Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
From OWH:
It seemed like a simple task.
"I only spent one year in the Big 12," said North Carolina defensive coordinator Marvin Sanders, a former Husker player and assistant coach. "But the ACC, from an athletic standpoint, I don't think there's a better conference in the country."
Marvin Sanders, the former Nebraska player and assistant coach, needed to take some information to his boss, North Carolina football coach John Bunting.
Bunting was on the golf course, playing in a charity event, and, for Sanders, it looked like a quick trip. Zip in, deliver the goods, zip out.
Little did he know his errand would be anything but routine.
Upon his arrival at the course, Sanders sought out an empty golf cart and began his search for Bunting. Two holes into his drive, Dean Smith was waving at Sanders to pull over.
The legendary Tar Heel basketball coach just wanted to say hello and ask how football recruiting was going.
After a short talk, Sanders jumped back in the cart in search of Bunting.
Next hole, another legend.
"Coach (Roy) Williams is there," Sanders said. "He says hello, then puts his drive right down the middle."
North Carolina's current basketball coach also wanted to chat about recruiting, asking specifically about a couple of players he knew Bunting and Sanders were pursuing. Two holes later, Sanders encountered Bill Guthridge, Smith's longtime assistant and successor.
Eventually, Sanders found Bunting, and delivered the goods. But along the way, Sanders says, he came down with a case of the goose bumps - not to mention a clearer understanding of his mission at UNC.
"They wanted to talk football," Sanders said. "They were just saying hello, but I told my wife later what I was looking at was the tradition of that school.
"The way they're running this program is what we had at Nebraska. The Nebraska I choose to remember will be the Bob Devaney-Tom Osborne-Frank Solich Nebraska."
If you're looking for any bitterness in those last two sentences, Sanders says, forget it. Nebraska is his alma mater, and he wants to see his old team get back to its winning ways.
"That's where I went to school," he said. "I always want Nebraska to win."
During more than 90-minutes of conversation this month in the palatial football offices that overlook the Tar Heels' Kenan Stadium, Sanders reflected on a number of topics. Among those were how much he enjoys being at North Carolina.
"I've never been to a place that balances academics and athletics better than North Carolina," Sanders said. "I absolutely love it here."
Sanders also discussed his relationship with former Nebraska and current UNC quarterback Joe Dailey, differences between recruiting in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12, and, yes, the tumultuous times from his 2003 season at Nebraska.
Fertile ground
Sanders is preparing for his second season as North Carolina's sole defensive coordinator after sharing those duties in 2004 with John Gutekunst, who now is assistant head coach and tight ends coach.
From top to bottom, the ACC has emerged the past two seasons as one of the most talented leagues in the country. Sanders said North Carolina is holding its own in the new-look ACC, having won more games than all but three other schools since the expansion to 12 teams.
"I only spent one year in the Big 12," Sanders said. "But the ACC, from an athletic standpoint, I don't think there's a better conference in the country. During the course of a year, there will probably be at least three teams ranked in the Top 10 all the time."
One of the conference's biggest strengths, he said, is the rich talent base in the region. With so many good players close by, coaches don't always have to travel as far to recruit top-shelf talent.
There were 50 players from North Carolina on UNC's 2005 roster, and Sanders said 17 of the 25 players in last winter's recruiting class are from the Tar Heel state.
"Coach Bunting is building a wall around the state of North Carolina," Sanders said. "There will be a couple who leak out. But we've found when they're from North Carolina, they're playing for a whole community and a whole state."
One and done
That's a lot like the tradition at Nebraska, where Sanders wound up in 2003 after coaching stops at UNO, New Mexico State and Colorado State.
"When I think about that job at Nebraska," Sanders said, "my wife and I talked about it, and that was it. That was going to be our last stop.
"We were home again."
But Solich was fired the day after NU defeated Colorado to cap a 9-3 regular season. Sanders and his fellow assistants stuck around to coach the Huskers through the Alamo Bowl. With Sanders as interim defensive coordinator and Bo Pelini as interim head coach, the Huskers defeated Michigan State 17-3.
Sanders, who had turned down a job with the St. Louis Rams to come to Nebraska, says he had a couple of offers to leave before the Alamo Bowl.
"In my heart I wanted to stay at Nebraska," he said. "I spoke with one of the administrators and told them I didn't know what direction this was going, but I wanted to stay a part of Nebraska."
Sanders says all the assistants were told they'd get a chance to interview with the new coach. In hindsight, it's a good thing Bunting was watching the Alamo Bowl on television and wanted to know who was coaching Nebraska's defensive backs.
Because Sanders says his 43-day wait for an interview yielded a one-minute session in which Sanders did most of the listening.
The interview
Of all the coaches on Solich's staff in 2003, Sanders was one of the brightest stars. That's why many were surprised when Bill Callahan, Solich's successor, chose not to keep him.
Callahan was introduced at a press conference on a Friday, and he met with Solich's assistants the following Monday.
