As John Mackovic leads his Arizona Wild- cats into year three of his rebuilding plan, he does John so firmly in place, with a new staff and a new Mackovic sense of purpose. Mackovic does so intently focused on the Head Coach task at hand – building a winner in Tucson – with a track record of success to match. Mackovic YEARS COACHING: 34 YEARS AT ARIZONA: 3 has more wins than any other head coach in the Pacific-10 Conference and is just six victories 2 0 0 3 away from collegiate win No. 100. It’s a focus seen on the field with a highly- productive spring practice after introducing five new assistants and an improved defensive phi- losophy. “We have to play better defense in order to have a good team,” said Mackovic. “Our focus was that way all throughout the spring. From where we started to where we finished, we are comfortable, but I know that we are not satisfied.” That’s not to say that his record-setting of- fensive style will take a back seat. Not an offense that set nearly 50 individual and team offensive records a year ago. It’s a focus seen in the classroom as 22 play- ers earned University of Arizona Mary J. Roby academic honors (3.0 GPA or better) in 2002-03, including two first-team Pac-10 All-Academic se- lections (six in the last two seasons) and Jason Johnson, the Woody Hayes National Scholar-Ath- lete award winner. It’s a focus seen off the field as a head coach builds a tight-knit bond with his charges. Stead- fastly weathering a 2002 season remembered more for off-the-field activities than for on-field accomplishments, Mackovic publicly accepted re- sponsibility for the team’s internal difficulties and directed the team to step forward and get on with life. The team did just that and went out and played its best game of the season only days later. The coach was lifted upon the shoulders of two young men at game’s end. It wasn’t enough to make 2002 a critical success, but it revealed an Arizona team capable of successful Pac-10 football. It takes a man of strong character to admit his mistakes and work to improve them, especially in such a public forum. But Mackovic has done that with the understanding that his well-rounded approach to the total football player will pay the dividends of success. “The main thing that Coach Mackovic under- stands is that a head coach these days means so much more than Xs and Os,” said Johnson. “You have to be a psychologist, a friend, a father figure all wrapped into one. I really do feel that he can motivate guys.” As a testament to his respect and enthusi- asm for the game, Mackovic was elected in April 2003 COACHES’ BIOS PAGE 109 While he is a noted offensive strategist, Mackovic, how- ever, turned to the other side of the ball in his two offseason periods and worked with successive Wildcat defensive coor- dinators to develop some answers to Arizona’s defensive difficulties. A coach with his exprience knows plenty about defense, but still it has taken some substantiallly more fo- cused time than he might have expected to right the “other side” of the ball in Tucson. Arizona has some players in place to make a run at Mackovic’s historically proven program improvement, though improved recruiting – such as the classes attracted in Tucson the past two seasons – remains a thrust. His second Wake Forest team in 1979 made a seven- 2002 to the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trust- game swing from 1-10 to 8-4; his second Kansas City Chiefs ees, representing District 9 on the prestigious leadership arm of team in 1984 improved two games and was in the playoffs to the coaches group. It is his second tour of duty on the Board. end a long drought; his second Illinois club improved by four “John Mackovic has been a leader in our profession, both on games, from 6-5-1 to 10-2 and a major bowl appearance. His and off the field, for many years. His leadership in the AFCA as third Texas club made a swing of three games to 8-4, and chairman of our Ethics Committee had a positive influence on the improved to 10-2-1 and the Sugar Bowl by his fourth season. association and our profession. I had the privilege of coaching Off the field, Arizona continued a trend of improved aca- against John and found him to be a complete coach. His offense demic responsibility. The aforementioned 22 players earning could move the ball against anyone. Arizona is fortunate,” said athletic department academic honors, for example, and the six Grant Teaff, AFCA executive director and 2001 College Football academic all-league performers in two years, for another. Hall of Fame inductee. Senior Jason Johnson became Mackovic’s fifth player (and It’s an accolade and endorsement of some proportion con- second successive at Arizona) to make the AFCA Good Works sidering that some acclaimed coaches throughout the Pacific-10 Team. Moreover, academic emphasis has seen several key and Big West conferences, and from other western schools in players sidelined when necessary for failure to maintain their different divisions, might have been selected. After all, Mackovic responsibilities. had been out of the game and in the media for three years prior to Furthermore, Mackovic’s style and demand for improved the 2001 campaign in Tucson. citizenship has engendered some no-nonsense understand- Moreover, it is indicative of the bigger picture that Mackovic ing among players. Those who can come to grips with the gives the Arizona football program – a seasoned veteran whose simple realities of life as a role model flourish; others who reputation is based on more than numbers, a voice that is heard can’t, don’t. It’s about mature decision making – and the onus nationally, and a man whose caring dedication to the sport begins falls where it belongs, in the minds and hearts of the student- with fundamentals that are well-accepted in higher education. athletes. Make no mistake. The man has abiding energy and is a com- Mackovic turned to his own initiative after the 4-8 season petitor who loves to knock heads on the gridiron. It’s just that the in 2002, when early this year he found himself short-staffed. dignified elan with which he operates, and the overall comport- In all, within days before spring practice started, he had filled ment of student-athletes which he demands, often give him an edge over some young lions in the trade. Arizona knew what it wanted in a head coach and got it. Arizona athletics director Jim Livengood hired a coach who in his last college coaching job won or tied for the conference championship three times, took teams to three bowl games and dramatically improved the institution’s football academic perfor- mance and graduation rates. Arizona had demonstrated progress in the latter respect but needed to make more of an effort in the first two areas after successive 6-6 and 5-6 seasons. Mackovic’s first year at Arizona produced another 5-6 sea- son, but the glint of change was firmly evident at the end and later. In recruiting and in spring ball, the Wildcats took some additional steps toward championship contention. Mackovic’s had nine win- ning seasons and eight bowl trips in his 15-year collegiate head coaching career, and Arizona seems poised for no less. One of the head coach’s main points of emphasis is a so- phisticated offensive attack. Arizona has put up some good num- bers in his tenure, which began with an untested quarterback – who later developed into a professional prospect. PAGE 110 “I like John’s approach to academics. He places a strong emphasis on education and has shifted the re- sponsibility and accountability to the student-athletes.” — Richard Bartsch, Ph.D., UA academic services director Athletics Directors and Sports Managers – Do Nice Guys Finish Fired?” In 34 years of coaching, he has held four college head coaching positions and one top NFL spot, served as offensive coordinator at three different Division I-A schools and worked as an assistant under legendary coach Tom Landry in Dallas. In his first collegiate job at Army, he rubbed elbows with fellow assistants Bill Parcells and Ken Hatfield, among others. His coaching career has seen him develop a progression of prolific offensive players including Arizona’s Bruce Hill, Ja- son Johnson and Bobby Wade, Purdue’s Mark Hermann, Danny White of the Dallas Cowboys, Jeff George at Illinois and James Brown, and Heisman Trophy-winner Ricky Williams at Texas. The coach has indeed produced results in every program he has led in his career. With an overall collegiate record of 94- five openings – luring five coaches who had been coordinators. 78-3 (.546) in 15 seasons, Mackovic has led nine teams to Wrote CBSSportsline.com: “Amid the chaos and subsequent hand- winning records, culminating in eight bowl invitations. He was wringing among the UA faithful, Mackovic asembled a staff that named the National Coach of the Year at his alma mater, Wake is probably more accomplished than the one he had last fall.” Forest, and league coach of the year five times by four differ- UA observers at spring ball believed the assessment. ent major conferences. He took the cellar-dwelling Kansas City . Chiefs of the National Football League from a 6-10 record in Mackovic became Arizona’s 26th head coach on Dec.