Rick Neuheisel
Encyclopedia
Richard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. (icon; ˈnɔʏhaɪzəl; born February 7, 1961), is an American football
coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles
, a position he held from 2008 to 2011. Before coming to UCLA, Neuheisel was the head football coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder
from 1995 to 1998 and at the University of Washington
from 1999 to 2002. From 2005 to 2007, he was an assistant coach with the NFL
's Baltimore Ravens
, serving as quarterbacks coach for two seasons and then one as offensive coordinator
.
Before his coaching positions, Neuheisel played quarterback
at UCLA from 1980 to 1983, then spent two seasons with the San Antonio Gunslingers
of the United States Football League
before splitting the 1987 NFL season
between the San Diego Chargers
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
.
, one of four children and the only son of Dick and Jane (Jackson) Neuheisel, with sisters Nancy, Katie, and Deborah. Dick is an attorney and Rick grew up in Tempe
, Arizona
, and graduated from McClintock High School
in 1979. He lettered in three sports (football, basketball, baseball) and was named its outstanding athlete during his senior year.
at UCLA
, beginning his career as a walk-on and holding placekicks for John Lee
. He was the starting quarterback in his senior year in the 1983 season
. UCLA opened with a loss at Georgia, a tie with Arizona State
and then a 42–10 loss at #1-ranked Nebraska
. Neuheisel was benched after the Nebraska loss in favor of Steve Bono
. On October 1, the Bruins lost to BYU to start the season 0–3–1. Bono was injured during the Stanford
game, and Neuheisel came back to finish the season. Neuheisel led the Bruins to an eventual 6–4–1 record, culminating with a win over arch-rival USC that, combined with Washington State
's upset of Washington, gave UCLA the Pac-10 championship in 1983 and sent them to the Rose Bowl
on January 2, 1984.
Neuheisel led the Bruins to a 45–9 victory over 4th-ranked and heavily-favored Illinois
in the 1984 Rose Bowl
, in which he was named the MVP
; two of his four touchdown passes were caught by a sophomore wide receiver from San Diego named Karl Dorrell
, later Neuheisel's predecessor as the UCLA head football coach. The victory vaulted the Bruins, unranked through most of the season, into the top 25 in wire service polls. Much like his rise to stardom at UCLA, the road to the victory was a bumpy one. Neuheisel and two other players on the defensive side of the ball suffered from food poisoning hours before the Rose Bowl and it was unsure that Neuheisel would start. Neuheisel would end up starting the game. He also set an NCAA record that year for single game pass completion percentage (since broken) by completing 25 of 27 passes (92.6%) in a Pac-10 win over Washington
. In 1998, Neuheisel was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Neuheisel was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team and graduated from UCLA in May 1984 with a B.A. in political science
and a 3.4 GPA. Neuheisel still holds the UCLA single season record for completion percentage, completed 185 of 267 passes (69.3%) for 2,245 yards in the 1983 season. He was also a member of Sigma Nu
fraternity
while a student.
Neuheisel's professional career included two seasons with the San Antonio Gunslingers
(1984–1985) of the USFL
and three games with the San Diego Chargers
of the NFL in the strike season of 1987
. He closed out the season's final two games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, but did not receive any playing time.
on an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, Neuheisel served as a graduate assistant with UCLA, where he tutored Troy Aikman
. He graduated with a Juris Doctor
(J.D.) from USC in 1988MSNBC/Orange County Register and passed the Arizona State Bar in May 1991 and the Washington, D.C. Bar in March 1993.
He later became a full-time assistant coach in 1988, and stayed at UCLA through the 1993 season. In 1994, he moved to Colorado
as an assistant to Bill McCartney
.
as the Buffs
coach. His best season was his first, in which the Buffs tied for second in the final season of Big Eight Conference
play and won the Cotton Bowl. His only losing season at Colorado was 1997; the Buffs were expected to be national title contenders, but never recovered from a blowout loss to Michigan
on national television. After the season, the Buffs were forced to forfeit their five wins due to an ineligible player, though Neuheisel was subsequently ruled to not be affected.
