The limelight of Miami proved too hot for many

Sporting News, The, Jan 30, 1995 by Ivan Maisel

If you're Miami, you're like the homecoming queen who can't get a date because she's too intimidating.

"I think Miami's the most difficult place to coach right now," Earle Bruce, the former head coach at Ohio State and Colorado State says. "They are so used to winning."

Welcome to Paul Dee in Wonderland. Miami has been so successful that entering the week Dee, the athletic director, couldn't get anyone to take the job. The list of coaches who backed away from interviews or who interviewed and backed away reads like a who's who of who's hot: Sonny Lubick of Colorado State, Fred Goldsmith of Duke, Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin, Brad Scott of South Carolina and others. Jim Tressel, who has won three Division I-AA national championships in the 1990s at Youngstown State, took his name out of consideration late last week.

That left Gary Stevens, the Dolphins assistant overlooked in favor of Dennis Erickson six years ago, Cowboys assistant and former Hurricanes assistant Butch Davis and some unknowns. Figuring out who is and isn't a horse in this race has been a little more complicated than buying a Daily Racing Form. By last Friday, Dee said he had interviewed seven candidates, without naming all the names. But he noted puckishly that some coaches who had been interviewed didn't want anyone to know it.

"I think it's interesting," he said, "that some of the people who say they're not interested are very interested."

The reason, of course, is that Dee is looking for a coach at the height of recruiting season. The last thing any coach needs is to be linked to leaving his job. Also looming out there is any action the NCAA might take concerning the Pell Grant scandal. And the Miami market can be intimidating. It drove Dennis Erickson to the NFL after six seasons, two national championships and a 63-9 record.

"The expectations are such that it might scare some people away," former Miami coach Jimmy Johnson says. "People are hot going to be happy unless whoever comes in is competing for the national championship and wins it occasionally. You don't have those expectations other places, but other places don't have the same talent either."

The Miami players endorsed Lubick, an assistant under Erickson as recently as 1992. But Lubick elected to remain in Fort Collins, and who could blame him? He could be elected mayor except that it would be a step down. Miami center KC. Jones wished aloud that "there were some Vince Lombardis in there." In that sense, he is in agreement with Miami President Tad Foote, who wants a disciplinarian. Whoever Dee ends up with will embark on a wonderful honeymoon - right up until September 2, when the Hurricanes open the season at UCLA.

Replaying the best

The nation's sports information directors and NuSkin sponsor an annual contest to cite the best plays of the season. No. 1: Colorado's Hail Mary pass to beat Michigan.

The rest of the Top 10, as judged by a five-man panel that included yours truly:

2. Texas A&M-Kingsville running back Louis Fite perfoming a complete flip over a diving tackler at the goal line to score a touchdown against East Central University.

3. Notre Dame fullback Ray Zellars bowling over one Purdue tackler, shaking off another downfield, maintaining his balance by nearly crawling on all fours and completing a 62-yard touchdown run.

4. Purdue freshman free safety Lee Brush returning a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown. Halfway down the field, Brush, an option quarterback in high school, faked a pitch to a trailing teammate to juke the last Indiana tackler.

5. Tulsa tailback Solomon White bouncing off three tacklers at his 7-yard line, then shaking a UNLV safety off his back inside the Rebels' 20 to complete a 93-yard touchdown.

6. Auburn quarterback Stan White's fourth-down, final-minute touchdown pass to Frank Sanders to win at then-No. 1 Florida, 36-33.

7. LSU return specialist Eddie Kennison returning a punt 100 yards (actually, 105) against Mississippi State. Two Bulldogs knocked Kennison 5 yards into his end zone but because one foot was outside the end zone when he picked up the punt, he had to go. And go he did, the first 100-yard punt return in Division I-A in more than 40 years.

8. Oregon freshman Kenny Wheaton turning a game and a season around by returning a Washington interception 97 yards with 1:05 to play to seal the Ducks' 31-20 victory. Oregon didn't stop until it got to the Rose Bowl.

9. Florida linebacker Darren Hambrick bouncing off and weaving through the entire Georgia offense to return an interception 81 yards as the first half ended.

10. Nebraska PAT holder Jon Vedral picking up a bad snap, scrambling, and while nearly parallel to the ground, flinging the ball from his waist toward the left side of the end zone. Kicker Darin Erstad ran under it and caught it for the most stunning two-point conversion Oklahoma State has ever seen.