UCLA Hires Former Star

Impact hires capture attention. Impact hires create buzz. Impact hires echo, resound, and reverberate. They recapture alumni and recruit superstars. Impact hires cannot guarantee success. They can guarantee justifiable attention.

On Saturday, UCLA hired Coach Rick Neuheisel. Neuheisel’s career has included obvious success and acknowledged mistakes. “I was a young coach when I got the [Colorado] job at age 33, and maybe in an effort to prove that I belonged to the older peer group, I did some things that probably weren't necessary in an effort to try to compete and show everybody I was going to outhustle them,” he said. “I can't change the past, but I can learn from the past.”

In 1983, Neuheisel was UCLA’s Quarterback. He logged a 6-1 ledger. He won the Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player. Ironically, Neuheisel supplants Karl Dorrell. In the Rose Bowl, Neuheisel to Dorrell recorded two touchdowns. “He's a great man and a great leader and he'll always be a Bruin, and as long as I'm in charge of this program, we're going to speak of Karl Dorrell in reverent tones,” Neuheisel said.

On the sidelines, Neuheisel has racked a 66-30 record. In Colorado, he tallied a 33-14 mark. In Washington, he chalked a 33-16 record. Despite his success, Neuheisel is divisive. His Colorado tenure included infractions and probation. His Washington tenure included gambling, his dismissal, and a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Neuheisel is the human Rorschach test. Supporters view assertiveness, confidence, and success. Critics view arrogance, conceit, and misconduct. The relevant question… the NCAA’s opinion. Is Neuheisel simply misunderstood? Is he Jerry Tarkanian?