Behind-The-Scenes Look At Acquiring Mike Leach
This Go 2 Guy website note – usually every Thursday, I pay tribute to the 2008 Huskies, mocking that 0-12 team since the Seattle Times is doing its own flashback series for the co-national championship team in 1991.
But because of the Mike Leach hiring in Pullman, I’ll be writing tomorrow about the Huskies’ record-setting flattening at Cal when Jahvid Best ran all over Tyrone Willingham’s team in 2008.
The Leach news trumps all else because it’s one of the biggest developments in Cougar football history. Among the many things I love about the hire is that Husky fans are suddenly concerned about us. Just like that, we went from irrelevant to relevant. Bill Moos got their attention. Can’t wait for next year’s Apple Cup.
And how about next year’s game against Oregon at Century Link Field? The Ducks and the Cougs, a couple of high-powered offenses going at it. It’ll be like a real-life video game.
I wrote about my reaction to the Leach hiring yesterday at 710Sports.com, the 710 ESPN Seattle website. Moos joined “The Kevin Calabro Show” yesterday and gave us a candid look at the process that ended with Leach signing a five-year contract with WSU.
Moos said he flew to Leach’s Key West home on Nov. 16, three days before the Cougars played Utah. He said he wanted to have a Plan B in place in case Plan A – presumably keeping Paul Wulff – didn’t work out.
I appreciate that Moos gave us the details, but there was a part of me that didn’t want to hear about how it all went down. Think about it – on Nov. 12, we shocked Arizona State but still, four days later, Moos was on a plane to Key West with a contingency plan.
Then we lose to Utah in overtime, coming within a foot of beating the Utes in regulation. I was thinking a lot about that foot yesterday – if Wulff had gone for the game-winning touchdown and made it, would that have changed his fate?
Probably not. Only if the Cougs had beaten the Huskies too, which they didn’t, losing 38-21 at Century Link.
Moos said the contract details were worked out with Leach after the Utah game. So we’re left to assume that it didn’t matter if the Cougs won the Apple Cup, not as far as Wulff’s future was concerned. It had already been determined, or so you would have thought.
“I was 50-50 going into the Apple Cup,” Moos said on the Calabro show, contending that he had not made his decision.
But I’m guessing he was more like 95-5 in favor of hiring Leach – the only thing that could have changed his mind was if we had beaten the Huskies 50-0 like the Trojans hammered the Bruins.
So if you were never in favor of keeping Wulff, this was the one year in Cougar history where it was OK to lose to the Huskies.
As a Coug, I’m glad it worked out the way that it did. Leach will take us back to bowl games. He might even take us to a Pac-12 championship. At the very worst, he’ll at least make us more entertaining, and he’ll be entertaining himself.
But if I’m Wulff, I’m madder than I was on Tuesday when I was fired and made those comments about Washington State losing its innocence and eating its young. I can’t believe that all of this crap was going on behind my back. I feel completely disrespected.
But if you put yourself in Moos’ shoes, for Plan B to work, you needed to do what he did. If Moos had waited until the end of the season to contact Leach, it would have been more difficult to get him. Illinois, Mississippi, Arizona State and UCLA might have been in the mix. One of those schools might have offered more money or more something that would have been attractive to Leach.
It’s a tough one. On the one hand, I want to take a shower because it seems a little slimy and shifty. On the other, I want to celebrate because Cougar football is officially back, and I shouldn’t be so naïve – this is the way that big-time college programs operate.
How do you feel about it?
Moos did absolutely nothing wrong. He was being proactive. that is what a good leader and businessman does. GO COUGS!
I’m good with it. Everyone has a plan B for almost every situation. It’s no surprise that a plan was in place here.
I think Wulff is frustrated because he did start to turn things around. No one is saying otherwise, but it still sucks to get fired. He did a good job and now Leach can bring in the “big name” to get the really big ball rolling.
If I were Wulff I would simply try to keep my comments out of public earshot for a while until things calm down a bit. He’s frustrated, and I fear he’ll say things he’ll regret later (or already has). He has already joined the ranks of the Cougar coaches, and being a Coug himself, he should feel nothing but pride.
Go Cougs.
For someone who wanted Wulff fired, you object to the actual process? Sort of like sausage-making, don’t look if you don’t like it. Other programs were in the hunt for head coaches and Leach was often mentioned. You personally brought up what the criteria should be for Wulff’s termination and mentioned how he failed to hit the mark, think Moos didn’t notice as well? You don’t think this doesn’t happen in corporate offices? Tell us how you think it should have gone down, and how realistic that is in this day and age. Tell us how you really believe the employment market works for those earning $2 million and your first-hand evidence for this belief, and then tell us what slimy is.
