Barnett Turns Down Irish

He chatted with Georgia, was wooed by UCLA and approached by Notre Dame. Gary Barnett gathered information, considered it carefully and arrived where he began.

Barnett, who took Northwestern from the depths of college football to the Rose Bowl, said Thursday he was honored to be considered as Lou Holtz’s successor at Notre Dame.

Then he told the Irish thanks, but no thanks.

“I am very humbled and flattered that Notre Dame has asked me to be considered a candidate for their head coaching football position,” Barnett said in a statement. “However, for very personal and private reasons, I have informed Notre Dame officials that I wish not to be considered as a candidate.

“Regardless of the rumors, an offer was never extended to me by Notre Dame. This is all I will say about this matter.”

Holtz announced his resignation Tuesday, and later that day Barnett said he had been contacted by Notre Dame about the job. Reports said he was the leading candidate for the job, college football’s most prestigious.

Barnett was not available after practice Thursday to elaborate on his statement or his reasons for staying.

A comment Barnett made in Thursday’s Chicago Sun-Times may have revealed the most important factor.

“Coaches don’t live anywhere,” he said of the difference between residing in the Chicago area or South Bend, Ind., which is nearly 80 miles away.

“The airport, the practice field, the training table. Coaches don’t live anywhere. But coaches’ wives do,” Barnett said.

Northwestern Athletic Director Rick Taylor was elated by Barnett’s announcement.

“It’s obviously a great thing for the university,” Taylor said. “It’s great for Northwestern. It’s a reaffirmation of where our program is and what we are trying to do and what we’re all about and where we are going to go.”

In South Bend, Irish quarterback Ron Powlus said he understood.

“It’s like a recruit coming in here. Notre Dame isn’t for everyone and some people know it. Apparently, Notre Dame isn’t it for him, at least for right now,” Powlus said.

“If that’s his decision, I can understand it and can accept it,” said Father William Beauchamp, the school’s executive vice president.

Beauchamp and Athletic Director Mike Wadsworth are conducting the search, and will recommend someone to Father Edward Malloy, the university president who must give final approval.

The university still hopes to have a new coach by the first week of December, if not sooner.

Barnett’s decision leaves Irish defensive coordinator Bob Davie as the leading candidate. Other names reportedly on the short list are San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and former Notre Dame player and quarterbacks coach Tom Clements.

“I’m certainly not in a position to make a decision,” Davie said. “That’s in the hands of Mike Wadsworth and Bill Beauchamp and Notre Dame.”

Barnett told his team of his decision before practice in Evanston, ending five days of speculation and massive media coverage. Several players said they had expected Barnett to stay, but that he did not give them a specific reason why.

“He just said he considered it. There was a kind of sigh of relief around the team,” said running back Darnell Autry. “I wanted him to do what’s best for him. I’m glad he decided to stay.”

Barnett has said repeatedly he would always make any decision based on what he deemed best for his family. He signed a 12-year contract in May, but said there was a buyout clause.

“I think we were all a little curious. The Notre Dame job is definitely an attractive offer to anyone, it’s the premier coaching job in the country probably,” said Wildcats receiver Brian Musso.

Barnett cleared up the situation just before a big recruiting weekend on campus when potential players night have been wary of committing if they weren’t sure of his future.

As he got the Wildcats ready for the Rose Bowl a year ago, Barnett visited Georgia. And after Northwestern’s loss to USC in Pasadena, he considered a lucrative offer from UCLA.

A couple of days later, Barnett said he was staying. Then in May, after legal details were finally worked out, he signed the 12-year deal worth a reported $5 million.

He engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football history last season. Northwestern’s first winning season in 24 years brought a Big 10 title and a 10-victory season to a school long known for academics, not athletics.

The bowl appearance was Northwestern’s second ever and first since 1949. This year, the Wildcats continued to be one of the nation’s top teams. They went 9-2, winning seven of eight conference games, and they are ranked 11th and on their way to another bowl game.

Barnett’s five-year record is 27-28-1.