"We had a staff meeting at 9 a.m.," Sanders said, "and Bill addressed us all. He said he wasn't going to be able to keep us all, that he wanted to hire people he's worked with."
Sanders says most of the men in the room understood that, but they also wondered about the interviews that administrators had promised the previous month.
"I walked in, and Bill told me they'd heard a lot of great things about me," Sanders said. "He told me, 'I'm not going to be able to keep you. I'm looking for someone who's more in tune with my philosophy.'
"He thanked me, and I shook his hand and wished him luck. That was it."
Common ground
Joe Dailey was the square peg Callahan and his NU staff tried to hammer into the round hole that is the West Coast offense.
Today, Dailey is at Carolina, and the fit seems better. He's in competition with freshman Cam Sexton for the starting job.
"Joe's just a tremendous athlete," Sanders said. "Trying to group him as a thrower or a runner, that's not doing him justice."
Dailey took much of the heat during NU's 5-6 season in 2004. But Sanders views him as the type of quarterback leading many elite programs these days.
"Look at the top 10 teams now, and you see more quarterbacks in the Joe Dailey mode than Joe Montana," Sanders said. "Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Virginia Tech. Other than USC, what type of quarterback do (those teams) have?
"When you have an athletic quarterback, as a defensive coordinator, you spend hours preparing for him to try and contain that guy. You can't sit back in a zone and let him get hot throwing the ball, but you can't let him run all over you, either."
Their experiences at Nebraska are only part of the bond between the defensive coordinator and the quarterback. Sanders says both are passionate about football.
"Joe's in my office more than any other player, anyway," Sanders said. "My being here has allowed him a little more of a comfort zone. What we talk about is more him trying to understand defenses and asking me my mind-set as a defensive coach.
"Because of our prior relationship, that comfort level has allowed him to do that."
Reminiscing
Earlier this year, an entourage from Lincoln visited Chapel Hill to tour the football center. The NU representatives were in town to check out the stadium's video board in planning for the new big screen in the north end zone at Memorial Stadium.
Sanders was out of town when the group passed through. But one person stopped by Sanders' office.
"Boyd Epley left me a note and said he was sorry he missed me," Sanders said. "That meant a lot to me. I wish some of the others who were with him would have done that, but . . . "
Sanders' voice trailed off as he remembered that Epley has since left Lincoln. But a moment later, his eyes began to sparkle again as he remembered everything Epley had done for him in the weight room as a player and coach.
It was the start of another one of those goose bump moments.
"That's the Nebraska I remember," Sanders said. "Everything was done with a smile and a handshake."
It seemed like a simple task.
"I only spent one year in the Big 12," said North Carolina defensive coordinator Marvin Sanders, a former Husker player and assistant coach. "But the ACC, from an athletic standpoint, I don't think there's a better conference in the country."
Marvin Sanders, the former Nebraska player and assistant coach, needed to take some information to his boss, North Carolina football coach John Bunting.
Bunting was on the golf course, playing in a charity event, and, for Sanders, it looked like a quick trip. Zip in, deliver the goods, zip out.
Little did he know his errand would be anything but routine.
Upon his arrival at the course, Sanders sought out an empty golf cart and began his search for Bunting. Two holes into his drive, Dean Smith was waving at Sanders to pull over.
The legendary Tar Heel basketball coach just wanted to say hello and ask how football recruiting was going.
After a short talk, Sanders jumped back in the cart in search of Bunting.
Next hole, another legend.
"Coach (Roy) Williams is there," Sanders said. "He says hello, then puts his drive right down the middle."
North Carolina's current basketball coach also wanted to chat about recruiting, asking specifically about a couple of players he knew Bunting and Sanders were pursuing. Two holes later, Sanders encountered Bill Guthridge, Smith's longtime assistant and successor.
Eventually, Sanders found Bunting, and delivered the goods. But along the way, Sanders says, he came down with a case of the goose bumps - not to mention a clearer understanding of his mission at UNC.
"They wanted to talk football," Sanders said. "They were just saying hello, but I told my wife later what I was looking at was the tradition of that school.
"The way they're running this program is what we had at Nebraska. The Nebraska I choose to remember will be the Bob Devaney-Tom Osborne-Frank Solich Nebraska."
If you're looking for any bitterness in those last two sentences, Sanders says, forget it. Nebraska is his alma mater, and he wants to see his old team get back to its winning ways.
"That's where I went to school," he said. "I always want Nebraska to win."
During more than 90-minutes of conversation this month in the palatial football offices that overlook the Tar Heels' Kenan Stadium, Sanders reflected on a number of topics. Among those were how much he enjoys being at North Carolina.
"I've never been to a place that balances academics and athletics better than North Carolina," Sanders said. "I absolutely love it here."
Sanders also discussed his relationship with former Nebraska and current UNC quarterback Joe Dailey, differences between recruiting in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12, and, yes, the tumultuous times from his 2003 season at Nebraska.
Fertile ground
Sanders is preparing for his second season as North Carolina's sole defensive coordinator after sharing those duties in 2004 with John Gutekunst, who now is assistant head coach and tight ends coach.