And these days, in the echelons of BCS coaches, fans (much as yourself) demand winners, winning is the only thing that matters. Doesn’t matter if Wulff was a stand up guy, got kids to quit getting arrested, got the academic problems straightened out, alumni and fans such as yourself demand winning and now you whine about the process — give me a break, you have no business talking about what is honorable.
Hey Debbie, that’s fair criticism. Thanks for stopping by the website. Maybe I’m wrong about the process. I’m glad it worked out the way it did, and it probably wouldn’t have if Moos hadn’t flown to Key West.
It was the smart thing for Moos to do. Had to have a good backup plan. Go Cougs !
Jim-
What can you say that has not already been said about Bill Moos and the home run he hit yesterday with the Mike Leach hiring? It was well thought out, planned to a ‘T’, and executed flawlessly. Me thinks it is always a good idea to have a Plan ‘B’ in these very trying times.
Furthermore, Bill Moos was more than gracious to Paul Wulff by taking him along to the Spokane Booster Event for one last hurrah at which they gave him a standing ‘O’. This was very classy and well deserved, as Paul did all the heavy lifting necessary to right the ship and prime the pipeline.
Cougars everywhere wanted Paul Wulff to suceed. Sometimes things just don’t work out as planned, but he was well compensated along the way compared to what he was making at EWU. Kudos to all.
A new day has dawned in Cougar Nation and I do not believe we have “lost our innocence”, nor “do we eat our own”. Rather I believe that Wazzu has merely entered the 21st Century and anted up to get in the game, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
Besides, after the last 4 years of Cougar beatdowns, isn’t it refreshing to think of what it will be like next year on Saturdays in Pullman? I will even provide my award winning wine and slo n’ low barbeque to you for free, just look me up in the Ag Parking Lot behind the Alumni Building (no shower required).
Go Cougs!
Moos did EXACTLY what he should have done. If you’re going to replace Wulff, then you have to make a splash hire. Otherwise, there’s no reason to replace Wulff.
Even more to the point, while it hurts like heck to be dumped by your dream girl, it hurts a lot more if you see that her next beau is as Fugly as you. In contrast, when you get dumped for George Clooney, it hurts, but maybe not as much….
In this case, Wulff got dumped for George Clooney. Things could have been A LOT worse for all involved..
I’m fine with him going to Florida before the Utah game. No more being a doormat. If we want to win, let’s start acting like we want to and stop saying, “Ah shucks, would’ve been cool if we had this or that.” Great job of going and getting the ONE guy to coach our team. I haven’t been this excited about Cougar football in years. Instant excitement.
Go Cougs!
WSU ’01
I’m completely fine with it. I’d be upset, in fact, if he hadn’t engaged in any significant efforts relating to the coaching search until after he terminated Wulff. If he wouldn’t have gone to meet with Leach in November, I doubt we would have Leach as our coach right now. Also, bear in mind that news of Moos traveling to Key West never leaked out … Wulff didn’t have to deal with that distraction.
Hey Jim remember a couple of months ago we talked about Mike Leach coming to Washington State??? Maaan I soo glad we were right…
Jim,
I’m a die-hard Husky fan. And I love college football more than any other sport. Being a fan of the sport, I can say the Cougs scored by hiring Leach. Clearly, he has the resume. Clearly, he has shown an ability to take a program located out in the middle of no-where to great heights. Clearly, he is a lightning rod, a guy who creates buzz and excitement. This is all fine and dandy for WSU. But let’s see some on-field results in the Pac-12 before making blanket statements like “Husky fans are suddenly concerned.”
If he is able to re-create his Red Raider magic on the Palouse, then the entire Pac-12 (an not just Huskies) should be concerned. But that is an “if.” I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade. Moos made a good move and Leach was a great hire. Clearly, Cougs everywhere should be excited. All I’m saying is that it is a bit premature (and a reflection of somewhat of an inferiority complex) to take the excitement to the extent that you lose focus on what Leach can do for your program and instead focus on how concerned UW fans may or may not be. Then again, in-depth, investigative research was never your milieu, was it?
Anyway, congrats to the Cougs for getting their coach. Definitely a good hire and it should make things more fun. But let’s wait until the 2012 season starts before punching WSU’s ticket to the Rose Bowl or giving them the crystal football. Go Dawgs.
Classic doggie talk!
Gee I bet I could go to your posts when Udumby announced Sark as the new coach. You doggies barked and howled all night long like you had already won the Pac-10 and the 1991 national title.
