The University of Utah's search for a new football coach moved into full swing this week, with several new names surfacing and Athletic Director Chris Hill saying he wants, "a total coach that can put together a total team."
Hill, who fired Jim Fassel last week after five seasons, is sticking to his policy of not releasing names of applicants. He said he has not interviewed anyone in person and is still considering the applicants. "We're still in the reasearch and investigation mode," said Hill. "We were in damage control for a couple days, now we're looking for a coach."Hill indicated he wants to hire a coach before Jan. 1.
Among the names that came to light this week were a number of assistant coaches at either big colleges or with pro teams. "We may not get a (Rick) Majerus type (the current Ute basketball coach) . . . an 11-0 football guy. Some (candidates) have done good jobs with bad teams, some have done good jobs in smaller leagues and some are assistants. I'm just sifting through to see what I've got there. I really can't tell you a whole lot."
Among those names surfacing this week were Atlanta Falcons interim coach Jim Hanifan, Chicago Bears assistant Steve Kazor, San Francisco 49ers assistant Lynn Stiles and Montana Coach Don Read.
Stiles, a 48-year-old tight ends coach for the Niners, was a guard at Utah 1961-62 and an assistant at Utah 1963-65. Other assistant coaching stops were at UCLA and with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was head coach at San Jose State for three years.
Stiles said he hasn't been contacted by the U., but would be interested under the right circumstances. "I suppose if the shoe fit and it made sense, yes, I would be interested," said Stiles.
Hanifan is not expected to be named the Falcons' permanent head coach and has reportedly expressed interest in the Ute post. He was head coach for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1980-85 and his name has come up when Utah changed coaches before. The 56-year-old coach also spent time at Cal-Berkeley and San Diego State.
Kazor, 41, coaches special teams and tight ends for the Bears. He was a nose tackle at Westminster College, 1967-70 and head coach at Emporia State for one year. Assistant stops have included Texas-Arlington, UTEP, Wyoming, Texas and Colorado State. He worked three years along with legendary defensive coach Buddy Ryan in Chicago.
Kazor has sent in his resume to Hill, but says they have missed each other's calls several times. "Utah is a place waiting to explode," said Kazor. He also labeled Salt Lake as "the nicest city in the conference to recruit to," and termed the WAC "the most up-and-coming conference in the country."
Read has an 11-2 record at Montana this year and his team has advanced to the third round of the NCAA I-AA playoffs. However, UM sports information director Dave Guffy said Read is not a candidate. "Don has informed me that he has not applied for the job and is not interested in it," said Guffy.
Hill said he wants to keep an exciting offense, but expects the new coach to have a strong defensive background, as well. One coach who has been in the running from the start, Portland State's Pokey Allen, fits that description. Allen, a former Ute player, was a defensive coordinator at Montana, Eastern Washington and the L.A. Express and Portland Breakers of the old USFL. His teams have been strong offensively, using both the run and pass effectively, to build a 37-14-2 record.
Other possibilities include former Utah assistant Ron McBride; Ute offensive coordinator Jack Reilly; Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Colletto; Northern Illinois Coach Jerry Pettibone; San Diego Chargers' Assistant Ted Tollner; Oregon State Coach Dave Kragthorpe; Fullerton State Coach Gene Murphy; Washington assistant Keith Gilbertson; former Washington Redskins Assistant Chuck Banker; New Orleans Saints defensive line coach John Pease; and Stanford assistant Fred vonAppen.
Hill declined to say how many people had applied for the job.