Dallas Aide Hackett Will Meet McGee

Dallas Cowboys assistant coach Paul Hackett said Saturday that the USC football job is the only college coaching position that he would consider. But he added that he has “mixed emotions” in regard to being considered a candidate.

USC Athletic Director Mike McGee was granted permission by the Cowboys to talk with Hackett when Dallas’ season ends.

“I have a great emotion and a lot of love for USC,” Hackett said by telephone from Dallas, “but in my travels, I’ve come to see myself pretty much as a pro coach.”

Hackett was USC’s quarterback coach in 1976-80. He became an assistant with the Cleveland Browns, then the San Francisco 49ers and became the Cowboys’ passing coordinator this season.

Hackett said he will meet with McGee, adding: “I have fond remembrances of the John Robinson era. I don’t know much about the place now. I heard it has changed.”

Hackett was reportedly a strong candidate for the USC coaching job when Robinson was considering becoming the New England Patriots’ coach in 1981.

“When I went to Cleveland, I wanted to come back to college football,” Hackett said. “Then, I was with Bill Walsh and the 49ers and worked with Joe Montana. We won the Super Bowl, and it was a similar experience that I had at USC when we won the national championship (1978). That’s when I turned on to pro football.”

Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, who was reportedly a candidate for the USC job, is presumably untouchable. He is making about $750,000 a year with all his benefits, considerably more than was reported recently.

And throw another hat into the ring. George Allen, the former Ram and Redskin coach, has expressed interest in the USC job.

McGee interviewed Dave Levy Saturday in San Diego. Levy, the San Diego Chargers’ offensive line coach, was a USC assistant under John McKay for 16 years.