Dec. 10, 2002
On the final moments of Coach Morriss’ tenure at Kentucky…
“I’m very appreciative of what Guy and Jackie Morriss did for the football program at the University of Kentucky. He has given a lot of blood and sweat for this program. He did a lot for Kentucky football in a number of ways. Having said that, we’re growing our program and there are some things we want to do and some steps we want to take. I felt like our program took a real solid step this year and he grew it from a 2-9 season to a 7-5 season. He laid a really strong foundation for recruiting. Baylor came along and put together an outstanding package. If you’re in Guy’s shoes you have to take a look at that opportunity for his family. Those opportunities don’t come along very often, and for him to have the chance to do that for his family; my hat’s off to him. I certainly wish him well. Baylor contacted me on Friday wanting permission to talk to Guy, and I’ll never preclude anyone from talking to our coaches. I want coaches on our staff that are committed to being at Kentucky, and if they have desires to look at other things that’s okay. I’d rather them go look and decide if they want to go or stay. Guy went to Louisville and visited with them on Saturday and I spent a lot of time visiting with both Guy and Dr. Todd (UK’s President), and by Sunday night Guy told me Baylor wanted to fly he and Jackie down to take a look at things, so I told him to do what he needed to do and that I thought we still had the best spot for him. I felt like before we went to Tennessee we had put together an outstanding financial package for the growth of our program and where we were. We put a package in place to increase the assistant coaches’ salaries by about 20%, which they were very appreciative of. When Guy came back from his visit we took another look at those numbers and moved them along a bit further to help him and his family, knowing that the gap was pretty substantial between where Baylor was and where we were. I didn’t look at it from a standpoint of us being able to compete with those numbers, I knew that was something we were not going to be able to do. We basically said ‘This is an area that we feel comfortable; there are some incentives that allow you to grow quickly if the program continues to grow. If you continue to have success we’ll be right there with you chapter and verse.’ We put that plan in place, and he knew we were trying to do everything we possibly could in the framework of our program and still be able to grow our entire athletic program. We have to grow our football program and I put something on the table that was very close to where we want to be. I didn’t think I could go past that. Financially this year, with everything we’ve dealt with, I think we made the best offer we were in a position to make. Guy came back and told me that Baylor had just made too good of an offer, so I respect his decision and I wish him well. He’s done a great job at the University of Kentucky.”
On if he’s had a chance to talk to any of the players yet…
“I called some of them last night and left some messages. They have a team meeting today at one o’clock and I’ll speak with them after that about some things that are exclusive to them. I want them to have some input, and we’re going to make the best decision we can.”
On what he’ll look for in a replacement for Coach Morriss…
“I want someone who’s not afraid to win championships. I want someone that can talk about annually competing in the top half of what I consider to be the best football conference in America. I want someone who can take our players to bowl games and give them the thrill of experiencing post-season play. We have a great recruiting class in place and I want someone who wants to work with the athletes we’ve recruited. I talked to several of them last night and they’re committed to Kentucky. They want to come because we’re Kentucky and they like the things we’re doing as a program. They appreciate Coach Morriss and what that staff did, but that’s not the only reason they’re coming to Kentucky. They’re coming because we have a great academic program, because we have got great facilities, because we have great fans and because we have a vision of where we want this program to go. They like the people we’ve found here with that vision. We’re also looking for someone who has a balanced offense. We want to be able to throw the ball around and have some fun. I’m not saying that I’m going to cross anyone off the list that has a different philosophy, but first I want to look for someone who has that balance.”
On how the post-season may impede the search…
“There’s no question that the post-season is an issue. If you’re looking for successful coaches they obviously are going to be involved in post-season play at whatever level they are on. My staff has done a great job of homework. They’ve been getting information together for the last week specifically. In this business everyone knows everyone and they all know what’s going on. It’s just a matter of finding who bubbles to the top that might have an interest, who we may be able to snag from the top, or someone else in the mix that we didn’t know about.”
On if there was any conflict between he and Coach Morriss…
“Not at all. Every conversation I’ve had with him has been rock-solid. I told him when I hung up the phone with him the other night that I appreciated the friendship we’ve had just as much as the wins. Our locker rooms were great. I spent time on Friday with him before all this took place, I talked with him about where this program was heading and what we wanted to do and his vision for it. I felt very comfortable with our relationship, he’s a tremendous person. Young people will be fortunate to play for him. We’ve been fortunate to have him here, and the people at Baylor will be well served by him.”
On if he felt blindsided by the talks with Baylor…
“No. There were rumors about this job as early as October. This is a business of rumors. The internet and sports talk radio have made this business public. There is constant talk every day about who’s going where and what’s going on in our world. People begin to speculate things months and months before they occur. This wasn’t completely new news for us. You can’t get hung up in all the rumors, you just have to do your job and see how it unfolds.”
On if a personal relationship with the players by the coach will play a role…
“I’ve said before that I believe college athletics is a relationship business. It’s a relationship from our administration and our coaches to the student-athletes. We’re here to serve them and enhance their experience. I’m looking for someone that can bring not only the competitive side of it, but can understand what it means to be a young person. I’m looking for a person to bring both sides of it.”
On if there’s disappointment about Morriss’ decision after the University backed him…
“For some there might be, but I understand that it’s part of our business. I want someone that wants to be here and won’t look over his shoulder thinking that he missed a shot at something special. If Guy was going to be here he had to be here with no regrets, and if he couldn’t do that then he needed to take the Baylor job, which he did. And I honor that. He’s going to take care of his family, and I hope he’s successful and turns Baylor around. Sure I would’ve liked him to stay here with us and continue to be a part of our program, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
On what Kentucky can afford to spend on a coach…
“I think it’s too early to start talking about the money and what we’re willing to put into it. It really depends on the pool of people that rise to the top. I think we can do the things necessary to attract a quality candidate, we have the resources in place to do that. The responsibility I have to the University and to the public is important. Finding that balance to make sure we have the best coach, at the right price, is important to me.”
On the interest in the job over the last 24 hours…
“The phone calls started coming on Friday with people just checking on what was going on. The Kentucky job is a great job. We’re in a great conference, have great fans, tradition, passion, and we have a good foundation. There are people calling, and that’s encouraging.”
On how probation may hamper the search…
“I don’t the probation is going to hamper us at all, and I’m not going to let it. When Guy Morriss took the job he said it is what it is and we’re going to work with that. If the coach is going to be hung up on the probation, we don’t want him here anyway. The person who fills this role is going to have to work, and if they’re willing to do that it’s a heck of a job. We’re past the worst of the probation and we’re focused on moving forward. We’re not talking about the probation anymore, period.”
On if head coaching experience is a prerequisite for the job…
“I think at first look I’d prefer that, but I will say that there are a lot of great coordinators and assistant coaches that are looking for an opportunity. I was a senior associate athletic director looking for a job for a long time and I finally got a shot. I understand there are people on the assistant coaching end out there that deserve a shot. That doesn’t mean I won’t go after a head coach first, but I’ve certainly got coordinators and assistant coaches on my list because they deserve that look.”
