Dorrell Is Homecoming King

Karl Dorrell was nicknamed “Sweetness” as a UCLA receiver for his smooth, fluid style. But he never fully understood the meaning of the word until returning to his alma mater 15 years after graduating to become football coach.

Sweet memories came flooding back to Dorrell when he stepped onto Spaulding Field to meet his new team Thursday. And the sweet smiles of former teammates and friends greeted him when he was introduced at a news conference in the Morgan Center.

Shortly after arriving at UCLA as a player, a quiet, reserved Dorrell became homesick.

Shortly after arriving at UCLA as coach, a quietly confident Dorrell realized he was home.

“I owe a debt of gratitude to my background [at UCLA],” he said. “A lot of the same people who supported me as a student-athlete are in this room today. This institution is a family. It’s something dear to my heart.”

Dorrell reflected on how he entered coaching at the urging of Terry Donahue shortly after graduating from UCLA. Donahue, the Bruin coach, told Dorrell that he had the makings of a coach.

So Dorrell left his entry-level job in athletic administration and joined the Bruin staff.

“Terry said, ‘Hey, Karl, I think you have the qualities to be a good coach.’ He saw something in me that I obviously didn’t see,” Dorrell said. “He ended the discussion saying, ‘You never know, you might be the UCLA head coach someday.’ ”

Someday came more quickly than most observers imagined.

Dorrell, in his third year as a Denver Bronco assistant, beat out New Orleans Saint assistant Mike Riley and Kansas City Chief assistant Greg Robinson for the job, making an indelible impression on Chancellor Albert Carnesale and Athletic Director Dan Guerrero in an interview Tuesday.

Dorrell becomes only the fourth African American football coach in Division I-A, but the decision-makers said his skin color had little bearing on the decision.

“Karl Dorrell was, in my view and in Dan Guerrero’s view, the best candidate for the position,” Carnesale said. “We never considered, gee, he’s African American, we’d better hire him.”

Instead, they chose a man whose maturity, integrity and fitness for the job became abundantly clear during the interview. That quiet, homesick 18-year-old is the coach who will lead the Bruins into the post-Bob Toledo era.

“You can spot his passion without him standing up and waving his arms,” Carnesale said. “I don’t pretend to be an expert on football. What I do pretend to be able to do is pick first-rate people. I’ve made two picks in the last year, a dean of athletics [Guerrero] and a dean of football [Dorrell].”

It was Guerrero who called Dorrell and left a somber-sounding message: “Hey, Karl, I’d like for you to call me back. I have something to do at 3 p.m. and I would like to touch base with you before that time.”

When Dorrell, who turned 39 Wednesday, retrieved the message after Bronco practice, he figured he’d been passed over.

“I called back half-disheartened, thinking he’s going to let me down real slow,” Dorrell said. “He asked how practice went and how my birthday was going.

“Then he said, ‘Maybe this will make your birthday better. I’d like you to become the head coach at UCLA.’ ”

Two hours later Dorrell accepted a six-year rollover contract with a base salary of $600,000 and incentives that could hike the package over $1 million a year. It is the highest compensation ever paid to a UCLA coach.

He will begin work after the Broncos play the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. First order of business is to assemble a staff. Next will be a focus on recruiting. He will not coach the Bruins in the Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas but will watch the game.

Dorrell said he will hire at least one assistant who has been a head coach. It is believed he will pursue Washington assistant head coach Steve Axman, a former head coach at Northern Arizona and UCLA assistant.

Colorado Coach Gary Barnett said Thursday that he expects Dorrell to request permission to talk to Buffaloes’ assistants Jon Embree and Brian Cabral.

Dorrell has plenty of candidates to choose from close to UCLA as well. Nearly every current assistant has expressed a desire to stay and Dorrell said he will speak with all of them. And at least two friends and former teammates of the new coach who attended the news conference want to join the staff -- former NFL and UCLA standouts Ken Norton Jr. and James Washington. Neither has an extensive coaching background.

It will be a challenge for Dorrell to accommodate friends and evaluate longtime loyal assistants while building the best possible staff. He is not afraid of hiring assistants older and more experienced than himself.

“I’m not going to bring in a bunch of 32-year-olds and say, ‘OK, guys, let’s go do it,’ ” he said. “I’m receptive to a wide range of people. I want diversity and experience.”

Another challenge will be to end off-the-field problems. Although the current team had no serious incidents during the season, problems ranging from the illegal use of handicapped parking placards to NCAA violations to barroom brawls contributed to Toledo’s firing.

“I’m a firm believer in having open lines of communication with players,” Dorrell said. “This is a family atmosphere. My goal is to have the type of relationship where they can come to me with anything.”

As a player from 1982-86, Dorrell was known as a straight arrow. As his career progressed he became a respected team leader as well as an outstanding receiver.

“Karl might have been the quietest person on the team,” said David Norrie, a quarterback during Dorrell’s career. “It got to the point his first year that I wondered whether he was happy, and he told me he was homesick [Dorrell went to Helix High near San Diego].

“He didn’t say much in the huddle, but he said a lot after the snap with his actions. And when he did say something, nobody took it lightly.”

Now he returns as coach, still boyish-looking, still a straight arrow. He walked onto Spaulding Field and felt tingles. It was as if he had never left.

“I flashed back to 1986 when I practiced there,” he said. “It felt the same. It was an unusual feeling, like I’d been gone only a day or so.”

Now Craig Bragg and Tab Perry are making catches for UCLA. They were among a handful of players who introduced themselves to the new coach after practice.

They don’t quite know what to expect. But Dorrell assured them he is in their corner.

“I will be a grassroots type of coach, very hands-on,” he said. “I believe in the players and they will believe in me.”