. University of Washington athletic director Barbara Hedges took the opportunity to meet with him. She fired coach Jim Lambright
and named Neuheisel as his replacement. Neuheisel left for Seattle
in January 1999 to coach at the University of Washington
for four seasons (1999–2002). His starting salary was $1,000,000 annually, at the time one of the five highest in the nation. One of Neuheisel's first acts was to restore the Huskies' traditional gold helmets; they had worn purple helmets under Lambright's tenure.
In the 2000 season, the Huskies won the Pac-10 title and the Rose Bowl
over the Big Ten
champ Purdue Boilermakers
, led by quarterback Drew Brees
. Their only loss was to the rival Oregon Ducks. Washington, led by senior quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo
, the Rose Bowl MVP, finished the season at 11–1 and was ranked third in the final national polls. Neuheisel became the first and only former Rose Bowl MVP to coach a winning Rose Bowl team.
In 2008, The Seattle Times
ran a series of articles which accused Neuheisel and athletic director Barbara Hedges of overlooking numerous discipline problems--including outright criminal behavior--during the 2000 season. During that year, UW safety Curtis Williams was allowed to play despite being issued an outstanding arrest warrant for assaulting his wife, Michelle. Linebacker Jeremiah Pharms
was under investigation for robbing and shooting a drug dealer after police found his fingerprints at the scene, but was not charged until the season was over. Jerramy Stevens
, the Huskies star tight end, was under investigation of raping a UW freshman on sorority row. When Stevens later crashed his truck into a retirement home, Neuheisel suspended him for half a game.
In February 2003, Neuheisel secretly interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers
coaching job without telling anyone at UW about it. The 49ers' general manager at the time, Terry Donahue
, had been Neuheisel's head coach as a player and assistant coach at UCLA. A day after his interview, he issued a statement through UW's athletic department saying he wasn't interested in the job. However, a few days later, a Seattle newspaper reporter wrote that he'd seen Neuheisel discussing the 49ers job on his cell phone while the two were waiting for a flight at San Francisco International Airport
. When Hedges found out about it, she and school president Lee Huntsman warned him that further lies would not be tolerated.
and lies he told about his actions. He first denied the accusation to investigators before admitting to it after consultation with school officials. The gambling
case became a local sensation when it was revealed that he had received an internal UW memo which authorized gambling in off-campus tournament basketball pools. Hedges learned that the NCAA was considering giving Neuheisel a two-year show-cause order
, which would have effectively blackballed him from the coaching ranks for two years. She then gave Neuheisel an ultimatum—resign or be fired for cause. He refused, and was fired on June 11.
That fall, the NCAA infractions committee found Neuheisel violated NCAA rules against gambling but didn't sanction him, citing the memo by Washington's then compliance officer, Dana Richardson, that mistakenly identified this type of action as a permissible exception to NCAA gambling sanctions. It also became apparent that the NCAA violated its own rules when questioning Neuheisel about the gambling. UW had its probation extended for failing to monitor its football program.
Neuheisel sued both the NCAA and the University of Washington concerning the termination of his employment contract. Toward the end of trial, it was revealed that the NCAA had failed to turn over certain crucial evidence to Neuheisel's attorneys. The new evidence (updated NCAA bylaws pertaining to rules investigations) bolstered Neuheisel's claim that the NCAA acted improperly during its investigation that eventually led to his firing. With the new evidence revealed, the NCAA and University of Washington requested to settle before the case went to the jury. The settlement awarded Neuheisel $4.5 million, consisting of cash payments and some loan forgiveness. He served as a volunteer coach for Rainier Beach High School in Seattle for two seasons (2003–2004).
s) with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens
in January 2005. In 2006, the Ravens acquired quarterback Steve McNair
and won the AFC North
division with a 13–3 record. After the season, Neuheisel was promoted to offensive coordinator
.
