Hindsight: What if Tech had hired Neuheisel over Johnson?
"Hey, do any of you guys know if that job in Atlanta is still open?" (AP photo)
History lesson: Georgia Tech fired Chan Gailey after he lost to Georgia in 2007. It settled on Paul Johnson of Navy as his replacement and hasn’t been sorry. Johnson beat Georgia in his first season and won the ACC title, since vacated, in his second.
In sum: Good hire.
That said, there was another candidate who could have been described as the runner-up and of whom a few impressed Tech insiders would say later, “We hired the right person, but that other guy’s going to do well in his next job.”
That other guy: Rick Neuheisel.
He’s about to get fired at UCLA.
Tech liked Johnson because he seemed to fit the Institute. (Again, can’t argue that.) Tech was impressed by Neuheisel because he’s smart and innovative — not that Johnson isn’t — and glamorous. He played quarterback at UCLA and won the Rose Bowl, tutored Troy Aikman as an assistant coach, won as Colorado’s head coach and won the Rose Bowl coaching Washington. But the part about Neuheisel that made Tech uneasy was his background.
Nearly four years after he left Colorado for Washington, Neuheisel was hit with an eight-month NCAA recruiting ban for violations committed while coaching the Buffaloes. That was strange. Far stranger was the revelation that he’d broached another NCAA regulation by entering and winning an NCAA basketball tournament pool. This, eventually, prompted Washington to fire him.
Neuheisel at first denied his pool winnings, then said he’d been given permission by Washington to enter. The whole thing got so confusing that he filed a wrongful-termination suit against the NCAA and Washington and wound up settling for $4.5 million. Another win! (FYI, Neuheisel has his law degree.)
In 2007, Neuheisel was the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens but was looking to get back into college football. Tech didn’t hire him that winter, but his alma mater did. This was a huge story in Los Angeles. Neuheisel spoke boldly of unseating Southern Cal and Pete Carroll and went so far as to hire Norm Chow, the coordinator who’d coached Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart to Heismans at USC. But nothing much has gone right for the Bruins since.
Chow was bought out with two years’ remaining on his contract — seems he and Neuheisel couldn’t get along — and UCLA went 4-8, 7-6 and 4-8. On Thursday they lost 48-12 to Arizona, which had just fired coach Mike Stoops, to fall to 3-4. (The game was enlivened, if that’s the word, by a players’ brawl ignited by, of all things, a fake referee who started ripping off his clothes.)
Afterward Neuheisel told reporters: “My argument is that I’m absolutely the right guy for the job.”
The best Dan Guerrero, the UCLA athletic director, could offer was that he wasn’t going to fire Neuheisel over the weekend.
Maybe it would have been different for Neuheisel at Tech. Maybe he’d have charmed and disarmed this big city and the ACC. (That approach hasn’t exactly worked in a bigger city or the Pac-12, we must note.) On the strength of 3 1/2 seasons you’d have to say Dan Radakovich’s instincts served him well: Rick Neuheisel was a good guy to interview; Paul Johnson was absolutely the right guy for this job.
By Mark Bradley
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235 comments Add your comment
JM
October 21st, 2011
1:11 pm
I love the misnomer about Gailey being a good recruiter. Chan did have one very good class, but all the other years, Tech wasn’t in the top 40 in recruiting.
I’d love for us to bring back the Fridge as some sort of QB coach. Our offense could be so dynamic with him and Johnson working together.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:13 pm
Jackets 2011, apparently not, because the B-backs we have now are not in the same league with Dwyer and Allen. But there’s still nothing wrong with 3-5 yards at a time, and they do at least seem to be able to get that much. Also, I think we really miss Bedford at center
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:13 pm
Supersize, you ever run into Elliot Price?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:13 pm
JM, it won’t happen, but damn, it would be an awesome combination if it did.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:14 pm
JB, I used to see him occasionally at Tech Club functions, but the Tech Club in Augusta hasn’t done anything worthwhile in about 5 years. They are worthless.
eddie lee
October 21st, 2011
1:16 pm
As I sit here thinking about the Lions-Falcons game….I must admit that Chan and Reggie are special…they are the only two people I can recall that have ever shut down Calvin Johnson. There were entire games where Calvin didnt touch the ball when those two idiots were around.
brian
October 21st, 2011
1:16 pm
If you look closer at Neuheisel you will see nothing but an opportunistic individual that is first and formost a me first guy. Where he has won it was early when he took over only to let the program fade, he has never built a team to a winner, only taken solid programs to their depths while making sure his golden parachute was firmly attached. He’s a scumbag…Tech was lucky.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:16 pm
Played HS ball with him in Atlanta. He was a stud, and of course played at Tech. Great guy.
lefty fielder
October 21st, 2011
1:17 pm
wonder if neuheisel remembers charlie dean
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:17 pm
Well, JB, I guess I have to rethink my original evaluation of you, which wasn’t so good. You actually seem like a decent guy. My apologies for misjudging you.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:19 pm
Thanks Supersize…….I have lot’s of Tech friends, went to a lot of Tech games growing up and just ended up at UGA. I’m not Tech material I guess.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:22 pm
dumb, huh? LOL Sorry, I couldn’t resist that
Jackets 2011
October 21st, 2011
1:22 pm
I hope Golden laid down the law after embarrassing incident with NT hitting UNC WR where it counts in pile after tackle while he was down.
