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The WAC’s new genius
takes charge

BILL Walsh has a poster that is a family tree of coaches who worked on the staff of "The Genius" at one time or another. Guys like Mike Holmgren, Steve Mariucci and Dennis Green have spread the West Coast offense to parts north, south and east of the Bay Area with varying degrees of success.

Dick Tomey doesn't quite fit all the criteria. He's got his own ideas about offense and how to run a football team in general. But he's got to be at least considered a calabash cousin.

Walsh, more than anyone else, is the reason the former Hawaii and Arizona coach is now running the show at San Jose State.

SJSU is Walsh's alma mater, and he headed the selection committee for a new Spartans coach after Fitz Hill was shown the door after four unsuccessful seasons.

Walsh was in town last week for a speaking engagement. He said Tomey was an easy choice.

"With Dick there, it will create a lot of interest," Walsh said. "The first year, they might not win as many games as they lose. But by the second year I think you'll see a winning team."

That's exactly what happened at Hawaii. Tomey replaced Larry Price, whose team went 3-8 in 1976. In 1977, UH won five and lost six. In 1978, the record was 6-5, the first of seven consecutive non-losing seasons under Tomey. He left for Arizona after a 7-5 campaign in 1986.

San Jose State went 2-9 last year, and faces daunting obstacles toward improvement. One is similar to what UH has always had to deal with.

"It's become a commuter school," Walsh said. "Most of the students live off campus, and there's not a lot of interest other than going to classes. Before it was a small school with its own community."

He and Tomey said a new "Campus Village" dorm system that will house 2,500 students will change that.

"It is absolutely the most outstanding dorm facility I've ever seen," said Tomey, who was also in Hawaii last week visiting while the Spartans took a week off midway through spring camp.

Tomey's staff is full of Hawaii ties. It includes Joe Seumalo, Tom Williams, Brent Brennan and Kenny Margerum.

Williams and Margerum were on Fred vonAppen's staff at Hawaii, and Brennan was a graduate assistant. Seumalo is a former Radford and UH standout who was a GA for June Jones.

Tomey said he feels he's gotten the attention of the current Spartans. Now he wants the rest of California to consider San Jose State a force in college football.

"There are 37 million people in California and seven Division I (football) schools. We need to have strong recruiting in the Bay Area, and in the entire state."

» Nevada's Nick Fazekas, the WAC's basketball Player of the Year, will not enter the NBA Draft. The 6-11 sophomore said he will return to the Wolf Pack for his junior year.

» UH alums Nani Cockett and Raylene Howard are among the 21 nominees for the 15-year All-WAC Women's Basketball Team.

Fan voting is being conducted on the WAC's Web site at www.wacsports.com.