Cardinal coach returns to his roots Cardinal coach returns to his roots (December 15, 2004)

by Rick Eymer

Walt Harris will be coming home. The 58-year-old South San Francisco native accepted the head football job at Stanford on Sunday night.

Harris, who was introduced on Monday, expects to remain busy through the holidays. He'll coach Pittsburgh, where he's been for the past eight years, in the Fiesta Bowl against Utah on Jan. 1.

"This is a University I have watched for a long time; since I was a little guy," Harris said. "South San Francisco is not quite like Stanford. You look up at the fog bank and that's where I lived. That was a lot of great experiences ago."

Harris said he would try to spend as much time as possible at Stanford in the coming weeks, but that he's committed to finish the season with the 19th-ranked Panthers.

"During the day I will prepare Pitt to play in the bowl game and at night work on building a staff at Stanford," he said. "I've had experience at doing that before when I was at Ohio State in 1996 and was hired by Pitt. It is fitting and correct to finish with that football team."

Harris wasn't the only football coach hired in the Pac-10 on Sunday. Former Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham accepted the position at Washington. Willingham was fired by Notre Dame one day after Buddy Teevens was let go by Stanford.

Harris said he had no timetable for putting together a coaching staff.

"That's the most important job I have in front of me," he said. "I'm going to be a position coach and I will hire an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator and a special teams coordinator."

According to Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland, he strongly recommended to Harris that at least two of the current assistant coaches be kept, and possibly a couple more.

Stanford grads Dave Tipton and Ken Margerum are the leading candidates to stay. Tipton has been at Stanford since Denny Green hired him in 1989. Margerum just completed his first season as wide receivers coach and has had head-coaching experience.

Leland went with Harris, yet another coach with whom Leland has had a previous relationship.

As Athletic Director at Pacific, Leland hired Harris to coach there in 1989. The football program was subsequently dropped.

Leland hired Teevens to coach at Dartmouth, and Willingham was an assistant coach under Denny Green when Leland arrived at Stanford in 1991.

Leland also hired Bill Walsh, for whom he served as an assistant coach at Stanford in 1978.

Leland said he felt he needed to bring in an experienced coach and a proven winner.

"He is the most successful, experienced coach, with the exception of Bill Walsh the second time, to come to Stanford in seven or eight decades," Leland said. "There was a combination of factors, but his experience was important."

He also coached at California, Air Force, Michigan State, Illinois and Tennessee before taking over at Pacific.

Harris was Ohio State's quarterbacks coach before going to Pitt, where he turned around a struggling program and produced three straight seasons with eight or more wins.

Harris said he would not hesitate to consult Walsh.

"He has no idea yet how much affect he's had on me, and he's a big reason I am sitting here today," Harris said. "I am going to pick his brain as much as I can to help me understand the short passing game which has been called the West Coast offense. We'll be a wide-open team."

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