It makes one wonder if they have any other totally lacking in character guys.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:23 pm
Maybe….ended up owning one of the biggest companies in The CSRA, so I guess I did all right.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:23 pm
So, JB, I guess since you went to school with Price, you aren’t an old fart like me. What kind of work do you do here in Augusta? I’m a SRS retiree
rogeriter
October 21st, 2011
1:25 pm
Georgia fan here–but I think Tech made a near perfect hire in Johnson. I don’t think anyone else could have done as much with their talent as he has done. I respect him highly.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:25 pm
Sorta figured since you live in Jones Creek, that you had probably done pretty well for yourself. I guess you’re not a doctor or a lawyer, since you own a company.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:26 pm
I’m 58…..Price just looks young because he looks like he could still play…..I’m in Building supplies.
jay
October 21st, 2011
1:27 pm
Dawg fan here. Neuheisel would have done a good job as well. Johnson
was a really good hire.
Jackets 2011
October 21st, 2011
1:28 pm
@JB and Super.
The problem is the teens going to the other fan base just intent on ticking them off.
Like our morons St Simons and m among others.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:28 pm
well, damn, JB, you ARE an old fart too. LOL
WOW, I had no idea Price was that old. Boy, the years have flown by
I’m having some maintenance work done on my house next week. Who knows? Maybe they’re getting some supplies from you. The only building supply company I can think of here in Augusta (although I KNOW there are others) is Maner Supply, and if I remember right David Maner went to Tech.
jarvis
October 21st, 2011
1:29 pm
Neuheisel sux. Best and easiest decision ever made by the local home of genius.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:30 pm
Jackets 2011, m ticked off the Tech fans too. His “thank God and greyhound” crap nearly drove me up the wall. Haven’t seen much of him lately though, and definitely haven’t missed him
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:30 pm
Good guess.
Jackets 2011
October 21st, 2011
1:30 pm
Kind of like #34 getting the adult coaches into a cussing contest.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:31 pm
JB, really??? Guess maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that. Didn’t mean to blow your cover
Jackets 2011
October 21st, 2011
1:32 pm
Agreed concerning m.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:32 pm
It’s fine. my office is hard to find…LOL
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
So was I right or wrong about David going to Tech. I think he’s a couple of years older than me.
KJ
October 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
Huge LOL @ someone with the handle “Supersize that order, mutt” complaining about insults and hatred. Might want to invest in a mirror, kid.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:34 pm
There’s another JB here…..but don’t get us confused…..He’s a Techie……….
THE DUDE
October 21st, 2011
1:34 pm
I THINK PAUL HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, SO LET HIM STAY, BECAUSE WE LOVE BEATING THOSE NERDS ALL THE TIME. GATA. GO DAWGS.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:34 pm
KJ, first of all, I am far from being a kid. And secondly, I have that name solely because of the reaction it gets from jerks like you
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
You are correct, and he stays in the Caribbean in a Big Sail boat……Bought him out 13 years ago.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
JB, you sure you don’t have multiple personalities, and that’s just the better half coming out? LOL
gtfanfrom1951
October 21st, 2011
1:36 pm
CPJ did one thing that Chan could never do beat Georgie!!!!
Jackets 2011
October 21st, 2011
1:36 pm
@THE DUDE.
Just like Gator fans love Mark Richt?
The guy who claimed he would know how to beat Florida because he had been at FSU.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:36 pm
Gotcha, JB. I knew him when we were both at ARC. Also knew his younger sister. What ever happened to her? Do you know?
St Simons - we're on Island time
October 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
If Tech had hired Neuheisel, they wouldn’t be running that high-school offense and could possibly recruit some 4 & 5 stars from the southeast on offense.
Jackets 2011
October 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
@KJ.
Read the whole thread.
Tech and Ga were actually getting along for a moment before u shown up to stir the pot again.
Notice how adults act.
U might learn something.
CPR
October 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
“History lesson: Georgia Tech fired Chan Gailey after he lost to Georgia in 2007. It settled on Paul Johnson of Navy as his replacement and hasn’t been sorry. Johnson beat Georgia in his first season and won the ACC title, since vacated, in his second.”"
In sum: Good hire.
_________________________________
LMAO…..
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
I Have no idea. One of his Daughters went to Tech and the other smart one (LOL) went to Vandy and has like 3 Masters. Very Smart family.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:43 pm
Supersize, I don’t know about his sister………….and I just have fun on here poking at Techies for amusement…..It’s just entertaining.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
Trying to ask you something, JB, but it’s getting blocked. I see you have 4 co-owners, one of whom shares your initials. Are all of you dawgs?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
OK, it made it through that time. That was my question.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
No, There are 5. Two Techies and one PC and 1 augusta st. rounds it out
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
JB, I actually read the blogs to get information. It’s for damn sure nothing about Tech ever makes it to the Augusta paper.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
JB, when I said 4, I meant 4 others besides yourself. So you’re in the minority, huh? Sweet. LOL
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
Correct. The Augusta paper is usually just a reprint from the AJC the day before….And Tech gets no respect in that paper.
JB
October 21st, 2011
1:50 pm
And by the way…Your moniker is probably the best at rubbing Dawgs the wrong way of all on here…LOL