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BATON ROUGE -- LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman met with members of the media Saturday night in the LSU media room following the announcement in Orlando by football coach Nick Saban that he would take the head coaching position with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. Here are some of Bertman's opening comments to the media:
"I think he (Saban) handled it well. I think he vacillated back and forth many times. Many reporters asked me how could he wait, he has everything, and I've said you have to coach at LSU to understand that. Nick was touched by a lot of people and he and his family had the best time they've ever had in their coaching career for this five-year period. Nick is driven, he is gifted and talented and people like that like to take on new challenges. Naturally, everyone here at LSU wishes him well. We did everything we could. We changed his mind several times, but quite honestly, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a football coach with the control that he has and the ability to be able to handle football situations off the 100-yard playing field and I don't think other coaches have had that and I applaud Nick for taking the step."
Why Nick Saban will coach the Capital One Bowl?
"The best chance we have to win this football game is to have Nick Saban coach. He is notoriously focused. He will get the team in line and it is the best chance to have two 10-win seasons in a row that of course means a lot to Nick. That's why he is coaching. Nick did the best five-year period in football history. He was amazing. When he took over, everything he said he said he was going to do, he did. He did it with class, he did it with character. There was dignity involved. The academics have been fantastic. He filled in two holes in terms of facilities in the academic center and the football operations center that we needed very badly here. I think he leaves it better than when he came, he leaves it as one of the premier jobs in the United States. Naturally, that's the kind of person we want to succeed Nick."
Timetable to get a new coach:
"When Nick began speaking to the Dolphins, I began with the President's okay and the Board's okay, I began making sure that we would be protected. We have enlisted a search firm. Names have been given to us and now the search firm will activate to see and access the interest level of candidates. We are not going to rule out any and we are going to ensure that we move quickly. We hope we get a coach for five, 10 or 20 years. Waiting an extra day or two isn't as important as getting the right person. This is a job where fit is necessary. I don't think just anybody that's a good ball coach with x's and o's can necessary succeed here. You have to be good with the media. I think here the media is online and on target seven days a week. The expectations are so great here. A coach has to have a certain leadership and management style."
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