Tyrone Willingham has found you don’t just leave Notre Dame behind.
As he approaches his first season as Washington’s football coach, it could be assumed he would prefer his three years as Notre Dame’s coach be forgotten. He was fired last fall and finished 21-15 as the Irish coach.
To make the separation even a little less clean, the Huskies play Notre Dame in their fourth game this season. A year ago, Willingham’s team thumped Washington 38-3, a symbol of how far the Huskies had fallen in their 1-10 season.
“I’m sure very few people can discuss college football without getting around to Notre Dame,” Willingham said. “Because of that, you’re forced to have some thoughts, but in this case, they are premature.”
As Willingham begins a campaign to restore Huskies football to prominence, it’s Air Force, Saturday’s season-opening opponent, that is on his mind.
As for how he bounced back from his firing to landing the Washington job, Willingham said: “I’ve always considered myself a blessed individual. My advice is to have a vision and an idea of what you’d like to have happen in your life. You can control how and what you do. The opportunity arose here and I took it.”
Willingham is trying to resurrect a once-proud program whose only victory a year ago was over San Jose State, one of the worst teams in Division I-A.
“The biggest challenge when taking over any program is changing the culture and meshing the personality of the coach to the university,” Willingham said. “People usually are resistant to change, but we have to create a situation where our athletes know they will be better as a football team.”
Former Washington coach Don James built a dynasty in the Pacific Northwest and won a national championship in 1991. He likes what he has seen in the change from former coach Keith Gilbertson to Willingham.
“I think the transition is going as smoothly as could be expected,” James said. “Our new coach is taking a good approach and he has players believing. People here are going to give him time. They’re smart enough to know you can’t turn it around in a few weeks.”
Junior free safety Dashon Goldson, one of only five Huskies to start every game last year, isn’t waiting a few weeks.
“We have a new coaching staff and a new attitude,” Goldson said. “But we’re not here to win for Coach; we’re here to win for ourselves. We owe that to ourselves after last year.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
