College Football
Off the Sidelines
Two of the more intriguing men in coaching left the ranks last weekend, one by his own hand with much fanfare and the other at his school's request with virtually no fanfare. Bill McCartney of Colorado shocked everyone, including his athletic director and his players, when he resigned after a 41-20 victory over Iowa State in Boulder. Very few people were surprised when Akron "reassigned" Gerry Faust to a job within its athletic department after the Zips beat Ohio University 24-10 to finish with a 1-10 record.
McCartney is at times obstinate and at other times refreshingly candid. He challenged and sometimes angered outsiders with his staunch Christian beliefs while steering his team through a number of brushes with the law and other controversies to win the national title in 1990. Under McCartney, who arrived in Boulder in '82, the Buffaloes are 92-55-5—and 57-11-4 from 1989 to '94, including this season's 10-1 record. He will coach Colorado in its bowl game.
McCartney offered little explanation for his departure. "The reason I'm doing it is that it's the right time as a family," he said. McCartney is co-founder of Promise Keepers, a Christian men's organization that preaches faith in family values, and there is speculation that he will devote himself to such a cause. Long after the remarkable Kordell Stewart-to-Michael Westbrook Hail Mary touchdown pass at Michigan on Sept. 24, McCartney recalled the play this way: "That was the Lord. What else could it be?"
Faust will be forever dogged by his failure at Notre Dame, where he coached from 1981 to '85. The Irish were 30-26-1 during that span. Akron went 43-53-3 in nine seasons under Faust, but he remained buoyant this year, convinced that success was on the horizon. Faust loved the players he coached but never coached them well enough.
Ultimately Faust will be remembered as the former high school coach who washed out at Notre Dame, and McCartney will be remembered for winning a national title at Colorado. In both cases the epitaph seems inadequate.
—TIM LAYDEN
Brownie Points
"Columbia-Brown," said first-year Brown coach Mark Whipple last Thursday. "Hey, we're the big Ivy League game this week!"
When had the Lions versus the Bears ever been a big game? Columbia's last winning season was 1971, when Brown was 0-9, and Brown's last winning season was 1987, when Columbia was 0-10.
Yet on a day when Pennsylvania defeated Cornell 18—14 for its 21st consecutive win—a Division I-AA record—and second Ivy title in a row, the Ancient Eight's most interesting matchup took place at Columbia's Wien Stadium. Under Whipple, who a year ago was the coach at Division II New Haven, Brown came into the game 6-3. Lion coach Ray Tellier, in his sixth year at Columbia, had guided his team to a 5-3-1 mark.
Whipple and Tellier have much in common. Tellier was Whipple's quarterback coach during Whipple's senior season at Brown, in 1978, and five years later the two shared an office when both were assistants at Brown. In '88, when Tellier, then the coach at Rochester, heard that Columbia was looking for a coach, he was in New Haven on a recruiting trip. Needing to update his rèsumè in a hurry, Tellier popped over to Whipple's office to use a typewriter.
It looked as if Tellier would have another credit for his rèsumè after Columbia opened up a 24-3 halftime lead, but that simply gave Whipple fodder for a halftime tirade. "You have a chance to pack it in, and everybody will pat you on the back just like they've done all these years!" he said. "Who's got the pride?"
Whipple's chat worked. After a Columbia field goal made it 27-3 with 6:35 to go in the third quarter, Brown set oft' on the most prolific 23 minutes in its 117-year football history, scoring 56 unanswered points to win 59-27. "The lowest moment I've had in a Brown uniform was on this very field two years ago," said Bear senior wideout Charlie Buckley afterward. "It was the end of an 0-and-10 season, and we hadn't earned anyone's respect. I'm glad I was here to help turn this program around."
PHOTO
CHUCK SOLOMON
Rocky Parson's TD was one of eight in Brown's, remarkable run.
PHOTO
DAMIAN STROHMEYER
The enigmatic McCartney shocked even Colorado insiders when he announced his resignation.
Players of the Week
Offense: Colorado junior Rashaan Salaam ran for 259 yards and two TDs in a 41-20 win over Iowa State to become the fourth I-A player to gain 2,000 yards or more in a season.
Defense: Buck Phillips, a junior cornerback at Western Illinois, returned two punts and an interception for touchdowns to lead the Leathernecks to a 73-17 victory over Murray State.
Small Schools: Senior Jo Jo Jones of Lambuth, an NAIA school in Jackson, Tenn., rushed for 311 yards and four TDs on 26 carries as the Bulldogs defeated Evangel College 48-19.