UCLA, following the firing of his former UCLA teammate, Karl Dorrell
. Ravens head coach Brian Billick
assured that he would allow Neuheisel to leave the team before the completion of the 2007 NFL season
. Other candidates in which UCLA showed interest and interviewed included: Oregon Ducks
Coach Mike Bellotti
, Temple Owls
Coach Al Golden, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow
, UCLA’s defensive coordinator and interim coach DeWayne Walker
, and then-Philadelphia Eagles
assistant John Harbaugh.
On December 29, 2007, Neuheisel was introduced as the head coach
of the UCLA Bruins in a five-year contract that pays him $1.25 million per season and includes incentives that could add $500,000 a year. He immediately began to consolidate his coaching staff by retaining DeWayne Walker
, Karl Dorrell's defensive coordinator and interim coach for the Bruins 2007 bowl game. He made a major move by hiring Norm Chow
, offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans
and previously the offensive coordinator of crosstown rival USC's
2003
and 2004
national championship seasons. He also began to make himself highly visible to the media, including appearing at the 2008 Rose Bowl
and coining the phrase "Passion Bucket" during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show
by saying, "When you’re at UCLA, you have to have your passion bucket full when you play the Trojans." He also appeared in an ad created by the UCLA athletics marketing department that declared, "The Football Monopoly in L.A. Is Officially Over" and engineered an agreement with Pete Carroll
that allows both UCLA and USC to wear their home jerseys during the annual game. This home jersey arrangement begat a rule change for the 2009 football season
.
Neuheisel had his first win on September 1 with the Bruins as they defeated #18 Tennessee
, 27–24. The win came in overtime as Tennessee's field goal try sailed wide left. However, the team's momentum came to a halt in successive weeks. A brutal 59–0 defeat on the road at the hands of #15 BYU
was followed by a disappointing 31–10 loss at home to unranked Arizona
in the Bruins' Pac-10 opener. The UCLA offense failed to score a touchdown in either contest. The team finished the season 4–8 overall and 3–6 in conference.
Despite this record, Neuheisel was still able secure the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation in 2009 as rated by Scout.com
. The class was headlined by two former USC commits, Morrell Presley and Randall Carroll, offensive linemen Xavier Sua-Filo and Stan Hasiak, and running back Damien Thigpen. Nevertheless, the Bruins fell to 4–8 in 2010, losing six of their last seven games and failing to receive a bowl berth. Player injuries and other attrition depleted UCLA of its roster depth, while true freshmen were forced into action and seniors who were previously reserves became starters; a quarterback who had attempted only 17 passes in his career became the starter. At the end of the season Neuheisel fired two assistant coaches, including Chow, and said he would “be crushed ... if we’re not going to a bowl game a year from now.”
The 2011 season
brought about continued mediocre performance, although the team's record improved to 6-6 in regular season play. A 50-0 shutout loss to crosstown rival USC to end the regular season prompted speculation that the coach would be fired.
Neuheisel was fired as head coach of UCLA on November 28, 2011. He will be allowed to coach his final game at the December 2 Pac-12 Conference football Championship game.
Wilkinson), have three sons: Jerry (born April 1992), Jack (born August 1994), and Joe (born January 1997). His father, Richard "Dick" Gerald Neuheisel, an attorney, is a past president of Sister Cities International
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, a position he held from 2008 to 2011. Before coming to UCLA, Neuheisel was the head football coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
from 1995 to 1998 and at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
from 1999 to 2002. From 2005 to 2007, he was an assistant coach with the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, serving as quarterbacks coach for two seasons and then one as offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
.
Before his coaching positions, Neuheisel played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at UCLA from 1980 to 1983, then spent two seasons with the San Antonio Gunslingers
San Antonio Gunslingers
The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
before splitting the 1987 NFL season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
between the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
.
