Football: Mattison finds stability after riding coaching roller coaster
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
No roller coaster had more peaks and valleys than the one Greg Mattison rode in December.
First, Bob Davie's firing left Mattison unsure where he'd be coaching in 2002. Then George O'Leary was hired, who in turn re-hired Mattison.
But just five days later Mattison was again thrown into limbo when O'Leary resigned.
Finally, about a month after Davie was fired, Tyrone Willingham offered Mattison a spot on his defensive staff — not as coordinator but as a defensive line coach.
"That's part of the profession," said Mattison, the lone assistant coach on Willingham's staff to be retained from Davie's staff. "You take what's given to you, you don't have a choice, you don't have to coach. When you decided to be a coach and coach at the big schools and the big arenas, things like that happen. It happens all the time."
Having a familiar face on the staff also made the transition remarkably easier for both the players and the new coaches.
During the winter months, Mattison helped the new staff become accustomed to Notre Dame. He provided a link for the recruiting efforts from Davie to Willingham. And the transition was easier for the players because Mattison knew their capabilities.
But more importantly, Mattison wanted to stay at Notre Dame so he could help coach the players he'd spent time recruiting.
"I've put a lot of time into these kids, and I've recruited a lot of them," he said. "I'm just thankful I get to work with a lot of them. You get real close to kids when you recruit them. You put a lot of work into them, you see them grow, and you want to be part of their successes."
While he doesn't want to compare working with Davie to his current job under Willingham, he said it has been easy to work with the new staff.
And without any specific coordinating responsibilities, Mattison can focus solely on coaching.
"Coordinating is something I've had the opportunity to do, and I like doing it, but I really like coaching," said Mattison, who served as defensive coordinator at Michigan in 1995-96 before coming to Notre Dame as defensive coordinator in 1997. "I really like spending all my time with the defensive line. That's what I was hired to do, and that's what I'll do."
All Sports Stories for Friday, April 26, 2002
