Gruden, Stoops rumored to be high on list
JEFF BALTRUZAK
Assistant Sports Writer
Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White said Sunday afternoon that he has a "short list" of possible replacements for fired head football coach Bob Davie and hinted at several criteria for candidates, but stopped short of naming any individuals in consideration to lead the Irish football program.
"I do have a short list," said White. "I have not contacted anybody. I have not had any conversations at this point. I don't know what the level of interest may or may not be."
White said he has kept a mental list of coaches to watch and keep track of, as an experienced athletic administrator should.
White emphasized on multiple occasions that he has not contacted any potential head coach replacements, nor has "anyone authorized by [him]." He would not comment on the possibility that head coach candidates have been contacted by other agents authorized by the University.
White was also vague as to how long Notre Dame would take to find and hire a new head coach.
"We are going to move as quickly as possible," said White. "[We will] not move at a pace that would deprive us from hopefully securing the very best coach possible for this situation."
While White spoke mostly in general terms in regard to Davie's successor, he did explicitly say that Notre Dame would "look for the very best head coach we can find. Somebody with head coaching experience, somebody with a strong track record of success."
Previous head coaching experience was not an absolute criterion in the University's search for a replacement to Lou Holtz in 1996. Notre Dame was Davie's first head coaching position.
White was quick to speak about the unique nature of Notre Dame, and how that played into his head coach search.
"We are different and unique and we have to find somebody that fits Notre Dame and fits our particular situation. I think that's fairly small," said White.
The group is small enough to fuel almost universal speculation. Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops have received the most attention from the media, but other rumored frontrunners include the Jacksonville Jaguars' Tom Coughlin and the Oregon Ducks' Mike Belotti.
Specifically, White refused to comment on any situation involving current NFL coaches or how Notre Dame would handle a situation involving a coach and the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl.
Davie had his own advice to his successor at Notre Dame.
"I think back to the first thing [former Irish coach] Ara Parsegian told me when I took the job — win," said Davie.
All Sports Stories for Monday, December 3, 2001