So, in 2010 Sarkisian had Jake Locker (overrated but was a Heisman contender), Chris Polk, and Jermaine Kearse and still ended up 6-6? I agree ptowncoug3012, Husky fans had the annointing oil out with Sark calling him the next Don James when he was hired. We don’t need former USC d-bags running our program. Harry the Husky, prepare to have a pirate sword stuck where the sun don’t shine on your 2012 trip to Pullman.
“That’s all fine and dandy,” but the fact of the matter is, there are Huskies who are concerned. Heck, just check some of the popular Husky forums, you’ll see loads of conversation devoted to this hiring. Not really the actions of a fanbase that’s completely complacent. Also, he just mentioned it and it’s not as though he devoted the post to “Manic Husky Paranoia!” It’s a blog post, and incase you missed the 21st century calling, intensive in depth research is not a requirement.
Now now Law Dawg.
As an attorney you are properly versed in the history of the state of Washington. And that would include the episode where the graduates of the University of Washington in the State Legislature located Washington State College in Pullman by majority vote.
One might imply from that history that being “in the middle of nowhere” really is no one else’s fault but Huskies. Deal with it.
We have been to “great heights” before and with Leach we will again.
Believe.
Jim – I look at this like buying groceries… When you know the milk is going bad you don’t wait until it has lumps in it to go to the store…. At the point he talked to Leach we had imploded against SDSU and UCLA and never showed up against Oregon State and Cal and that isn’t even mentioning Utah.
Poor Wulff, he’s a Coug and is use to Couging it and still being praised and patted on the back. Probably comes from a good household that believes even if you come in last place, you get a ribbon. Now everyone is excited to have Coach Leach and you have new dreams of greatness. Hmmm, same feelings as four years ago when you hired Wulff. Though I agree the Apple Cup just got interesting, and Sark/Holt will have to finally find someone who knows how to play defensive back, lets see how excited the WSU prez is in about 4 years from now. For some reason I see more than a little bit of ‘Slick Rick’ in Coach Leach, but I really do wish all the best for the Coug Nation.
in referencing Coach Wulff – “probably comes from a good household that believes even if you come in last place, you get a ribbon.”
Hmm, guessing you dont know a thing about Coach Wulff’s childhood. You might want to educate yourself on what that man has been through in his life. More of a man than 99.9% of you will ever be. Couldn’t be prouder that he served my university and nothing but the most respect for him.
Once I heard Moos had hired Leach I pretty quickly figured out what Moos had done (started working on Leach a while ago). Had a relative with connections into the Athletic department confirm my thoughts last night.
I really wanted Paul Wulff to be successful at WSU. But let’s be quite frank, Cougs have the talent to be at least 6-6 this year IMHO. Wulff didn’t deliver that.
If Leach delivers close to what he did at Texas Tech then its going to be a FUN time for all – except the Huskies et al.
Wow, I guess all the other 140 D-1 schools are idiots. Sounds like all you have to do was to hire Mike Leach and ANY program turns to Nirvana. With apologies to Lee Corso, ‘not so fast’.
This is a great hire, no doubt about it. But Leach probably doesn’t remember how to get back to Pullman. That said, he doesn’t block or tackle. The players he has now do. And they don’t do a very good job of it. It’s gonna be more of same next year. And Jimmy, if you think you’re going to a bowl game next year, think again. You call me and I’ll give you whatever you want, it ain’t gonna happen. The year after, maybe.
He gets credit for taking TT to 10 bowl games, he went to 9. He has a 5 and 4 record in bowl games. Big damn deal.
As for Bill Moos. I am personally familar with Mr. Moos. After yesterday, I will keep my hand on my wallet in his presence. Doubtful he’ll get a xmas card from Paul Wulff. Three days after the Apple Cup he meets with Wulff, twice, then asks him to talk in Spokane to Coug supporters, saying “I owed it to him”. Yeah, right Bill. No wonder they ran him out of Eugene!!! And don’t come back and say they didn’t. He wore his welcome out there. No wonder the Ducks take off after he leaves. And remember this, ‘who ran the committed that recommended hiring Paul Wulff’???
Mr. Stabmeintheback Moos
Are you a disgruntled Husky in disguise?
tlam is a disgruntled, undisguised huskie and shining example of the dispeptic ignoramuses that matriculate out of the uw.
Husky fan? Ya think kingle? Way to go, busted. You figured it out.
Look, the guys been out of coaching two years and he’s sitting in Key West and you all want us to believe he was dreaming………………………….’God I wish that WSU job would open up’
Is that what all of you want us to believe??? Really??? Wake the ___ up!! Nobody wanted to hire the guy.
