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Tuesday, October 28, 1997

Mackovic won't discuss report that he's a lame duck

By CHIP BROWN AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas coach John Mackovic said Monday he won't discuss a newspaper report saying school regents have reached a consensus to fire or reassign him at the end of the season.

"If you're interested in talking about the players or the team or the games, I would be happy to," Mackovic said at his weekly news conference.

"But I don't expect and don't intend to spend any time talking about myself. I don't think it's in the best interest of anybody. I expect to coach at Texas for many years."

The Dallas Morning News, citing two unidentified sources, reported Monday that there is enough support among the school's nine-member board to fire or reassign the sixth-year coach at the end of the season.

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, who in the past has denied reports that Mackovic's job is in imminent danger, didn't return repeated phone calls from The Associated Press on Monday.

Any action by the regents is usually preceded by a recommendation from Dodds, interim UT president Peter Flawn and chancellor William Cunningham. Both Flawn and Cunningham were in meetings in Dallas on Monday and didn't return calls. Neither did Donald Evans, chairman of the UT Board of Regents.

The Longhorns, Big 12 champions a year ago, have stumbled badly this season. They are 3-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play, and the losses have been embarrassing and lopsided.

The most devastating was a 66-3 rout at home Sept. 13 against UCLA - Texas' second-worst performance ever. They've since been drubbed by Oklahoma State and Colorado and lost 37-29 to Missouri.

Texas, which hasn't won back-to-back games this season, must win three of its final four - against Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas A&M - to qualify for a bowl. The team was ranked as high as No. 11 in the AP poll but fell out after the UCLA loss.

The Dallas Morning News said Mackovic's inability to field a good defense or to motivate players are at the heart of the movement against him.

The newspaper also reported that there is already a list of replacement candidates, including Northwestern's Gary Barnett, Auburn's Terry Bowden, Stanford's Tyrone Willingham and Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoopes.

Texas players say they are standing behind their coach.

"I am just kind of upset with people around here, the way they are treating coach Mackovic," said running back Ricky Williams, the nation's leading rusher.

Williams said he would more strongly consider leaving for the NFL after this season if Mackovic were fired.

"It would make me think more about leaving, if he wasn't here," Williams said. "If we have a new coach, we would be worse next year because it takes time for a new coach to get adjusted."

Mackovic was the third Texas coach in six years when hired from Illinois.

Despite an 86-31-2 record, Fred Akers was dismissed after the 1986 season, when he posted his only losing mark at 5-6. Akers' successor, David McWilliams, was reassigned in 1991 after compiling a 31-26 record.

The Longhorns are 40-25-2 under Mackovic. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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