Pitino Explains How Close He Was to Becoming Michigan's Coach in 2001
This has been covered in the other Pitino threads, but it's worthy of its own thread. Here's an article from 2013 in which Pitino explains how close he was to becoming our coach in 2001. He actually accepted the job and had to call Bill Martin to tell him he changed his mind. It was Pitino's wife who killed the deal:
"My wife doesn't swear. She didn't want to go to Michigan because I never visited there, I didn't know anybody there. She wanted to go back to Kentucky where she saw the family so happy for eight years.”
Yeah, the family ended up being really happy in Kentucky.
Quite fittingly, the last college basketball game that Rick Pitino will ever coach was against Michigan.
He lost.
Here's the article: http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/04/rick_pitino_didnt_tak…
September 27th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
That's fair, of course, but we need to be real about the 8 Mile corridor as you head east. I mean, by the time you get to 8 Mile and Van Dyke, yeah, it's probably illegal - it's likely quite illegal - but after mid-afternoon, after a majority of the adult bookstores open as well, there aren't too many people that would care enough to point it out without risking drawing attention to themselves.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
gentleman's club in a while. They're basically brothels now. Everything's on the menu. Even take-out.
Canada sucks in comparison.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^
I live a very sheltered life.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
Shocked to see he valued his wife's opinion that much as this was around the time he was busy banging cocktail waitresses in restaurant bathrooms.
Seriously though, bullet dodged. He absolutely would've tried bringing this shady shit up here with him, and I can't say for certain that it WOULDN'T have happened. We'd all now be looking at the destruction of our basketball program twice in 25 years.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:19 PM ^
thank goodness (Ed Martin notwithstanding)
September 27th, 2017 at 1:40 PM ^
Because he would have brought Sandusky with him to Ann Arbor.
Pitino might have been clean (or cleaner at least) in Ann Arbor than in Louisville, just due to cultural differences and the recent NCAA issues.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:44 PM ^
Jeffrey Sandusky, son of Jerry, was found guilty on 14 counts of child sexual abuse. He's looking at 4-8 years. Maybe they'll let him bunk with his dad. That would probably make one of them happy.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
from either Spanier's trial or the attempt by Penn State to sue their insurance company....
Was that several asst. coaches got together and complained to Paterno about Sandusky and his predilection for young boys. This happened sometime in the 1980s. Nothing was done about it.
Jeffrey Sandusky may have been abused by Jerry Sandusky. If he was, perhaps this could have been avoided if Paterno had not engaged in his cover up. I don't understand the mind of a pedophile, but I suspect that many of those who abuse children were often themselves abused when young.
September 27th, 2017 at 2:17 PM ^
The thought of JoePa bringing Sandusky here in 1969 and him opening up a Second Mile in Ann Arbor is absolutely terrifying.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:30 PM ^
isn't his favorite quote in this article a mussolini quote?
September 27th, 2017 at 2:17 PM ^
We're taking a liar's comments at face value.
Maybe when he discussed payroll, and Michigan declined to meet his demands. He found a convenient excuse.
Commissioner Daniels would say.. " I geuss I have family I don't even know about.:
September 27th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
Rick Pitino would have been every Michigan alumni's choice to coach our team. The fanbase would have been thrilled, across the board.
We got really lucky. Can you imagine a 2nd scandal for us, after the Ed Martin debacle? Amaker may have not been best fit, but he is a good man. Beilein is an even better man and one of the top five coaches in basketball.
Funny how sh*t works out...
September 27th, 2017 at 2:24 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
I think he will probably coach again.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:49 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 2:22 PM ^
have thought the same thing.
Then Bobby Petrino was rehired by Louisville.
Now I am not surprised at any head coaching hire. All sins can be forgiven if the AD and alumni think you can get wins - sad though it may be.
He will coach again.
September 27th, 2017 at 2:39 PM ^
He'll go on a paid speaking circuit to athletes on the importance of having a fall guy.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 1:53 PM ^
Can I interest you in Cincinnati as well? They want to be Dixie so bad anyways.
September 27th, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 2:05 PM ^
My 2001 thinking was HATING that the basketball program had become an immediate dumpster fire (just like football in 2008) and I wanted us to get Pitino BADLY.
Soooooo...yay for me not getting what I wanted.
September 27th, 2017 at 2:18 PM ^
Pretty sure my name is on those petitions he "treasured."
September 27th, 2017 at 3:57 PM ^
The coach you deserved, even if he wasn't the one you initially wanted. :)
September 27th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
Happy he went to Louisville. I live in Louisville. This city is 50% delusional 50% unhappy.
September 27th, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 2:13 PM ^
Was happy when Michigan didn't get him back in 2001, looks even better in retrospect.
September 27th, 2017 at 3:01 PM ^
To Kentucky!
GO BLUE!!
September 27th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
I feel better and better about Pitino not being anywhere near us.
September 27th, 2017 at 3:43 PM ^
Why is a 4 year old article being re-surfaced? Yes he was coming here. Yes his wife told him no. Perhaps I'm showing my age but this was known at the time on campus when it happened 16 years ago.
September 27th, 2017 at 6:46 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 8:38 PM ^
Thought this was already pretty well known.
Honestly, I'll take the Amaker dark ages to lead the program to Beilein over what could have been with Pitino, more shadiness, probably more sanctions, etc.
September 27th, 2017 at 9:24 PM ^
Michigan. Count me among the Michigan fans that will never forget the 2013 National Championship game, or the phantom foul called on Trey's amazing block.
September 27th, 2017 at 9:28 PM ^
It's easy to say that now. And I thought Beilein was a homerun hire after Amaker.
I'm happy to be wrong and time has told. I'm glad we missed out.
In all alternate reality, we probably don't get hit with sanctions with Pitino. We keep it clean enough, and in this alternate universe in 2009, Kentucky calls him and steals him back over Calipari.
Pitino would have not coached at Michigan for 16 years.
I'm shuddering at the Amaker clogged toilet offense right now.
September 27th, 2017 at 9:53 PM ^
What makes you think a dirty coach like Pitino would have just magically done things the right way at a program that, at the time, had a long and sordid history of doing things the wrong way?
Michigan dodged a bullet. Full stop.
September 27th, 2017 at 10:47 PM ^
I didn't say he wouldn't do things the wrong way. I did say we possibly would have gotten sanctions.
Lots of guys are dirty and don't get hit with sanctions.
Because even at Louisville he managed to stay "clean" for 10 years or so. I say clean in that he wasn't hit with sanctions.
I'm glad you're an expert on what would have happened in alternate realities
September 28th, 2017 at 1:22 AM ^
Bullet dodged. We don't need anymore sanctions. Remember how bad Michigan basketball was for many years... thank you Mrs. Petino!