1918 |
1 1 0 |
.500 |
| Leonard B. "Stub" Allison |
1920 |
1 5 0 |
.167 |
| Enoch "Baggy" Bagshaw |
1921-1929 |
63 22 6 |
.750 |
| James M. "Jimmy" Phelan |
1930-1941 |
65 37 8 |
.627 |
| W. Ralph "Pest" Welch |
1942-1947 |
27 20 3 |
.570 |
| Howard "Howie" Odell |
1948-1952 |
23 25 2 |
.480 |
| John "Cowboy Johnnie" Cherberg |
1953-1955 |
10 18 2 |
.367 |
| Darrell Royal |
1956 |
5 5 0 |
.500 |
| James "Jim" Owens |
1957-1974 |
99 82 6 |
.545 |
| Don James |
1975-1992 |
151 59 2 |
.717 |
| Jim Lambright |
1993-1998 |
44 25 1 |
.636 |
| Rick Neuheisel |
1999-2002 |
33 16 0 |
.673 |
| Keith Gilbertson |
2003-2004 |
7 16 0 |
.304 |
| Tyrone "Ty" Willingham |
2005-2008 |
11 37 0 |
.229 |
| Steve "Sark" Sarkisian |
2009-current |
|
|
