Assistants accustomed to taking the blame

Football coach Gerry DiNardo made his first public mistake Wednesday.\nIt wasn't the type of mistake that cost IU a victory. It won't hurt recruiting. It probably won't damage his reputation. \nInstead, the mistake illustrated the challenges and anonymity assistant coaches battle.\nStarting on the right and moving left, DiNardo announced his nine assistants to a group of reporters before the men's basketball game against Wisconsin. \nWhen he got to the coach on the far left standing beside secondary coach Curt Mallory, DiNardo said: "Next to Curt is Gerald Moore, who will coach our running backs."\nAt least DiNardo got half the sentence right. The running backs coach is named Gerald. But his last name is Brown, not Moore.\nThe confused look on Brown's face told the entire story. Brown wanted to tell everyone his real last name, but he knew that he couldn't publicly embarrass his new boss. \nAssistant coaches such as Brown, who service head coaches such as DiNardo, are the bases that hold a football program together. \nThey're the ones who travel almost year-round finding prospects. They're the ones who do most of the hands-on coaching.\nThey're also the part of a program that crumbles the quickest. \nThe criticism an assistant receives typically outweighs the praise. And job security? Look at almost any college assistant's bio, and you realize he holds less job security than a Washington Redskins head coach.\n"I think we all hope for longevity at every institution we enter into," defensive coordinator Tim Kish said.\nThe problem is that very few assistants receive the longevity Kish and his colleagues desire.\nSince 1977, Kish has worked as an assistant at seven NCAA Division I programs. His longest stay at one institution (Army) lasted seven years. Kish's shortest tenure also was his most recent, when he lasted one season as Ohio University's defensive coordinator.\nBefore Ohio, Kish spent four years as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Illinois. When Illinois faltered in 2000 after its successful 1999 season, guess who received much of the blame? \nHe stood third from the right in Wednesday's line.\nHead coach Ron Turner took some hits during the off-season, but he kept his job. In 2001, Illinois won the Big Ten championship and qualified for the Sugar Bowl. The Fighting Illini's success earned Turner praise from all angles, while Kish spent the season coaching the defense of the Mid American Conference's worst team.\nWhen asked if IU offers him a fresh start, Kish said "absolutely."\nFresh starts and rotten finishes are two things almost every college assistant coach experiences.\nOffensive line coach Steve Addazio experienced a rotten finish in December. He was one of three Notre Dame assistants to keep his job when George O'Leary replaced Bob Davie. But the Fighting Irish's next coaching change wasn't as kind.\nTyrone Willingham kept one assistant from O'Leary's staff. His last name wasn't Addazio.\n"I'm not interested in what that last chapter was," Addazio said. "I'm more interested in what that new chapter brings."\nThis past season, offensive coordinator Al Borges experienced a rotten finish for the first time in his career. \nBorges spent last season as California's offensive coordinator. The Golden Bears had a disastrous season, with their lone victory coming in the season finale against Rutgers.\nThe 1-10 season resulted in some major changes. The first came when coach Tom Holmoe resigned Nov. 4. The second came Dec. 12, when Oregon offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford replaced Holmoe. The third came Dec. 18, when running backs coach Ron Gould became the lone assistant retained by Tedford.\n"I had never been fired before," said Borges, who also had stints as a collegiate offensive coordinator at UCLA, Oregon, Boise State, Portland State and Diablo Valley College. \n"It will probably be good for me in the end. It's just another chapter in my career."\nMaybe once this chapter begins, Borges' exciting offense can flourish in the conservative Midwest. Maybe Addazio won't experience a bizarre coaching change. Maybe Kish can erase the frustrations of the past two seasons. And maybe DiNardo will know Gerald Brown's last name.\nOf course, for an assistant coach there are no guarantees.