This is the week Rick Neuheisel returns to Husky Stadium, and there’s a been a lot written and said about the former Husky coach this week.
This is a guy who once stood on stage and sang in the beer garden after a Kitsap Stampede rodeo performance — a guy who flew recruits (South Kitsap’s Ryan Cole included) to his house on Lake Washington in a by-plane. There’s a lot to like about this guy. And, as I said before, I think, given time, he’ll rebuild the UCLA Bruins into one of the Pac-10’s elite programs..
Of course, there’s a lot not to like, too. As candid as Neuheisel was during his time at Washington, he wasn’t always forthright.
I don’t know if there’s ever been a more loved/hated sports personality in Seattle.
Personally, I think he got a raw deal. He shouldn’t have been fired for participating in an NCAA basketball pool. Would the Huskies have returned to elite status under his rein had he not been fired? We’ll never know. I know the old guard – guys of the Jim Lambright regime — didn’t have much respect for him.
Here’s a couple links on Rick. This story by John Boyle of the Everett Herald details how some at Rainier Beach High, including current Husky Vonzell McDowell, see Neuheisel in a positive light.
And here’s an interesting piece by Rick Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times. Dufresne’s not sure he’s ever seen a more conflicted homecoming than this one.
Here’s another link. This one is about Derrell Daniels, former Husky who now works for Neuheisel. Daniels knows his coach made some mistakes when he was at Washington, but he says Neuheisel has learned from those mistakes.
