For all the talk coming out of DyNoMite Walker’s little hype machine made up of UCLA beat reporters and message board shills, the guy didn’t even get an interview with Washington State. Remember how much time Brian Dohns of the world spent on reporting how Walker was a "candidate" for this job. The loser didn’t even get an interview:
The Spokesman-Review reported Washington State officials have interviewed at least three candidates: Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff, Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin and former Idaho coach and Washington State assistant John L. Smith.
And now Dohn has conceded that WSU looked at the DyNoMite as a ‘second tier’ candidate:
There is a report in the Spokane Spokesman-Review that Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff agreed to be Washington State's new coach, replacing Bill Doba. One thing I am told is that UCLA interim coach DeWayne Walker's representative was contact, but Walker did not interview. He was a second-tier candidate, in case Wazzu didn't like what it saw with its first wave of interviews.
And yet in the world of certain UCLA fans Walker is seen as a world beater who has to be retained so that we can hold on to our precious little recruiting class, long term health of this program be damned. But no worries. I am sure we will hear rumors soon about how top BCS programs like LSU and Texas will be knocking on Walker’s door to hire him as their DC, as if he is ‘the bestest, most awesomest" ( a Dohn phrase) assistant coach in the country.Meanwhile, I think I have stumbled into another clue on who just might be some of the "sources" talking to people like Brian Dohn. Yesterday we talked about Bob Field hanging around Spalding field serving as a "liason" between the football program and the Athletic department. Well check this out from John Wilner (Brian Dohn’s predecessor at DN, who now writes for the San Jose Mercury News). Wilner parrots out some of the usual MSM lines about our job search but then pay close attention to his last two paras (emphasis mine):
The Bruins’ next move: The coaching search is picking up steam — Norm Chow was reportedly set to interview today.
Don’t believe newspaper/internet reports that UCLA is considering Texas Tech’s Mike Leach. He’s not a good fit personally, and athletic director Dan Guerrero knows it.
(I’ve been told that the Dorrell hire was out of Guerrero’s hands — that former chancellor Al Carnesale made the call. The Bruins would be wise to stand back and let Guerrero, who hired Ben Howland, do his job this time.)
And don’t believe for a second that Boise State’s Chris Petersen will listen seriously to the Bruins, no matter how many times they call.
As for alum Rick Neuheisel … tough to see that happening for several reasons.
Here’s one (a personal one): UCLA faculty rep Don Morrison is a sharp, stand-up guy who has dealt with numerous NCAA messes over the years.
I’ve known Don for a decade, and I just can’t see him signing off on Slick Rick. Nor can I see UCLA making the move over Morrison’s objections.
Does the name Don Morrison ring a bell? It should. Because this is the same loser who the good guys over at DumpDorrell.com shamed just few weeks ago and forced him to issue an apology for insulting a UCLA football fan like a total pr!ck. This is the kind of jerk DG has to get "sign off" from to hire his next coach?Don’t believe newspaper/internet reports that UCLA is considering Texas Tech’s Mike Leach. He’s not a good fit personally, and athletic director Dan Guerrero knows it.
(I’ve been told that the Dorrell hire was out of Guerrero’s hands — that former chancellor Al Carnesale made the call. The Bruins would be wise to stand back and let Guerrero, who hired Ben Howland, do his job this time.)
And don’t believe for a second that Boise State’s Chris Petersen will listen seriously to the Bruins, no matter how many times they call.
As for alum Rick Neuheisel … tough to see that happening for several reasons.
Here’s one (a personal one): UCLA faculty rep Don Morrison is a sharp, stand-up guy who has dealt with numerous NCAA messes over the years.
I’ve known Don for a decade, and I just can’t see him signing off on Slick Rick. Nor can I see UCLA making the move over Morrison’s objections.
And these are the kind of people I guess who are serving as informants for reporters like Wilner and I am presuming doing the same thing for Dohn. No wonder we constantly have to read about excuses coming from the traditional media when it comes to UCLA football, giving us the impression of bunch of insulated, self-centered, pencil pushing bureaucrats, who are so comfy in that little bubble of theirs that they have no willingness or desire to stretch their imagination, and actually strive to fulfill the promise and potential of UCLA football. And they are enabled by sedated traditional media and a pathetic segment of our own fan base (See Menelaus’s post on "Dorrellistas") who are always willing to settle for less.
Of course nothing has been determined yet. And I am not going to draw any conclusions on Dan Guerrero until a hire is official. However, that doesn’t mean that I am going to sit down and stay quiet if I sense there is even a chance UCLA is about to the roll the dice again, putting us in the same FUBAR situation that has eaten away at the core of our program for almost two decades. I will never accept that.
GO BRUINS.