He got hired cause you’re the only stupids who would take him for pete’s sake. And he nailed you for $2 mill and you think that dope who brought you Paul Wulff is now a genius.
“I opened my checkbook, now open yours” hahahahahahahahahahhahah, that is the funniest thing I ever heard of………………and the funny thing, you dopes are falling for it.
Cougar football destiny is mediocrity. You’re 12 games under .500 all-time. All Time!!!!!!
Just in case you’re wondering, the UW is 238 games over, OVER!!!!
So why are you complaining about Moos again tlam? Honestly your rant makes no sense whatsoever. He ain’t asking you for money.
Green River CC grad I see.
BTW, we were over .500 all time prior to Wulff’s arrival, you do the math.
I did the math. Are you or are you not under .500?
What a stupid comment. Next thing you’re gonna tell me is before the season started you were undefeated.
Wow, tlam… Your frothing-at-the-mouth tirades only serve as validation that Mike Leach is the absolute perfect hire by Moos… The fact that it’s making husky fans nuts can only be a good thing.. Great job, Bill Moos and GO COUGS!!
It’s not making us nuts. It’s a good hire. What I can’t get is every last one of you are thinking this is gonna be a walk in the park!!!!
Think again.
We’ve purged all the losers and hacks this conference had coaching. Wulff and that drunk Ex Coug Erickson.
It’ll be fun next year.
I hope it works out, but I’ll be right here if it don’t.
Wulff brought this team as far as he could with the personnel he surrounded himself with. He was not going to compete with the Sarks of the PAC-12 going forward in recruiting. Moos had the insight to have a plan B in place – something Sterk never did. He had the confidence to make the decision to move Cougar Football into a competitive postion going forward and not the complacent last place team still rebuilding. No one will discredit Wulff from bringing a disaster to a manageable state, but without the experience and record of an established Division 1 coach, he was at the end of his road. Hats off to Bill Moos to make the tough decisions on his own with confidence, and to give us an outcome we all only dared to dream of. GO COUGS
My roommate from Wazzu asked if I thought Wulff would be let go right after the apple cup. I said probably yes, but I was there from 1985-90 and Wulff helped us beat #1 UCLA, the only time the Coug had free beer. While we may be moving on to better football and coach, all the losers who hated on Wulff can’t call themselves real cougs. Wulff bleeds crimson and tried his best in the worst situation in division 1. Thanks to him the program is headed in the right direction and isn’t loaded with gangbangers and embarrassing non students. If you can’t root for a guy like that, you just aren’t a real coug. What you are is an embarrassment who will someday fall off the bandwagon with the rest of the sober virgins! DID I MENTION HE HELPED WITH BEATING THE #1 TEAM IN THE NATION AND WE GOT FREE BEER AT THE COUG!!!!!!
Jim,
I agree with your comments. I equate the process to your best friend leaving his nice wife of four years for a smart, likeable supermodel. Go Cougs!
hold on to your wallet and do not turn your back!…….Wulff was used to get the program up and running….from nothing to something to be….Leach will get all the glory….!! I would be mad also if I was WULFF!
Wulff was never the right guy and his firing was inevitable. He’s not charismatic, his teams never appeared to be particularly well coached or innovative and he was getting completely pantsed on recruiting, especially instate recruiting including Spokane by UW, Stanford and others. It was obvious to me that he was in way over his head in years one and two…….and his way out was to blame Doba over and over and over again which really alienated me. The damage was done but he started to do better years three and four but the sad sack truth is that the Cougs still are not even as good as Doba’s worst team (althought this year was close) the only reason PW wasn’t fired two years ago (or last year) was because he was a Coug……the equivalent of hiring your brother in law and then your stuck with him regardless of how crummy of a job he does.
I think the assessment is spot on…….even if we don’t win, we’re going to be a hell of a lot more exciting and were going to give other schools fits…….especially Sark and the UW. I can’t wait for next season.
This s a business and Bill Moos was hired to turn this thing around. As a Coug, I would be horified if he wasn’t prepared. Moos didn’t disrupt the football team like a coach might if he’s having discussions with other schools while holding down a job during the season. He was watching out the school’s best interest and needs to be applauded. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited. I think I got more calls about Leach getting hired than I did when I had my kids. It doesn’t hurt that one of my best friend’s name is Leach — and he’s a die-hard Husky.
Go Cougs.
Jim- The whole process was a good call in my book. Did I think Wulff deserved his last year of the contract? Yes. Did I actually think he would take us to a bowl game? Yes. Realistically would that have happened? I’m thinking no, but at best 6-6 and in the New Mexico bowl. I’ve been there, wouldn’t go back even for a bowl game. Will Leach lead us to a bowl game next year? I think yes, and doing it with 7-8 wins.