From top to bottom, the ACC has emerged the past two seasons as one of the most talented leagues in the country. Sanders said North Carolina is holding its own in the new-look ACC, having won more games than all but three other schools since the expansion to 12 teams.
"I only spent one year in the Big 12," Sanders said. "But the ACC, from an athletic standpoint, I don't think there's a better conference in the country. During the course of a year, there will probably be at least three teams ranked in the Top 10 all the time."
One of the conference's biggest strengths, he said, is the rich talent base in the region. With so many good players close by, coaches don't always have to travel as far to recruit top-shelf talent.
There were 50 players from North Carolina on UNC's 2005 roster, and Sanders said 17 of the 25 players in last winter's recruiting class are from the Tar Heel state.
"Coach Bunting is building a wall around the state of North Carolina," Sanders said. "There will be a couple who leak out. But we've found when they're from North Carolina, they're playing for a whole community and a whole state."
One and done
That's a lot like the tradition at Nebraska, where Sanders wound up in 2003 after coaching stops at UNO, New Mexico State and Colorado State.
"When I think about that job at Nebraska," Sanders said, "my wife and I talked about it, and that was it. That was going to be our last stop.
"We were home again."
But Solich was fired the day after NU defeated Colorado to cap a 9-3 regular season. Sanders and his fellow assistants stuck around to coach the Huskers through the Alamo Bowl. With Sanders as interim defensive coordinator and Bo Pelini as interim head coach, the Huskers defeated Michigan State 17-3.
Sanders, who had turned down a job with the St. Louis Rams to come to Nebraska, says he had a couple of offers to leave before the Alamo Bowl.
"In my heart I wanted to stay at Nebraska," he said. "I spoke with one of the administrators and told them I didn't know what direction this was going, but I wanted to stay a part of Nebraska."
Sanders says all the assistants were told they'd get a chance to interview with the new coach. In hindsight, it's a good thing Bunting was watching the Alamo Bowl on television and wanted to know who was coaching Nebraska's defensive backs.
Because Sanders says his 43-day wait for an interview yielded a one-minute session in which Sanders did most of the listening.
The interview
Of all the coaches on Solich's staff in 2003, Sanders was one of the brightest stars. That's why many were surprised when Bill Callahan, Solich's successor, chose not to keep him.
Callahan was introduced at a press conference on a Friday, and he met with Solich's assistants the following Monday.
"We had a staff meeting at 9 a.m.," Sanders said, "and Bill addressed us all. He said he wasn't going to be able to keep us all, that he wanted to hire people he's worked with."
Sanders says most of the men in the room understood that, but they also wondered about the interviews that administrators had promised the previous month.
"I walked in, and Bill told me they'd heard a lot of great things about me," Sanders said. "He told me, 'I'm not going to be able to keep you. I'm looking for someone who's more in tune with my philosophy.'
"He thanked me, and I shook his hand and wished him luck. That was it."
Common ground
Joe Dailey was the square peg Callahan and his NU staff tried to hammer into the round hole that is the West Coast offense.
Today, Dailey is at Carolina, and the fit seems better. He's in competition with freshman Cam Sexton for the starting job.
"Joe's just a tremendous athlete," Sanders said. "Trying to group him as a thrower or a runner, that's not doing him justice."
Dailey took much of the heat during NU's 5-6 season in 2004. But Sanders views him as the type of quarterback leading many elite programs these days.
"Look at the top 10 teams now, and you see more quarterbacks in the Joe Dailey mode than Joe Montana," Sanders said. "Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Virginia Tech. Other than USC, what type of quarterback do (those teams) have?
"When you have an athletic quarterback, as a defensive coordinator, you spend hours preparing for him to try and contain that guy. You can't sit back in a zone and let him get hot throwing the ball, but you can't let him run all over you, either."
Their experiences at Nebraska are only part of the bond between the defensive coordinator and the quarterback. Sanders says both are passionate about football.
"Joe's in my office more than any other player, anyway," Sanders said. "My being here has allowed him a little more of a comfort zone. What we talk about is more him trying to understand defenses and asking me my mind-set as a defensive coach.
"Because of our prior relationship, that comfort level has allowed him to do that."
Reminiscing
Earlier this year, an entourage from Lincoln visited Chapel Hill to tour the football center. The NU representatives were in town to check out the stadium's video board in planning for the new big screen in the north end zone at Memorial Stadium.
Sanders was out of town when the group passed through. But one person stopped by Sanders' office.
"Boyd Epley left me a note and said he was sorry he missed me," Sanders said. "That meant a lot to me. I wish some of the others who were with him would have done that, but . . . "
Sanders' voice trailed off as he remembered that Epley has since left Lincoln. But a moment later, his eyes began to sparkle again as he remembered everything Epley had done for him in the weight room as a player and coach.
It was the start of another one of those goose bump moments.
"That's the Nebraska I remember," Sanders said. "Everything was done with a smile and a handshake."