Dec. 3, 2001
UK Press Conference
Wildcat Den
Athletics Director Larry Ivy
Opening Statement…
“The contract that Coach Morriss has is in effect, he will be our head coach next year. We told you from day one that when we made this decision last February, at the end of this season, Dr. Todd and I would get together, we would evaluate the season and make a decision. He and I got together yesterday and we are both very pleased with what this staff has been able to accomplish this year. Obviously, no one wanted more wins than Coach Morriss and his staff. At the same time, we looked at how competitive this team was. And from the LSU game on, we were as competitive in the Southeastern Conference as anyone. We have two teams playing in the SEC championship game in LSU and Tennessee that we lost to by a combined seven points. I think it is obvious we were very competitive.
“We also looked at other areas off the field. We looked at academics. We looked at how Coach Morriss and his staff were working with CATS. We looked at the areas of discipline, what was going on with the football team off the field, and our players acting as citizens.
“From the competitive nature and off-field relationships, we looked at the close-knit relationship that the coaching staff has, there is no finger-pointing offensively and defensively. It has been one group that worked very hard in coaching these young men and recruiting for next season.”
On when he felt that Coach Morriss was the right choice…
“I really had the sense last February. But as we got into the season, the immediate changes of the attitudes of the players from day one, starting with the 6 a.m. workouts, moving into the dorms, taking up the cell phones and car keys, and really getting down to business. As we got into the season, as the players bought into the system and the players started to understand what the coaches wanted them to do. I guess really at the LSU game when we had a chance to win and from there on out, we obviously knew we made the right decision. We could have made the call after the Tennessee game, but I thought we should stick by what we said originally and wait until after the Indiana game.”
On what will be going on at this time next season…
“I hope this time next season we will be getting ready for a bowl and not sitting here. We will evaluate Coach Morriss’ performance just like we do any other coach. He has four years, and we fully expect him to complete the four years. We expect this program to be competitive in the SEC which in turn will make us competitive nationally.”
On the terms of the contract…
“The terms will probably remain in effect as they are now. Guy was satisfied with the contract when we put it into place, and he said all along, if I can’t get the job done, I will know it before you do. That is something Dr. Todd and I both appreciated from Guy, and I don’t think the contract is any point of contention at all.”
On what recruits might be looking at…
“We have made the commitment to Coach Morriss. He is going to be our coach for four years. We’re satisfied with the contract. Guy’s satisfied with the contract. And hopefully everyone he is recruiting will not be looking at a contract, but at the University of Kentucky, what this program has to offer, from fan support to facilities. And especially what this coaching staff has to offer.”
On what the administration will be looking at next season…
“We are going to continue to look at how competitive we are and if we are moving forward. Wins and losses are going to come as you improve the program. We all know we are hurting at some positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We will continue to look at what we did this year and the wins will come.”
On the players…
“They are solidly behind this staff.”
President Lee T. Todd Jr.
“I said early on that I was glad we had someone with his capabilities standing in the wings when we needed to make a coaching change. And that feeling has grown stronger as I’ve gotten to know Guy and some of his coaches.”
“When he took over this position, he had to have some doubts, but you never saw them because he was working so hard and getting everyone else to work hard. When I talked to him, he showed me the players’ car keys and their cell phones and told me he was staying in the dorms with them. He was changing practice habits on those kids. He was walking around looking in classes seeing if players were in there. Those were things that began to make me feel stronger and stronger about Guy Morriss the person as well as the coach.”
“I sat down with him and his recruiter and was very impressed with the process they go through and the way they’re really analyzing their needs. I felt a lot of confidence as I looked at the analytical approach they were taking to fill in the holes they had.”
“You want good people handling student-athletes. And I saw the way he treats the student-athletes and what he was able to get out of them on the practice field and the playing field.”
Head Coach Guy Morriss
On appreciation…
“First of all I’d like to thank Mr. Ivy and Dr. Todd for their support. I’m excited about continuing as the head coach at the University of Kentucky. I don’t care what kind of players and facilities you have, if you don’t get support from your administration, you’re not going to go anywhere. I would like to thank Mrs. Ivy for her support. She’s been a blessing to my wife and me – she’s really helped Jackie get through this first year. I’d also like to thank the media. I appreciate their professionalism and the support they have given me and this football team and I hope this relationship continues.”
On program…
“I’m excited about where this program is going. I think we’ve laid a foundation that we can build a quality program on. We need to elevate this program to the top of the SEC and nation. Our offensive, defensive and special teams philosophies are in place, the system is in place and our kids are excited about the schemes they are playing.”
On athletes…
“Our kids are going to class, our academics are improving, our discipline and accountability of our student-athletes is on the rise. The one common thread in any championship team, I don’t care what the sport, is you have to have strong discipline. I feel our players understand what we require of them in that area.”
On staff…
“We have a great staff. It’s a staff that really gets along and enjoys being around each other and I think our kids have really fed on that strength this year. The thing the kids have felt from this staff the entire year is the harmony and closeness that we have with our ball club and coaches. This will essentially help us be good recruiters. That’s the number one priority for us right now and I think we can solve a lot of our problems with good recruiting over the next class or two. I think our staff is going to prove itself in the end that they can recruit as well as coach.”
On off-season…
“We’re staring our off-season program today – it’s another area that must get better. It’s been addressed. We need to be a stronger football team and I really believe that this football team is going to move forward. We didn’t get as many wins as we could have this season, but everything is in place and the wins are going to come.”
On it being his program…
“The day I got the job I took over and immediately starting making decisions for this football team. Every decision made along the way has been for the good of these kids and the football program at Kentucky. It’s not my program, it’s the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s program, it’s the university’s program, and it’s these kids’ program. Mr. Ivy and Dr. Todd have given me the opportunity to provide some direction for it.”
On recruits questioning contract…
“We’ve had some questions from high school coaches in the state. We’ve had one or two recruits mention it but we’ve said all along that we feel confident that we’d be back. The administration told us that we’d be evaluated at the end of the season and they stayed true to their word. I don’t think it’s been a point of contention.”
On chance of not being back after 2002…
“Any coach in America has to deal with the same problem. We see that every year, there are coaches getting paid phenomenal sums of money to go away, that doesn’t stop a university from making a coaching change if they feel a change is necessary. If the coach is doing the job, fine, if not, he’s going to get fired – we see it every November.”
On staff returning…
“Unless somebody goes somewhere else to be a coordinator, moves up the ladder to be a coordinator, they’ll be back. Our coaches are extremely happy here, they’re committed to getting this job done. They’re excited about coming back and finishing the job, I don’t anticipate anyone leaving.”
QB Jared Lorenzen
“This is great for the team, great for recruiting, and something we’re really excited about. He told us about it yesterday and we all stood up and applauded for him. He’s been through a lot and we’re very happy to have him back.”
On what he would tell a recruit about Morriss and the University of Kentucky…
“He’s a perfectly straight-up, honest guy with you. If he tells you you’re going to play as a freshman, you’re going to play. Looking at the team and all the talent we have now, it’s a great place to play football.”
LB Ronnie Riley
On announcement…
“We’re glad to have Coach Morriss and the entire coaching staff back. We didn’t think anything different was going to happen. When they said he’s been confirmed, there really was no surprise there.”
On reaction of team…
“Once we found out there was a standing ovation by the entire team. We like Coach Morriss and we’re all glad he’s back.”
On number one thing Coach Morriss brings to program…
“Continuity among the players and coaches. He helps us to believe in ourselves. We are now a group of believers and now we’re going to go out there and succeed.”
