It’s official: UA hires Petrino as head coach
Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE — Bobby Petrino was introduced as the University of Arkansas’ 30 th head football coach late Tuesday evening, less than six hours after resigning from his head coaching duties with the Atlanta Falcons.
Petrino flew from Atlanta into Northwest Arkansas with incoming Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long and members of his family, and was introduced in an unprecedented 10: 30 p. m. news conference.
Petrino received a standing ovation from an overflow crowd of Arkansas fans in the Raymond Miller room at the Broyles Athletic Center after being introduced by Long, who had conducted the coach search.
“It’s very easy to come to a university that has the facilities, the commitment and the passion to win a national championship,” Petrino said, prompting one of several ovations.
“I can tell you one of the most attractive things about coming to the University of Arkansas is the fan base.... I’m excited about that, to be the main show, there’s no question.”
The hiring of Petrino ended a 15-day search filled with twists and turns for Long, who became an adviser to UA Chancellor John White in October. Petrino said he did not talk to Long until Tuesday.
“My hat’s off to Jeff Long,” White said. “He’s been in this all the way along. And he had Bobby Petrino on his list the very first part of the search.
“ He’s been in constant contact with his representative, and it was the first time for him to speak directly with Bobby. We thought it might be a long shot. He stayed right in there.”
Petrino, 46, is considered an offensive guru on the college level.
“The style of play his teams have demonstrated will invigorate our fans from kickoff to the final gun,” said Long, who first became acquainted with Petrino when both were in the Big East Conference, Petrino as the head coach at Louisville and Long as the athletic director at Pittsburgh.
Petrino’s salary is reported to be $ 2. 85 million per year for five years.
Petrino was 3-10 in his first season as an NFL head coach and told Falcons owner Arthur Blank before Atlanta’s Monday night game that he intended to remain with that organization next season.
“I feel real fortunate that we have a terrific guy leading our football team,” Blank told Atlanta media Monday. “Our CEO, our coach Bobby Petrino, has done a terrific job dealing with adversity this year. He’s proven to me that he’s a better head coach than I ever thought he was going to be, dealing with the set of cards that unfolded this year.”
The Falcons lost 34-14 to the Saints on Monday night to fall to 2-5 at home.
Petrino had obviously become dissatisfied with the situation in Atlanta.
He left Louisville after an impressive four-year run and thought he’d be inheriting a Falcons team with the dynamic Michael Vick as quarterback.
Instead, Vick came under investigation for a dogfighting ring within months of Petrino’s Jan. 8 hiring and eventually pleaded guilty to federal charges. Vick was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison, and the Falcons have been only marginally competitive this season.
“The timing of it was probably the thing that made it most difficult,” Petrino said. “I would like to have stayed through the season, but circumstances prevented that.”
Petrino took a pay cut to get back into the college ranks. His five-year contract with the Falcons was for $ 24. 5 million, an average of $ 4. 8 million per season.
Petrino signed a contract late Tuesday night.
Arkansas’ interim head Coach Reggie Herring said he had been advised of no change in the plan that would prevent him from coaching the Razorbacks in the Jan. 1 Cotton Bowl Classic against No. 6 Missouri.
“I’m here doing my job,” Herring said after the team’s night practice. “We’ve been hired to do a job, and we’re going to finish it. That’s what we talked to our players today about, about finishing what we started this season.”
Petrino, a native of Helena, Mont., led Louisville to a 41-9 record in four seasons (2003-06 ) and a 24-13 win in the 2007 Orange Bowl.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing a source with the Falcons, reported on its Web site that Petrino phoned in to the team offices about 5: 45 p. m. (EST ) and said he was resigning. A source in Atlanta said Falcons team officials were blindsided by the announcement.
Long has made two head football coaching hires, and they have both come from the National Football League. As Pittsburgh’s athletic director, Long hired former Miami Dolphins Coach Dave Wannstedt.
Long could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
“I appreciate the way Jeff has handled this, and Chuck Neinas has been working with him behind the scenes all the way along,” White said. “We just have to get this ball across the goal line.”
Petrino will be the fifth current Southeastern Conference head coach whose last position was in the NFL, joining Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Sylvester Croom and Rich Brooks.
Long, who maintained before Tuesday night that the job had not been offered to anybody, had at least gotten into deep negotiations with Clemson coach Tommy Bowden and Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe last week.
Petrino’s hiring came 10 years to the day after Arkansas hired its previous coach, Houston Nutt.
Nutt, who compiled a 75-48 record with the Razorbacks, resigned on Nov. 26, citing an irreconcilable rift with fans.
Petrino is likely to bring a group of Falcons assistant coaches, who followed him from Louisville, along with him to Arkansas.
That group is likely to include his brother, receivers coach Paul Petrino, offensive line coach Mike Summers, defensive backs coach Joe Whitt Jr. and defensive line coach Kevin Wolthausen.
Petrino has SEC coaching experience, spending one season as Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2002. He was with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars for the three seasons before that, including one year as the offensive coordinator in 2001.
In 1998, as Louisville’s offensive coordinator, Petrino helped the Cardinals lead Division I-A in scoring and total offense. Quarterback Chris Redman set school records for passing yards (4, 498 ) and passing touchdowns (33 ) that season.
Petrino has also coordinated offenses at Utah State, Nevada and Idaho.
He was an assistant at Arizona State and Weber State in Utah after graduating from Carroll College in Montana 1983.
Petrino played as quarterback at Carroll College and was a two-time All-National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics selection.
He was named Most Valuable Player of the Frontier Conference in 1981 and 1982.
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