USC Joins Speculation About Jimmy Johnson

With each new major collegiate football coaching opening, the name of Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson comes up as a possible replacement--and there is now talk that he may replace Ted Tollner at USC.

“In this business, you always have to have an open mind,” Johnson told The Miami News. “Those are the cold, hard facts.”

Johnson made the response when told he had been mentioned as a possible replacement for Tollner, who has been under fire for his team’s 7-4 record this season and lack of success against rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. Saturday, the Trojans suffered their fourth straight loss to Notre Dame, 38-37, on a last-second field goal.

Johnson’s name also has been linked to the opening at Texas.

Johnson insisted then he hadn’t been contacted about either of those jobs or any other job.

Those reports surfaced again Sunday, when Bob Costas reported on NBC-TV’s “NFL ‘86” that “informed sources have told us that Jimmy Johnson will be leaving the University of Miami after the Fiesta Bowl versus Penn State.”

“Speculation centers on the University of Texas, which (Saturday) fired head Coach Fred Akers,” Costas continued. “When contacted by us, a spokesman for the University of Miami would say only, ‘Jimmy Johnson is the head coach of the University of Miami at this time.’ ”

Calls to Johnson by the Associated Press on Sunday proved futile, and it was believed that he was out of town.

Last year at this time, Johnson deflected all of the questions about the possibility of his going elsewhere. “I’m not willing to listen” to any job offers, he said.

This year, with his Hurricanes unbeaten and ranked No. 1 heading into the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl at Tempe, Ariz., he had softened that stance.

DeLoss Dodds, athletic director at Texas, said Saturday that the school had not contacted anyone about Akers’ job, has not asked any university for permission to talk to its coach and the school has not been contacted about the job.

“I’ve not been officially contacted by anyone about any job,” Johnson said. “In the past, I’ve always said I preferred to stay where I am.”

Last year, Johnson signed a new contract through the 1990 season. But in the coaching profession, contracts aren’t always binding.

“This is a very unique profession,” Johnson said. “People are so fickle. One day they praise you, and the next day they’re screaming for your head.

“My concern is with my family and their security. Once you get fired from a job, it’s very difficult to get another one. That’s the way this business is.”

Miami Athletic Director Sam Jankovich said Johnson hasn’t indicated to him that he was interested in any other job, and Jankovich said he hopes it stays that way.

“I don’t think he’s going, but nothing’s definite in this business,” he said.

Jankovich said he can’t blame officials from other schools for trying to lure Johnson.

“If you’re at Texas or USC, you go after the best,” he said. “Most of the real top coaches are satisfied where they are, but you still have to give it a run.

“They’d have to be crazy if they wouldn’t look at Jimmy. He’s young, a great recruiter and he surrounds himself with all the right people.”

Johnson, 43, has a 29-7 record in three seasons at Miami. He was 30-25-2 in his five seasons at Oklahoma State.

Johnson said one of the reasons he came to Miami was the climate and life style, which isn’t unlike that in Southern California. He grew up in Port Arthur, Tex., and played collegiately at Arkansas.