UCLA’s next coach needs some swagger in this town

On a bright, sunny Monday in the City of Angels, home of the greatest sports market in the world, we found ourselves in quite a football fix.

We have no professional team and little prospect of having one in our lifetime, unless we are a newborn.

Our closest thing to the pros is USC’s Trojans, who currently have no place to play.

And the crosstown rivals, the Bruin boys in blue, who have a very nice place to play, currently have nobody to tell them how.

Karl Dorrell was fired Monday, and as all the proper goodbyes were correctly being said to a nice man who did his best, it became time to explore what needs to come next in Westwood. As well as how and why.

UCLA football has always been a fascination.

It has gone through grand eras with Red Sanders and Tommy Prothro. Terry Donahue stayed around for 20 years and won 151 games. At one point during Donahue’s reign, which included beating up on USC frequently, The Times, then under the stewardship of a sports editor from back East who didn’t know any better, ran a story that said this was now “UCLA’s Town” in football.

That was accurate. For about three days.

Before we knew it, the Trojan horse was back with Pete Carroll in the saddle and the planets were back in alignment.

This, of course, is the ongoing challenge of the UCLA faithful, who took care of the basketball part of the equation years ago by hiring a guy named Wooden. Like Trojans football, the tradition was established and, with a few stumbles over the years, is now in the able hands of Ben Howland. Certainly, Tim Floyd is not giddy about a second-fiddle role with his USC basketball team, but his alums never seem quite as agitated over that as Bruins alums do over being this city’s little brother in football.

Now, Dan Guerrero has yet another chance to knock the chip off USC’s shoulder.

He is the athletic director at UCLA. His hiring record, for the two sports that the huge fan base cares about, is about a 7 on a scale of 10. Howland was a home run, Dorrell a fly to the gap that was run down and caught. Smooth swing, good wood, not quite enough to even get to the fence.

In his news conference Monday, Guerrero said all the right things. He praised his departing coach for all the good things he did, which were many. He kept mentioning the word “integrity,” which is big at UCLA. That means that, on Dorrell’s watch, none of the players used handicap placards to park in prime spots.

Guerrero also said he met with players and assistant coaches, explained his decision, and assured the assistants of job security until June and a mandate for the new guy to interview all of them for future work. He was also adamant that he had not, and would not, start a search for a new coach before he sat down with the old one Monday morning and gave him the news.

Guerrero also established the blueprint for what he needs to do the next few days and weeks. It was a blueprint with a high bar.

“We want to build this program into a consistent winner,” he said. “We want to be in the national discussion.”

And later, “I believe we can be a national player. I think we can knock on the BCS door, win the Pac-10, and from there be a national contender.”

If those are more than merely brave words, Guerrero needs to ponder his marketplace.

Those who lead the teams that get the attention in Los Angeles have a common thread. They are people who conduct their business with a style and a swagger. They either came with name recognition or quickly acquired it here. The style and swagger aren’t always the same, but all have some form of it.

This is a city of Mike Scioscia and Howland, of Phil Jackson and Carroll. And now Joe Torre. Mike Dunleavy has a form of it. So does Floyd.

This is the city where John McKay roamed the sidelines, cracking one-liners as fast as he won games. This is where Walter Alston made quiet excellence into an art form, where Tom Lasorda created Dodger Blue Heaven. It is where John Wooden rolled up a game program and watched his team roll over all comers.

This is not Lincoln, Neb., or Norman, Okla., where the football coach is king, no matter who he is, what he does or how he acts.

Karl Dorrell was an experiment in a city that doesn’t like to take time for that. You can come out of nowhere and make it here, but it can’t take five years.

The days and weeks ahead will bring speculation, names and lots for Guerrero to ponder.

A sampling:

Chris Petersen at Boise State, the man who ran a flea-flicker and a Statue of Liberty and beat Oklahoma in a bowl game. Former assistant at Oregon. Solid track record, but never under the bright lights. Said Monday he wasn’t interested in UCLA.

Steve Mariucci, had a good run with the San Francisco 49ers, is a TV guy now. Lots of style and personality.

Rich Brooks, around the Pac-10 for a long time, 18 years at Oregon, former Pac-10 coach of the year. In the last few years, has turned Kentucky football into something other than an afterthought at a basketball school. Sound familiar?

Rick Neuheisel, once a Bruins star, now offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. All too often more a frat boy than a football coach, who made enemies at Colorado and Washington while winning lots of games. May be older and wiser now. No question about style or swagger there.

DeWayne Walker, the Bruins defensive coordinator, whose 13-9 smothering of USC a year ago earns a swagger of its own. Also, an easy transition for players.

Lou Holtz, ageless, sprightly, a TV guy now, who would probably rather try out his one-liners as a coach than a commentator. Won a national title at Notre Dame. Beat up on USC a few times. Ponder how that might play in L.A.

So, for at least a couple of weeks, Guerrero has our spotlight. We don’t ask much, just a coach with style, swagger and success. Oh yes, that integrity stuff too.

You’re on, Dan. Here’s hoping you are ready for your close-up.

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Bill Dwyre can be reached at bill.dwyre@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Dwyre, go to latimes.com/dwyre.