****** [Edit, Saturday, April 7, 2012] We welcome those from Deadspin’s link despite the circumstances. This is not the first time this series of posts on Bobby Petrino has been linked, but it is odd in a way because typically the third post, Part III — Petrino Understood — Making the Summit at Arkansas, is the one of this series which has garnered attention over the last four years. Part III in combination with Petrino’s Battle for Arkansas comprises the side not told by ESPN and others. In addition to my analysis and research in Part III, Petrino’s Battle for Arkansas is from a sports agent who had first person knowledge of the dealings to bring Bobby Petrino to Arkansas and who had no financial interest in the outcome.
If you are a person who professes that fairness means that you should consider both sides before making a decision, we welcome the opportunity to tell you the other side. ****
We missed a lot of learning about Coach Petrino as he became head coach at Arkansas. The Dresden-esque firestorm which rained from the national media on Bobby Petrino swallowed whatever fire remained about Houston Nutt’s departure in Arkansas, not that the latter has ever gone out.
It was merely 5 weeks or so to National Signing Day which was followed by the most attention to spring football than had been seen in some time. How Bobby Petrino could function simply seemed to defy explanation. Stories usually published during the lull before the next event weren’t written and when there was time to write them, they were “old news.”
Now that Bobby Petrino has been through two full years at Arkansas, the routine will break on occasion. Those who were frying Petrino two years ago were mentioning his name as a possible replacement for Urban Meyer at Florida. Good coaches who are at schools which are deemed “lesser” than an open Head Coaching position almost always have their names thrown around. The less people know about Coach Petrino, the more they’ll tend to worry about him leaving.
In a more superficial example, not too long ago a sports writer for an Arkansas publication (both the writer and publication are great) lamented about Arkansas not being able to sign 5-star receivers. It wasn’t dawning on him that one receiver he named was a from Georgia or that there were only two other 5-star receivers. One of those two was from Georgia as well. Of all of the places in the world, Coach Petrino probably has some detractors in Georgia. 
This is the first of a three part series written shortly after Bobby Petrino became Arkansas’s Head Coach. Things have settled, and we need to catch up on the history now to help us with Arkansas’s Future.
Part II — Petrino Understood — A Long Road But Further to Go
Part III — Petrino Understood — Making the Summit at Arkansas
I’ve rearranged this post for Hog Database.
***************************************************
Today is January 2, 2008 ….A New Razorback Generation Begins. [Coach (Athletic Director Frank) Broyles retired effective the day before.]
Continuing with information on Petrino as promised, there’s a pound of understanding about Petrino in this ounce of coaching history. It’s from an article on ULouisville’s website on December 23, 2002 as Bobby Petrino became Louisville’s Head Coach.
The Jock-Strap-in-the-Mouth Pundits have taken Petrino’s resume which fairly looks like a western mountain-man Offensive Prophet on a Mission across Southern Football Country and spun it into the blatantly unfair and ignorant hired-gun / fickle-lover analogies. They lack basic understanding of the facts as they existed, and recent holier-than-thou-criticism Petrino’s taken for leaving the Atlanta Falcons is nothing more than the World Wide Leader et al. being the NFL’s and Arthur Blank’s attack b***h. Let he who has never committed a personal foul blitz the first 275 lbs. linebacker.
After you’ve read the details, ask yourself,
“When Petrino took the head coaching job at Louisville on December 23, 2002, where was he in the grand scheme of coaches?”
It will all come together. I promise. — SharpTusk
Nice Summary of Petrino’s Background
This is re-arranged.
Family — “Born March 10, 1961 in Lewiston, Mont., Petrino received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Carroll in 1983. He is married to the former Becky Schaff and the couple has four children – Kelsey, Dominic, Bobby and Katie.”
1981 & 1982 — As a Football Player — A two-time NAIA All-American quarterback at Carroll, Petrino guided the Fighting Saints to three consecutive Frontier Conference championships and was named the league’s most valuable player in ’81 and ’82.
1983 – 1988 — First Jobs as a Coach — The Helena, Montana, native began his coaching career at his alma mater, Carroll College, in 1983 as a graduate assistant. Following his one-year stint at Weber State, Petrino returned to Carroll as offensive coordinator and produced the NAIA’s top-ranked offense in both ’85 and ’86.
He spent a pair of seasons tutoring wide receivers and tight ends at Weber State in ’87 and ’88.
1989-1991 — University of Idaho – He spent one season as quarterbacks coach and another two as offensive coordinator at Idaho.
1992-1993 — Arizona State Quarterbacks Coach – Petrino spent two years at Arizona State as quarterbacks coach from 1992-93, working with Heisman Trophy candidate Jake Plummer.
1994 — University of Nevada Offensive Coordinator – Petrino spent the 1994 season at the University of Nevada as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. His one season with the Wolfpack saw his unit rate second nationally in passing and total offense, averaging more than 330 yards passing and 500 yards of total offense per game. Nevada also averaged 37.6 points per game to finish third nationally in scoring offense.
1995-1997 — Utah State Offensive Coordinator – Before taking the reigns of the Cards’ offense in 1998, Petrino served as the offensive coordinator at Utah State from 1995-97, transforming a program which averaged a little more than 300 yards per contest into an offensive juggernaut which established a USU record with 468.5 yards of total offense per game during the ’96 season.
1998 Offensive Coordinator at Louisville — “The 42-year-old Petrino is no stranger to the Derby City, having served as the Cards’ offensive coordinator during the 1998 season when U of L led the nation in total offense and was fifth in scoring offense. During that season, Petrino’s high-octane offense rewrote the Cardinal record book, establishing school records for scoring, scoring average, touchdowns, passing touchdowns and total yards while helping the Cards post the top turnaround (six games) among Division I-A schools. That squad scored 444 points and reached 60 or more points on three different occasions. U of L defeated Cincinnati, 62-19, Western Kentucky, 63-44, and East Carolina, 63-45.”
1999 – 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Coach — “Petrino returned to U of L after a four-year hiatus in which he spent two seasons coaching the quarterbacks and another as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. During his tenure with the Jaguars, Petrino tutored Mark Brunnell to three of his best passing seasons in his illustrious career. Brunnell threw for 3,640 yards in 2000, which was the second-highest total in team history, and 3,309 yards in Petrino’s only term as the offensive coordinator with the Jaguars in 2001.”
2002 – University of Auburn Assistant — “After his three seasons in the NFL, Petrino took over as the offensive coordinator during the 2002 season at Auburn University. The Tigers finished the 2002 season with an 9-4 mark and led the Southeastern Conference in pass efficiency and third down conversions while also ranking third in the league in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense en route to 13-9 victory over Penn State in the Capitol One Bowl. It did not take long for Petrino to put his stamp on the Auburn offense in 2002 as the Tigers improved to No. 31 nationally in scoring average (31.25 ppg) and No. 38 nationally in scoring offense (396.67 ypg) after ranking No. 86 nationally in scoring offense (22.18 ppg) and No. 73 in total offense (358.82 ypg) during the 2001 campaign. The Tigers finished the regular season with an 8-4 mark and led the Southeastern Conference in pass efficiency and third down conversions while also ranking third in the league in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense.”
December 23, 2002 — Named Head Coach at University of Louisville succeeding John L. Smith as head coach.
ULouiville Football Archives 2004 Season News December 23, 2002
http://www.uoflsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122302aaa.html
“When Petrino took the head coaching job at Louisville on December 23, 2002, where was he in the grand scheme of coaches?”
Part II — Petrino Understood — A Long Road But Further to Go
Part III — Petrino Understood — Making the Summit at Arkansas
