[NU Sports] Sound familiar? Barnett on the bubble? (fwd)

[BSchooler at aol.com]

I've posted this several times previously as I think I have some information 
about the circumstances surrounding Barnett's departure from Northwestern and 
where he wanted to end up coaching. If you've read this previously, I 
apologize.

<<Let me start back in May, 1996 when NU RB Coach John Wristen was in Austin 
for his annual recruiting visit (the same trip during which he visited 
Westlake High School and passed on Drew Brees). Several of us played golf and later 
had dinner and a few beers with Wristen. In Wristen's case, he had more than a 
few beers. Among our group was Mark Wangrin, a Medill graduate who was then 
employed by the Austin American-Statesman covering University of Texas football.

During this visit, Wristen made it crystal clear that the only job Barnett 
would take to leave Northwestern was the Texas job. Wristen inquired about the 
cost of Austin housing, the best Austin area school districts for his children 
and stated that he and Barnett thought the best college football atmosphere 
they'd ever seen was in Austin when Colorado played Texas back in 1991. Wristen 
came right out and said Barnett would only leave Northwestern for the Texas 
job. All of this was deliberately said in front of Mark Wangrin; a very 
unprofessional move on the part of Wristen. It put Mark in a very difficult position. 
After all, his livelyhood depended upon a good relationship with John Mackovic 
and the Texas football program. To Mark's credit, he successfully navigated 
this difficult situation over the next two tumultuous years.

The next episode in this saga of which I was aware took place in Febraury, 
1997 when Barnett came to Austin, ostensibly to speak to the Northwestern Club 
of Austin, but in reality, to check out Austin with his wife, Mary, who had 
never been to Austin. It was great spending time with Barnett and his speech to 
the Northwestern Club, which I have on tape, was memorable. His joke about how 
stupid Colorado football players are is ironic, given the current 
circumstances.

But several interesting things took place on this visit. Barnett went up to 
Horseshoe Bay to visit the late Jim Wacker. I later learned Wacker may have 
been asked to become Barnett's OC at Texas. Barnett learned of Birdsong's firing 
during a round of golf and expressed extreme disappoinment over this turn of 
events. Through Mark Wangrin, I learned that Barnett went on a tour of Austin 
with an assitant coach he had worked with at CU who was currently on the UT 
staff and drove by Mackovic's house. Barnett was apparently awestruck by 
Mackovic's gorgeous home. I had the opportunity to ask Barnett directly how he felt 
about Rick Taylor. Barnett responded diplomatically by saying everyone has their 
own management style and that Taylor's style works for him but it's not how 
he (Barnett) chooses to work. 

Barnett was also interviewed by Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk 
Bohls and was asked about various jobs. Bohls asked Barnett about the pros and the 
Detroit Lions job offer. Barnett said he'd be "a square peg in a round hole" 
as a professional coach. In regard to the Notre Dame job offer, "'Everybody 
has the opinion, the perception of what's the right place for them,' Barnett 
said. 'For a lot of people, Notre Dame was it. I never thought about it. I've 
never been intrigued by all that.'" Bohls asked about Colorado. Barnett 
responded, "I don't think you go back to a place." He then asked Barnett about his alma 
mater Missouri which had snubbed him a couple years earlier to hire Larry 
Smith. Barnett answered, "I didn't get a sniff. That one's over". Then Bohls 
asked Barnett about "Texas if John Mackovic ever left? 'There isn't any way I'm 
going to answer that. John's done a great job here.' he (Barnett) says 
diplomatically, although he adds he and wife, Mary, are checking places around the 
country where they might eventually want to live. Hmmm." (Austin 
American-Statesman - February 11, 1997).

With these personal experiences in mind, I concluded that the Notre Dame job 
interview was done to enhance Barnett's own reputation and embarass Notre 
Dame. In 1997, I figured Barnett was perfectly content to stay at Northwestern for 
five or six more years until the Texas job came open. John Mackovic had just 
signed a lucrative contract extension after Texas upset Nebraska in the first 
Big Twelve Championship game. But the wheels fell off at Texas in 1998 (due in 
large part to a string of injuries on the defensive line - sound familiar?), 
the Longhorns went 4-7 and Mackovic was fired. Suddenly, Barnett's dream job 
was open a lot earlier than anticipated. Just one year after the Notre Dame 
flirtation, Barnett found himself pursuing the Texas job.

And Barnett thought until the last minute that the Texas job was his. And it 
probably was. I was scheduled to be on the 5:00 PM local news to give my 
impressions of the new Texas coach when I got a call around 3:30 PM telling me that 
Mack Brown had gotten the job. I later learned that UT Athletic Director 
DeLoss Dodds and Board of Trustees Chairman Tom Hicks had gone to a Chicago hotel 
the previous night for a preparatory interview with Barnett that went poorly. 
I learned that Barnett had come off as arrogant (he demanded that he bring all 
his assistant coaches with him). Texas had just fired an arrogant Yankee from 
Illinois. So Dodds and Hicks flew to Atlanta to join the full seach committee 
who were interviewing Mack Brown the next morning. Mack Brown blew everyone 
away. Darrell Royal, in particular, was impressed with Mack Brown. Mack Brown 
was the southern good 'ole boy that Barnett never could be. Around noon that 
day, DeLoss Dodds called Barnett who was on his way to O'Hare to catch a plane 
to St. Louis where Barnett was scheduled to meet with the entire Texas seach 
committee. Dodds told Barnett to forget it; the search committee had found their 
man. Barnett turned around, went back to Evanston, announced he had a change 
of heart and was Northwestern's "coach for life". Unfortunately, Barnett had 
burned bridges in Evanston by this point due to his pursuit of the Texas job.

After the Texas fiasco, Barnett was searching for any job to get out of 
Evanston. Exacerbating matters, I'm sure, was the relationship with Rich Taylor. 
After Birdsong was fired, O'Neill was hired at a much greater salary than 
Barnett's $430,000 per year. How quickly things had soured for Barnett at 
Northwestern. If Mackovic had remained at Texas for another five or six years, I believe 
Barnett would have been content to stay at Northwestern while waiting for his 
"dream job" to open up. Perhaps there would have been an occasional job 
flirtation, but nothing like what transpired in 1998 after he had burned bridges at 
Northwestern. 

Everything considered, I feel Barnett has gotten a somewhat bad rap from 
Northwestern fans. Barnett was a victim of his own hubris. He was the hottest 
thing in coaching and thought he could get away with anything. But I don't think 
he wanted to hurt Northwestern or leave Northwestern the way he did. Barnett 
has no one to blame but himself. Things did not work out as expected. But do 
they ever?>>

Bob Schooler