Early years
Neuheisel was born in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, one of four children and the only son of Dick and Jane (Jackson) Neuheisel, with sisters Nancy, Katie, and Deborah. Dick is an attorney and Rick grew up in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and graduated from McClintock High School
McClintock High School
McClintock High School is located in Tempe, Arizona, approximately two miles southeast of the campus of Arizona State University. McClintock High School was established in 1964. McClintock moved to the Arizona 4A Conference beginning with the 2001-02 school year...
in 1979. He lettered in three sports (football, basketball, baseball) and was named its outstanding athlete during his senior year.
Playing career
Neuheisel played his college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, beginning his career as a walk-on and holding placekicks for John Lee
John Lee (placekicker)
John Lee is a former two-time All-American placekicker for the UCLA Bruins football team from 1982–1985. He was the 32nd pick selected in the 1986 NFL Draft and later played one year for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted to the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. Lee is the first player...
. He was the starting quarterback in his senior year in the 1983 season
1983 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning their first national championship over perennial power Nebraska in the Orange Bowl....
. UCLA opened with a loss at Georgia, a tie with Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
and then a 42–10 loss at #1-ranked Nebraska
1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team
The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln] in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska...
. Neuheisel was benched after the Nebraska loss in favor of Steve Bono
Steve Bono
Steven Christopher Bono is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Collegiate career:Bono attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received a degree in sociology. As a Bruins quarterback, Bono posted collegiate career numbers of 177...
. On October 1, the Bruins lost to BYU to start the season 0–3–1. Bono was injured during the Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
game, and Neuheisel came back to finish the season. Neuheisel led the Bruins to an eventual 6–4–1 record, culminating with a win over arch-rival USC that, combined with Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
's upset of Washington, gave UCLA the Pac-10 championship in 1983 and sent them to the Rose Bowl
1984 Rose Bowl
The 1984 Rose Bowl game, played on January 2, was the 70th Rose Bowl game. The UCLA Bruins defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 45-9. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns...
on January 2, 1984.
Neuheisel led the Bruins to a 45–9 victory over 4th-ranked and heavily-favored Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
in the 1984 Rose Bowl
1984 Rose Bowl
The 1984 Rose Bowl game, played on January 2, was the 70th Rose Bowl game. The UCLA Bruins defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 45-9. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns...
, in which he was named the MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
; two of his four touchdown passes were caught by a sophomore wide receiver from San Diego named Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
, later Neuheisel's predecessor as the UCLA head football coach. The victory vaulted the Bruins, unranked through most of the season, into the top 25 in wire service polls. Much like his rise to stardom at UCLA, the road to the victory was a bumpy one. Neuheisel and two other players on the defensive side of the ball suffered from food poisoning hours before the Rose Bowl and it was unsure that Neuheisel would start. Neuheisel would end up starting the game. He also set an NCAA record that year for single game pass completion percentage (since broken) by completing 25 of 27 passes (92.6%) in a Pac-10 win over Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
. In 1998, Neuheisel was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Neuheisel was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team and graduated from UCLA in May 1984 with a B.A. in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and a 3.4 GPA. Neuheisel still holds the UCLA single season record for completion percentage, completed 185 of 267 passes (69.3%) for 2,245 yards in the 1983 season. He was also a member of Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
while a student.
Neuheisel's professional career included two seasons with the San Antonio Gunslingers
San Antonio Gunslingers
The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
(1984–1985) of the USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
and three games with the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL in the strike season of 1987
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
. He closed out the season's final two games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, but did not receive any playing time.
Early years as assistant
While attending USC Law SchoolUniversity of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...
on an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, Neuheisel served as a graduate assistant with UCLA, where he tutored Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
. He graduated with a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) from USC in 1988MSNBC/Orange County Register and passed the Arizona State Bar in May 1991 and the Washington, D.C. Bar in March 1993.
