FAYETTEVILLE — Even in the corridors of power in Washington, Bobby Petrino’s firing as Arkansas’ football coach and the search for his successor is big news.
Sen. John Boozman. D-Ark., said several of his colleagues, especially senators from Alabama and Louisiana, have asked him about Petrino’s demise and who will replace him.
“They’re really curious about the whole deal, what happened, and where we go from here,” Boozman said. “I think it shows how big SEC football is. There’s tremendous interest.”
Boozman, 61, an Arkansas offensive lineman in the 1970s, is among more than 200 lettermen who returned to campus this weekend for a reunion held annually in conjunction with the end of spring practice.
“That’s above my pay grade,” Boozman said with a smile when asked who he believes should be Arkansas’ next coach. “I’ve got other stuff to worry about, the economy and things like that.
“I feel like we can still play with anybody in the country. But success at that level is fragile, and we’ve got to do a lot of work to maintain it.”
Petrino, who led Arkansas to a 21-5 record the previous two seasons, was fired on April 10 by Athletic Director Jeff Long, five days after being placed on administrative leave when Petrino admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a female employee, Jessica Dorrell, and lied about her presence with him on a motorcycle when both were involved in an accident on April 1.
Long said Petrino created a conflict of interest when he hired Dorrell, 25, as student-athlete development coordinator without disclosing they had an extramarital relationship. Dorrell resigned from her position earlier this week.
“It’s unfortunate, but I think Jeff Long has done a phenomenal job of making a terrible situation into a pretty dang good one,” said Clint Stoerner, Arkansas’ starting quarterback in 1997-1999. “If you’re part of the university, I think you feel pretty good about where we are, feel good about Jeff Long.
“Whereas before the athletic director’s opinion and actions were an afterthought, and as long as we won, everything was good, now I think you look at Jeff Long in a different light as a top-notch athletic director and we know our program is in good hands. That’s a good feeling for the alumni and fans.”
Stoerner said he got emotional when he drove from Little Rock to Fayetteville last weekend for a friend’s wedding and saw the campus from Interstate-540.
“When I topped the hill and saw the lights, it really hit home,” he said. “There was an empty feeling in my gut, because I felt like I had been disrespected, the university had been disrespected.
“But time heals wounds. We’ll be all right, and we’ll get over this thing. I honestly believe that whatever Jeff Long does, in the long run we’re in a better place at the university.”
Ken Hatfield, a star defensive back and punt returner on Arkansas’ 1964 team that finished 11-0 and who coached the Razorbacks to back-toback Southwest Conference championships in 1988 and 1989, said Arkansas has to deal with the coaching change and move forward.
“You take the assets you have, and I think the biggest thing is this team is going to be fun and exciting to watch, because they’ve got great players and coaches,” said Hatfield, who is retired and lives in Northwest Arkansas. “The biggest thing that we need to do as fans is come out and support the players.
“Too many people are worried about 21-5 — that’s all they talk about. Well, don’t worry about the record for this team coming up, because every game is going to be tough. So come out and enjoy the play of Tyler [Wilson] and Knile [Davis] and Cobi [Hamilton] and all the players they’re going to have. Then when it’s all said and done, I think they’ll have had a darn good year.”
Hatfield said there are “pros and cons” whether Long hires an interim coach from the current staff or brings in a coach from another program.
“ I certainly think that the coaches and players deserve to have the least amount of disruption as possible, because it’s good staff,” Hatfield said.
Hatfield noted that offensive coordinator Paul Petrino has replaced Bobby Petrino as the team’s offensive play caller, new defensive coordinator Paul Haynes and linebackers and assistant head coach Taver Johnson would best serve the team focusing on the defense, and that the best option for an interim head coach appears to be promoting recruiting and running backs coach Tim Horton.
Horton is the only Arkansas native and former Razorbacks player on the coaching staff. He was a receiver and punt returner on Hatfield’s teams in 1986-1989.
“Tim is an Arkansas guy, he was born and reared here, he played here, he won championships here,” Hatfield said. “He’s worked with two different staffs here, he has a wealth of coaching ability. I think he’s a natural.
“Let the coordinators work on their sides of the ball, give the coaches a chance to fight for their jobs and stay here. They’re all good coaches, they’re all good people.”
Hatfield said the downside to not hiring a permanent coach is that recruits likely won’t commit to Arkansas.
“But I think there are enough things at Arkansas to sell recruits on that they’re going to stay interested,” Hatfield said.
Steve Conley, an All-SEC defensive end in 1995, said he’s been impressed with how the players have reacted since Petrino’s firing.
“Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis are doing an awesome job being spokesmen,” said Conley, who lives in Fayetteville. “We need to see the alumni and fans rally around this team.”
Conley said he believes Long needs to go “the interim route” for a head coach.
“I think this team is still built to win,” Conley said. “I don’t think anything necessarily needs to be changed, it just needs to be managed, and the best person to manage it is is someone who already knows the program and the players as well as the recruits.”
Stoerner said whether Long “goes for an interim coach or brings in a high-dollar guy, at the end of the day your priority needs to be doing what’s best for the players and saving the season we’ve potentially got in front of us.
“We legitimately have a shot to win the national title — that’s not Arkansas homer talk — and we need to do what’s right by the players,” Stoerner said. “I don’t think bringing in a coach that will change this staff is even an option at this point.”
Boozman praised Long for how he handled Petrino’s review and firing.
“There’s no way to practice what he had to do in this situation,” Boozman said. “These are once-in-career types of things.
“There’s no script. You just have to jump in and do it, and I thought Jeff did it very, very well.”
What happened to Petrino “is a great life lesson for all of us,” Boozman said, in terms of not trying to cover up mistakes.
“Because no one is above the rules, and if you go down that path, then there’s a price to pay and you go from being one of the most respected people in the state to someone who’s really struggling,” Boozman said. “I feel sorry for him and feel sorry for his family.”
Sports, Pages 23 on 04/22/2012