I think Moos is right. If we think we’re a doormat or say publicly that this is a hard job, and keep using the exuses Wulff used in the media all year, then we are not thinking in the right positive way. Moos wants us to compete for championships. I love that about him. He took an Oregon program and did the same thing. Who used to be the doormat of the pac 10/8? Oregon. What are they now? competing for championships. I would follow Moos off a bridge if he told me it was the best way to a better football program.
He also had to go about it the way he did to get the other schools hiring coachs out of the picture and not let recruiting stagnate for a few weeks.
Leach is the right guy, he will put ‘butts in seats’, and bring some ****ing edge and moxy to this team that despiretly needs it! I can’t wait for my season ticket renewal!
In any of these stories replace references to Cougar Football, The Program, etc. with the name of a recognizable corporation. Next, change the word coach to VP of Some Arbitrary Business Unit. Then replace win/loss record with something like earnings or sales and swap out fan support for stock price. Then open up any copy of the Wall Street Journal from any point in time and see if the story reads any differently. (hint: Boeing articles from the last 25 years provide lots of opportunities.)
In the end, Moos saw an opportunity to upgrade a resource in a significant way, based on the best information he had available.
Moos did, as an individual/President/CEO, what anyone in a similar position does when a major executive is replaced. All these sorts dealings are “back room.” The difference is Moos was candid about the process.
I feel bad for Wulff and his staff. I don’t really feel all that badly for the guys in the other stories. Maybe that’s a character flaw of mine.
I’m perfectly fine with how Moos handled the situation.
Wulff said we would make a bowl game this year. He set the bar, he didn’t reach the bar, & he deserved to be let go.
Wulff needs to take a look in the mirror in his comment about how Cougs do not eat their own. Wulff ripped Doba for how many years about the state of the program. Is Doba not a Coug? I understand his frustration, but 9-40 is not good enough.
GO COUGS!
Is there anyone – ANYONE AT ALL – claiming Moos was wrong to fly to Key West and have a few different plans from which to work?
Funny that right this very moment there are thousands of UCLA football fans contemplating suicide because they are stuck with an A.D. who, by all appearances, has 1 plan and 1 plan only – get Petersen out of Boise. It appears that ‘Chianti Dan’ Guerrero did not even make contact with Leach or anyone else as UCLA’s miserable season progressed (6-6 being not what was expected this season in LA) . Instead Guerrero’s hand was forced after the embarrassment that was USC’s 50-0 win over UCLA and Slick Rick had to go. Guerrero then went all in on Petersen and that apparently, is a no go.
As an Oregon fan and by extention a Pacific Conference fan, I am excited by Moos and WSU’s hiring of Leach, as I am by ‘Zona picking up Rodriguez. I can’t wait to see the barnburners between our teams!! The Conference is significantly better than it was 2 weeks ago.
And WSU is significantly better than they were a week ago. Credit Moos for not being lazy and putting all his eggs in the proverbial single basket.
Frankly, it’s Paul Wulff I’m disappointed with, not Bill Moos. Wulff’s comments about the Cougs eating their young is a good example of why he was never suited to be the head coach at WSU. There are a lot of things about coaching at this level that Paul Wulff never seemed to figure out. If anyone should have known this was Wulff’s last chance to keep his job, it should have been Wulff. If it weren’t for Bill Moos, Wulff would never have gotten one more season to prove himself. And look what he did with it – two conference wins and a couple of blowouts over teams that probably couldn’t hold their own against Conner Halliday’s old high school team. In fact, I’d say Conner should get a lot more credit for the ASU win this year than Wulff. There aren’t many institutions in the country who would have given a coach a shot like Wulff got, and he simply couldn’t deliver. Show me another university where a host of fans will argue that a coach should keep his job despite four years of absolutely dismal football simply because the coach is an alum and a heckova nice guy. Yeah, it’s a Coug thing – admirable, in a way, but not always as practical as you might prefer.
Sure Wulff improved the program. But, as he so clearly pointed out himself time and again, it was at rock bottom when he took over. “Underpaid” as he might have been, he still walks away after four years having made over a couple million dollars. To my mind, he improved the team just enough that someone could make the argument that the money wasn’t simply pissed away.
I believe Bill Moos is an individual with unquestionable integrity and heart. But so are a lot of Cougs. What sets Moos apart is his vision and his determination to succeed. And trust me, it will be Moos who will do what Paul Wulff clearly could not – which is make WSU a football power to contend with in the Pac-12.