He later became a full-time assistant coach in 1988, and stayed at UCLA through the 1993 season. In 1994, he moved to Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
as an assistant to Bill McCartney
Bill McCartney
William Paul McCartney is a former American football player and coach and the founder of the Promise Keepers men's ministry. He was the head coach at the University of Colorado from 1982 to 1994, where he compiled a record of 93–55–5 and won three consecutive Big Eight Conference...
.
Colorado
McCartney retired following the 1994 season and Neuheisel, age 34, was named the head coach. He stayed for four seasons (1995–1998) in BoulderBoulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
as the Buffs
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
coach. His best season was his first, in which the Buffs tied for second in the final season of Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
play and won the Cotton Bowl. His only losing season at Colorado was 1997; the Buffs were expected to be national title contenders, but never recovered from a blowout loss to Michigan
1997 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third year under head coach Lloyd Carr, Michigan compiled a perfect 12–0 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, defeated Washington State in the 1998...
on national television. After the season, the Buffs were forced to forfeit their five wins due to an ineligible player, though Neuheisel was subsequently ruled to not be affected.
Washington
Neuheisel was welcomed into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame before the 1999 Rose Bowl1999 Rose Bowl
The 1999 Rose Bowl was the 85th Rose Bowl game and was played on Friday January 1, 1999 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It was a college football bowl game at the end of the 1998 college football season. Wisconsin defeated by a score of 38-31. Ron Dayne of Wisconsin was named...
. University of Washington athletic director Barbara Hedges took the opportunity to meet with him. She fired coach Jim Lambright
Jim Lambright
James "Jim" Lambright is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Washington for six seasons from 1993 to 1998, compiling a record of 44–25–1...
and named Neuheisel as his replacement. Neuheisel left for Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in January 1999 to coach at the University of Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
for four seasons (1999–2002). His starting salary was $1,000,000 annually, at the time one of the five highest in the nation. One of Neuheisel's first acts was to restore the Huskies' traditional gold helmets; they had worn purple helmets under Lambright's tenure.
In the 2000 season, the Huskies won the Pac-10 title and the Rose Bowl
2001 Rose Bowl
The 2001 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2001. It was the 87th Rose Bowl game. The University of Washington Huskies football team defeated the Purdue University Boilermakers football team 34-24...
over the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
champ Purdue Boilermakers
2000 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 2000 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. Purdue finished as tri-champions of the Big Ten Conference and earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, the Boilermakers' first appearance in Pasadena since 1967.-Season:The season was...
, led by quarterback Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
. Their only loss was to the rival Oregon Ducks. Washington, led by senior quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo is a former American football quarterback who is currently a strength coach for the University of Washington football team. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders...
, the Rose Bowl MVP, finished the season at 11–1 and was ranked third in the final national polls. Neuheisel became the first and only former Rose Bowl MVP to coach a winning Rose Bowl team.
In 2008, The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
ran a series of articles which accused Neuheisel and athletic director Barbara Hedges of overlooking numerous discipline problems--including outright criminal behavior--during the 2000 season. During that year, UW safety Curtis Williams was allowed to play despite being issued an outstanding arrest warrant for assaulting his wife, Michelle. Linebacker Jeremiah Pharms
Jeremiah Pharms
Jeremiah Pharms born June 24, 1978) is a former American football fullback/linebacker in the Arena Football League. He played two seasons for the New York Dragons .-External links:**...
was under investigation for robbing and shooting a drug dealer after police found his fingerprints at the scene, but was not charged until the season was over. Jerramy Stevens
Jerramy Stevens
Jerramy Stevens is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks 28th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.-Early years:...
, the Huskies star tight end, was under investigation of raping a UW freshman on sorority row. When Stevens later crashed his truck into a retirement home, Neuheisel suspended him for half a game.
In February 2003, Neuheisel secretly interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
coaching job without telling anyone at UW about it. The 49ers' general manager at the time, Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue is a former American football, player, coach, and executive and, currently, a football analyst. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. From 2001 to 2005, Donahue served as...
