We knew he was a stranger. He’d hop-scotched the country, Waldo-like, from college town to college town, professional gig to professional gig.
He brought hope. Suffering Arizona Wildcat football fans needed hope. The drive-by coach of the moment, Kevin Sumlin, had led his troops Custer-like into a massacre. In the annual Territorial Cup game against arch-rival Arizona State, the Sun Devils played football while the Wildcats played dead. Lifeless, uninspired, the team sleep-walked through a historical 70-7 beat down.
Devils boosters erected a billboard along I-10 that displayed the score, along with the slogan, “NO PITY FOR THE KITTY.” It stayed there for months, costing them tens of thousands to rub our noses in the loss. I always cringed and looked away, exactly the intended response.
Sumlin was fired. The University replaced him with Jedd Fisch, a long-time assistant who had never been a head coach. But he had worked for prestigious programs and under coaching legends like Pete Carroll, Steve Spurrier, and Bill Belichik.
Fisch went 1-11 in his first year, then improved to 5-7 in his second. In his third year the team won 10 games and clobbered mighty Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. He helped us recover from the epic loss in 2020. Then he left.
I Told You When I Came I Was A Stranger
Fisch was hot. National media fawned over the miraculous Arizona turnaround. Wildcat fans knew he would receive offers, but let ourselves believe he was dedicated to the University and community he said his family loved. He told Jim Rome on January 5th, "We wanna be a part of this program for a long time."
"Phew!” exclaimed Eric Townsend, writing for Zona Zealots. “We know that the Wildcats' increased success, means a lot of watchful eyes and other bigger programs looking at Arizona in hopes to poach the staff. So, the sooner we lock Jedd up, the better our future outlook is as a program."
Fisch said goodbye two days later.
We should have seen it coming. Consider his resume:
1997 P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School (FL)
1998 New Jersey Red Dogs
1999–2000 Florida
2002–2003 Houston Texans
2004–2007 Baltimore Ravens
2008 Denver Broncos
2009 Minnesota
2010 Seattle Seahawks
2011–2012 Miami (FL)
2013–2014 Jacksonville Jaguars
2015–2016 Michigan
2017 UCLA
2017 UCLA (acting head coach)
2018 Los Angeles Rams
2019 Los Angeles Rams
2020 New England Patriots
We tried to bond with a vagabond.
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind You find he did not leave you very much, not even laughter
When a successful coach bolts a program, it’s like a door blowing off an airplane in flight: stuff gets sucked out. The first thing fans say – after the requisite profanity – is, “What about the players?” There is concern about assistant coaches as well, but no coach throws a pass, makes a block, or fields a kick. Jeff Fisch owes his fat new contract at the University of Washington to the talented players who got him there, such as Johan Coleman.
Coleman, a talented sophomore running back, is likely to be a consensus All-American next season. Once he heard of Fisch’s departure, he did what good running backs do: he ran. Talented defensive back Ephesians Prysock joined him. While either player could return, I wouldn’t bet on it. In the era of the wide-open transfer portal and legalized bribery – er, NIL incentives – loyalty is a one-way street. Noah Fifita was just named the Freshman Offensive Player of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America. If he stays, buy him a house. If he gets Tetairoa McMillan to stay, build him a statue.
But now another stranger seems to want you to ignore his dreams As though they were the burden of some other
Within a week of Fisch’s “see ya, hate to be ya” departure, there was a rebound hire. San Jose State’s Brent Brennan was lauded by sports writers for his extensive Wildcat connection – an entire year. But it was a year working for Dick Tomey, who is regarded as a saint. (Is there bad karma in firing a saint? Discuss among yourselves.) While Brennan is a decent, accomplished coach, his most important attribute is perceived loyalty to the program.
“Brennan is more likely to succeed because of his experience running a program,” writes Jon Wilner in the Pac-12 Hotline,” and less likely to leave because of personal feelings for Arizona.” “Arizona is not a steppingstone job for Brennan,” added Michael Lev in the Arizona Daily Star, “it’s a destination.”
Or is it? Here is a headline from SF Gate a new months after Brennan was hired by San Jose State: “San Jose State football coach Brent Brennan is rooted in Spartans’ history.” Money trumped history once; it could happen again. If so, this is what the sportswriters could write:
And leaning on your window sill, he'll say one day you caused his will
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains, he'll say
"I told you when I came I was a stranger.”
(Lyrical quotes from “The Stranger Song” by Leonard Cohen)
© 2024 by Mike Tully