SAN ANTONIO — Glen Mason, who was one of hundreds of coaches gathered here for the American Football Coaches Association annual meeting, was shaking his head about reneging after agreeing to be the Georgia football coach six years ago.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about that Georgia job and the bad decision I made," Mason said.
"Flying into Athens, we flew over the stadium and I looked down at the campus and said to myself, 'This is a great job, and what a wonderful opportunity.' I made a huge mistake by not taking that job."
After inheriting a struggling Kansas team after the 1987 season, Mason led the Jayhawks to their first winning season in a decade in 1991 and an Aloha Bowl berth in 1992. After 5-7 and 6-5 seasons in 1993 and '94, Mason's Jayhawks went 9-2 in 1995 including victories at Colorado and Oklahoma and returned to the Aloha Bowl.
But what should have been a breakout season was tainted when Mason accepted the Georgia coaching before the bowl game.
He abruptly changed his mind, however, and elected to stay at Kansas when chancellor Robert Hemenway hired Mason back.
KU went on to crush UCLA, 51-30, in the Christmas Day game and finished ninth in the final Associated Press poll.
But the success didn't carry over into the following season. KU lost six of its final seven games in 1996, and Mason bolted for Minnesota after the season.
It is obvious Mason wanted the Ohio State job last winter, but didn't feel good about the way things were handled. He got cold feet and called Andy Geiger the athletics director and told him to take his name out of consideration.
"Oh no," Geiger said. "You can't do that."
They even discussed salary and personnel he would bring from Minnesota. The former Buckeye player and assistant coach thought he had the job and was shocked when Geiger called three days later and told him Ohio State were hiring Jim Tressel.
"I know you are disappointed," Geiger said.
Mason replied, "Disappointed, Andy! I'm devastated."
At the press conference, a reporter asked Geiger if he had talked to Mason. Geiger replied, "Yeah, and he said he was devastated."
That was headlined in the Minneapolis papers, causing Mason a serious public relations problem in his community. At that point, his Georgia decision came back in focus, and with a tough challenge like he has at Minnesota he realized more than ever how much he regrets turning his back on the Bulldogs.
Also at the meeting was Frank Solich. Amid all the talk of Steve Spurrier's impending move to the National Football League for multiple millions and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma being offered "upward" of $3 million to take his place, Solich made an interesting comment.
"I could have stayed at Nebraska the rest of my life (as an assistant coach) and I would have had fulfillment," he said. "I didn't have to become a head coach. I love coaching, I love my job and I love Nebraska."
Most assistant coaches, however, aspire to be a head coach and take home the big bucks.
Head coaches at major colleges today are being paid a million dollars or more. OK for them, but where does it all end? Football brings in the money at most places (and at others basketball is the key source of revenue, like at Kentucky), but when you pay the head coach a million plus, the high cost of doing business goes up dramatically.
Coaches in other sports want to be paid more when they win a few championships, even though they, in so many cases, can't break even when the bills are paid and the gate receipts are counted. Assistant coaches in all sports want more money, and it is difficult to apply a sense of restraint in today's athletics when it comes to money.
Does this not mean than the bending of the rules comes easier? In recruiting, especially? If you are making a million and your wife wants a new house and one at the beach, the personal budget can only take such heavy hits if the head of the house keeps getting six figure raises and is successful enough to remain in the head coaching chair for a long period of time. And we all know the coach has to win.
Where and when this madness will end nobody knows. And what will happen if the loyal alumni and fans get turned off? I hear a lot of complaining about the way things are being done but nobody seems eager to give up tickets.
Back to Solich, whose Nebraska team was overwhelmed by Miami's speed in the Rose Bowl. He seems to be where his old coach, Bob Devaney, was at Nebraska in the sixties. After losing several times to Alabama in bowls, Devaney made a key decision. Alabama was significantly smaller than the Cornhuskers but was much quicker.
Devaney set out to do something about that and did. He began to recruit more speed and part of the plan was to underscore weight training.
Nebraska developed the most comprehensive weight training program in the country.
The Huskers got bigger, stronger and faster, but nobody believes more weight lifting would enable any team to outquick what the Hurricanes put on the field in Pasadena.
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