'General' Willingham marches Huskies into Cal game

By Jay Heater

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

The Washington Huskies march to the beat of General Tyrone Willingham these days -- old stone face himself.

 

At least that's the impression that Willingham conveys, one of a man who is possessed with squeezing hard work from his players. It's sweat-shop football in Seattle.

 

Or is there another side to Willingham?

 

Only two days after a painful, season-opening loss to Air Force, Willingham dropped that hardened exterior coat for a moment and allowed a group of reporters to see a guy who enjoys a good laugh as much as anyone. Of course, his momentary subtle humor had a point.

 

Willingham, whose team hosts Cal on Saturday, was asked if his players might have lacked the proper conditioning to finish the job against Air Force. He launched into a story about his childhood.

 

"One time I went hunting with my father when I was 13," Willingham said. "He was into bird hunting and he had trained dogs and everything. I was out there in the best condition of my life and I knew I was in great shape, all the running in P.E. class. After five minutes, I was tired.

 

"I didn't want to be there. It wasn't physical, it was mental."

 

The group of writers got a big yuk out of picturing Willingham with a shotgun and a red plaid hunting coat. "That style wasn't in vogue then," Willingham said.

 

Willingham's style -- 95 percent serious, 5 percent humor -- is going over big with the Huskies. "When I met him, I could see he was a real serious guy," said Washington quarterback Isiah Stanback. "But later I found out that he is real cool, a good person who teaches us a lot. And he can clown around. He just knows there is a time and place for everything."

 

Humor doesn't have much of a place at Washington right now. After last season's 1-10 disaster, the Huskies understand they have a lot of work to do before they can sit back and enjoy a good laugh.

 

"I met Coach Willingham and he looked kind of hard, a real disciplinarian and a military kind of guy," said Washington defensive tackle Manase Hopoi. "He reminded me of a general you see in the movies, real straight-faced and strict. But after going 1-10, things weren't real fun, anyway. Coach Willingham was bringing in new schemes and a chance for a new beginning. He seems to have all the right answers."

 

Huskies linebacker Joe Lobendahn said Willingham was intimidating at first. "I was fearful of him," Lobendahn said. "He doesn't really smile and he always has a straight face. But then I started to get to know him by going into his office or seeing him in practice. This guy is unbelievable and a great leader. He is very convincing when he talks."

 

Willingham's results were convincing when he coached Stanford from 1995 through 2001. He had four winning seasons during that time and guided the Cardinal to the Rose Bowl after the 1999 season.

 

At Notre Dame, Willingham led the Irish to a 10-3 record in 2002, but was forced out after 5-7 and 6-5 seasons.

 

Now he returns to the Pac-10, although at a state institution. "Probably the 3 o'clock stuff is the same," Willingham said of actual on-the-field coaching. "Obviously, every university is different. A state university differs from a public school based on how they function. The bureaucracy and how you get things done are different."

 

Getting things done against Cal also will be different than when Willingham left Stanford. Leading the Cardinal, Willingham was 7-0 against Cal. But he hasn't faced a Jeff Tedford-coached Cal team yet.

 

"What I saw at Cal (before) was every year, two or three guys making it into (the NFL)," Willingham said. "Now they are playing as a team. That makes all the difference in the world."

 

Of course, the Bears have upgraded their overall talent significantly as well. "Usually with the more success that you have, the more upgrades you get in terms of speed. Usually the better the players, the bigger, faster and stronger they are. It allows you to play with confidence."

 

Willingham is hoping to bring about that kind of confidence at Washington.

 

"It's a gradual process of getting players and their attitude in the right place," he said. "We will keep working at it."