, had been Neuheisel's head coach as a player and assistant coach at UCLA. A day after his interview, he issued a statement through UW's athletic department saying he wasn't interested in the job. However, a few days later, a Seattle newspaper reporter wrote that he'd seen Neuheisel discussing the 49ers job on his cell phone while the two were waiting for a flight at San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
. When Hedges found out about it, she and school president Lee Huntsman warned him that further lies would not be tolerated.
NCAA infractions at Washington
Before Neuheisel coached his first game for the Huskies, he had already violated NCAA recruiting rules by visiting high school players before the NCAA approved date to do so. In the summer of 2003, Neuheisel came under fire for taking part in a neighborhood pool for the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2003, and ended with the championship game on April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
and lies he told about his actions. He first denied the accusation to investigators before admitting to it after consultation with school officials. The gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
case became a local sensation when it was revealed that he had received an internal UW memo which authorized gambling in off-campus tournament basketball pools. Hedges learned that the NCAA was considering giving Neuheisel a two-year show-cause order
Show-cause penalty (NCAA)
In the National Collegiate Athletic Association , a show-cause penalty is an order saying that for a set period of time, any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach involved in major rules violations at a university's athletic program will remain in force if he is hired by any other NCAA member institution...
, which would have effectively blackballed him from the coaching ranks for two years. She then gave Neuheisel an ultimatum—resign or be fired for cause. He refused, and was fired on June 11.
That fall, the NCAA infractions committee found Neuheisel violated NCAA rules against gambling but didn't sanction him, citing the memo by Washington's then compliance officer, Dana Richardson, that mistakenly identified this type of action as a permissible exception to NCAA gambling sanctions. It also became apparent that the NCAA violated its own rules when questioning Neuheisel about the gambling. UW had its probation extended for failing to monitor its football program.
Neuheisel sued both the NCAA and the University of Washington concerning the termination of his employment contract. Toward the end of trial, it was revealed that the NCAA had failed to turn over certain crucial evidence to Neuheisel's attorneys. The new evidence (updated NCAA bylaws pertaining to rules investigations) bolstered Neuheisel's claim that the NCAA acted improperly during its investigation that eventually led to his firing. With the new evidence revealed, the NCAA and University of Washington requested to settle before the case went to the jury. The settlement awarded Neuheisel $4.5 million, consisting of cash payments and some loan forgiveness. He served as a volunteer coach for Rainier Beach High School in Seattle for two seasons (2003–2004).
Baltimore Ravens
Neuheisel became an assistant coach (quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
s) with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
in January 2005. In 2006, the Ravens acquired quarterback Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
and won the AFC North
AFC North
The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
division with a 13–3 record. After the season, Neuheisel was promoted to offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
.
UCLA
Neuheisel was invited to two interviews regarding the head coaching position at his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
UCLA, following the firing of his former UCLA teammate, Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
. Ravens head coach Brian Billick
Brian Billick
Brian Harold Billick is a National Football League game analyst for Fox, and is also an analyst for the network's Bowl Championship Series coverage. He was previously an NFL coach, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens from January 19, 1999 to December 31, 2007...
assured that he would allow Neuheisel to leave the team before the completion of the 2007 NFL season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
. Other candidates in which UCLA showed interest and interviewed included: Oregon Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
Coach Mike Bellotti
Mike Bellotti
Robert Michael "Mike" Bellotti is a college football analyst for ESPN and ABC. A native of California, he was hired as football offensive coordinator by the University of Oregon in 1989. From 1995 to 2009, he was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team...
, Temple Owls
Temple Owls
Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw....
Coach Al Golden, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow
Norm Chow
Norman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University....
, UCLA’s defensive coordinator and interim coach DeWayne Walker
DeWayne Walker
-External links:* *...
, and then-Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
assistant John Harbaugh.
On December 29, 2007, Neuheisel was introduced as the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the UCLA Bruins in a five-year contract that pays him $1.25 million per season and includes incentives that could add $500,000 a year. He immediately began to consolidate his coaching staff by retaining DeWayne Walker
DeWayne Walker
-External links:* *...
