Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 19, 2008 13:12:04 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/166/story/449939.html
New challenge drives KU’s Young to accept Miami job
By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE | Bill and Lawana Young couldn’t help but laugh at their situation as they sipped wine in their living room Thursday night.
Young, the Kansas defensive coordinator, and his wife had just paid for someone to come in and paint these walls an off-color shade of green, but they would hardly get to enjoy it. Soon, they’d be moving to Miami so Bill could be Miami’s new defensive coordinator, and it seemed as if the paint had barely dried. But hey, that’s the life of an assistant coach.
Barring an unforeseen circumstance, Young will leave KU after six seasons leading Mark Mangino’s defense. Miami coach Randy Shannon offered Young the job on Thursday morning, and Young accepted it. There are still details to be worked out on Miami’s end, so an official announcement may not come from the Hurricanes until next week.
But it sure felt official as Young realized that, in a matter of months, he’d be living somewhere else. Somewhere warmer.
“I absolutely love the ocean,” said Young, 61. “My wife loves that kind of weather. I love it here, too. We’re not moving because of the weather. It’s just an opportunity. As an assistant coach, every once in a while you need a change. You need something to rejuvenate yourself and get all excited about and go hard-charging at it again.”
Young may be wearing orange and green soon, but he was still wearing a white Kansas shirt with the Jayhawk logo on Thursday night as he lounged at his home in gray sweatpants and dress socks. He played footsie with his three-legged dog “Tackle” as he tried to explain his decision to leave the Jayhawks after their best season in history.
“I don’t want to make it out like I’m jumping ship,” said Young, a finalist in 2007 for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant. “I think our program is in great, great hands. If Aqib (Talib) hadn’t left (for the NFL early), we’d have 10 starters back and 10 backups back on defense. That’s a pretty doggone good deal on a team that just won 12 ballgames.”
Any theories about Young possibly having clandestine meetings with Miami officials while the Jayhawks played in the Orange Bowl appear to be unfounded. Young says he first heard about Miami’s interest last week at the American Football Coaches Association’s coaching clinic in Anaheim, Calif.
Since then, Young has been in contact with a few Miami assistants and other staff members. He says he didn’t actually talk with Shannon directly until Thursday morning. After accepting the job unofficially, Young visited Mangino and KU athletic director Lew Perkins to inform them of his decision. Young said there was no monetary offer Perkins could have made him that would have changed his mind.
“I talked with (KU associate athletics director for major gifts) John Hadl,” Young said, “and he told me, ‘If it’s about the money, we’ll do whatever we can do to keep you.’ I’m not doing this for money. I took a $20,000 pay cut to come to Kansas. It’s an opportunity to live in a part of the country that we’ve never gotten to live in.”
New challenge drives KU’s Young to accept Miami job
By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE | Bill and Lawana Young couldn’t help but laugh at their situation as they sipped wine in their living room Thursday night.
Young, the Kansas defensive coordinator, and his wife had just paid for someone to come in and paint these walls an off-color shade of green, but they would hardly get to enjoy it. Soon, they’d be moving to Miami so Bill could be Miami’s new defensive coordinator, and it seemed as if the paint had barely dried. But hey, that’s the life of an assistant coach.
Barring an unforeseen circumstance, Young will leave KU after six seasons leading Mark Mangino’s defense. Miami coach Randy Shannon offered Young the job on Thursday morning, and Young accepted it. There are still details to be worked out on Miami’s end, so an official announcement may not come from the Hurricanes until next week.
But it sure felt official as Young realized that, in a matter of months, he’d be living somewhere else. Somewhere warmer.
“I absolutely love the ocean,” said Young, 61. “My wife loves that kind of weather. I love it here, too. We’re not moving because of the weather. It’s just an opportunity. As an assistant coach, every once in a while you need a change. You need something to rejuvenate yourself and get all excited about and go hard-charging at it again.”
Young may be wearing orange and green soon, but he was still wearing a white Kansas shirt with the Jayhawk logo on Thursday night as he lounged at his home in gray sweatpants and dress socks. He played footsie with his three-legged dog “Tackle” as he tried to explain his decision to leave the Jayhawks after their best season in history.
“I don’t want to make it out like I’m jumping ship,” said Young, a finalist in 2007 for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant. “I think our program is in great, great hands. If Aqib (Talib) hadn’t left (for the NFL early), we’d have 10 starters back and 10 backups back on defense. That’s a pretty doggone good deal on a team that just won 12 ballgames.”
Any theories about Young possibly having clandestine meetings with Miami officials while the Jayhawks played in the Orange Bowl appear to be unfounded. Young says he first heard about Miami’s interest last week at the American Football Coaches Association’s coaching clinic in Anaheim, Calif.
Since then, Young has been in contact with a few Miami assistants and other staff members. He says he didn’t actually talk with Shannon directly until Thursday morning. After accepting the job unofficially, Young visited Mangino and KU athletic director Lew Perkins to inform them of his decision. Young said there was no monetary offer Perkins could have made him that would have changed his mind.
“I talked with (KU associate athletics director for major gifts) John Hadl,” Young said, “and he told me, ‘If it’s about the money, we’ll do whatever we can do to keep you.’ I’m not doing this for money. I took a $20,000 pay cut to come to Kansas. It’s an opportunity to live in a part of the country that we’ve never gotten to live in.”