, Karl Dorrell's defensive coordinator and interim coach for the Bruins 2007 bowl game. He made a major move by hiring Norm Chow
Norm Chow
Norman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University....
, offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
and previously the offensive coordinator of crosstown rival USC's
UCLA-USC rivalry
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
2003
2003 USC Trojans football team
The 2003 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2003-2004 NCAA Division I-A college football season...
and 2004
2004 USC Trojans football team
The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004-2005 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules, the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National...
national championship seasons. He also began to make himself highly visible to the media, including appearing at the 2008 Rose Bowl
2008 Rose Bowl
The 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network aired the Rose Bowl, starting at 4:30pm EST...
and coining the phrase "Passion Bucket" during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show
The Dan Patrick Show
The Dan Patrick Show is a syndicated sports talk show hosted by former ESPN personality Dan Patrick. It is currently produced by DirecTV Sports Group and is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. The three-hour program broadcasts live every day beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern/6 a.m. Pacific time on Fox...
by saying, "When you’re at UCLA, you have to have your passion bucket full when you play the Trojans." He also appeared in an ad created by the UCLA athletics marketing department that declared, "The Football Monopoly in L.A. Is Officially Over" and engineered an agreement with Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
that allows both UCLA and USC to wear their home jerseys during the annual game. This home jersey arrangement begat a rule change for the 2009 football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
.
Neuheisel had his first win on September 1 with the Bruins as they defeated #18 Tennessee
2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team was coached by head football coach Phillip Fulmer, in his 16th and final season as head coach. The Vols played their home games in Neyland Stadium and competed...
, 27–24. The win came in overtime as Tennessee's field goal try sailed wide left. However, the team's momentum came to a halt in successive weeks. A brutal 59–0 defeat on the road at the hands of #15 BYU
2008 BYU Cougars football team
The 2008 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2008 college football season.Prior to the 2008 season, BYU had won consecutive Mountain West Conference championship titles without losing a conference game. It had also finished with an 11-2 overall record for...
was followed by a disappointing 31–10 loss at home to unranked Arizona
2008 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 2008 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach is Mike Stoops, in his fifth year at Arizona. They play their home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona and compete in the Pacific-10 Conference...
in the Bruins' Pac-10 opener. The UCLA offense failed to score a touchdown in either contest. The team finished the season 4–8 overall and 3–6 in conference.
Despite this record, Neuheisel was still able secure the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation in 2009 as rated by Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
. The class was headlined by two former USC commits, Morrell Presley and Randall Carroll, offensive linemen Xavier Sua-Filo and Stan Hasiak, and running back Damien Thigpen. Nevertheless, the Bruins fell to 4–8 in 2010, losing six of their last seven games and failing to receive a bowl berth. Player injuries and other attrition depleted UCLA of its roster depth, while true freshmen were forced into action and seniors who were previously reserves became starters; a quarterback who had attempted only 17 passes in his career became the starter. At the end of the season Neuheisel fired two assistant coaches, including Chow, and said he would “be crushed ... if we’re not going to a bowl game a year from now.”
The 2011 season
2011 UCLA Bruins football team
The 2011 UCLA Bruins football team represents the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team is coached by fourth year head coach Rick Neuheisel and plays their home games in Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California...
brought about continued mediocre performance, although the team's record improved to 6-6 in regular season play. A 50-0 shutout loss to crosstown rival USC to end the regular season prompted speculation that the coach would be fired.
Neuheisel was fired as head coach of UCLA on November 28, 2011. He will be allowed to coach his final game at the December 2 Pac-12 Conference football Championship game.
Family
Neuheisel and his wife, Susan (néeNEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Wilkinson), have three sons: Jerry (born April 1992), Jack (born August 1994), and Joe (born January 1997). His father, Richard "Dick" Gerald Neuheisel, an attorney, is a past president of Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
.