Embree Dismissal Press Conference Quotes

Below are select quotes from the press conference regarding football coach Jon Embree's dismissal on Nov. 26, 2012.

Athletic Director Mike Bohn Opening Statement

"Good morning.  I appreciate everyone coming this morning, especially our student-athletes.  I think its terrific having them here, as well as everyone else.  I'd like to start this by helping everyone understand that this entire athletic program, and when I say that I mean our fans, our senior leadership team, everyone associated with the university, wanted this to work.  We did.  I think it's important for everyone to understand that this was an extremely difficult call and I don't want anyone to underscore that.  We had great hope and great expectations when we hired Jon and I continue to respect Coach Embree . At this time, I would like to turn it over to Jon and allow him to make his comments and then we'll be back to address further issues.  Thank you."

Head Football Coach Jon Embree Opening Statement

"First off, thank you to the players.  Just remember what I said last night to you guys about things.  You guys know what I'm talking about.  You guys have given me a lot.  Thank you for letting me help you guys become men.  Keep fighting.  We talk about the heart of a Buffalo, keep that with you at all times.

"I'm obviously disappointed sitting here today.  You know, I did things the right way.  I don't care what they say, or what anyone says.  We had the highest GPA the last three semesters here at this school that the football program has ever had.  We stayed out of trouble . You guys represented yourselves well and all the guys that played before you.  You set a legacy and a standard.  As I told you guys, we're going through tough times and you're not judged by the scoreboard at the end of the day; I was, you won't be.  Don't let someone else define you by what they think is right or how they think things are supposed to be.  You know how it's supposed to be done.  You understand what the standards are and what the expectations are and you always hold yourself accountable.  We talk about 'in spite of'...  In spite of what anyone else says about you, don't let it change how you prepare and what you do every day to become better as a person and better as a man.

"I want to thank my staff and my support staff: Sheryl [Voth], Jean [Onaga], Darien [Hagan], Kirk [Jones], Max [Allen], Scott [Unrein], Jashon [Sykes], J.T. [Galloway], Miguel [Rueda], Malcolm [Blacken], Steve [Englehart].  You guys have helped us, and when I say us, I mean the players in this room.  You've helped us take a step towards reaching dreams and goals.  Then my football staff, you guys are a great staff.  You did the best you could. I appreciate that.

"You know, as we move forward, and when I say we, I mean you guys... as we move forward, know that I always have your back.  I'll do anything I can for you guys.

"I want to thank my family who sacrificed a lot for me to have this opportunity.  We'll be better for it.  To my kids, the ones who carry my last name and the ones that I coach...  just remember, don't let anyone take anything away from you.  They can't if you don't let them."

On Only Getting Two Years

"You'd have to ask them that.  It is what it is.  Obviously, I'm not in the right frame of mind to answer some of that stuff.  I don't agree."

On If He And His Staff Received Enough Support

"Yeah, in some ways we did.  In some ways, it can be better.  That's everywhere, not just here."

On If He Will Keep Coaching

"That's what I am.  This isn't going to change me.  I'll get out of here and then I need to get a hold of [former CU tight end] Dan Graham.  Dan is the only player that I've coached that hasn't graduated yet.  I take that stuff seriously.  That's what I am, I'm a coach."

On If He Would Have Done Anything Differently

"No, because if I had done it differently, it wouldn't have been the right way.  I was brought here to build something.  I had one-and-a-half recruiting classes, so to speak.  I think they've all represented themselves well.  The players that have stayed have represented themselves well.  I told the team when I got hired, there aren't 'Hawk' (former CU head coach Dan Hawkins) guys and there aren't Embree guys.  There are the University of Colorado guys, period.  I told them that before my first press conference.  I've interacted with them and encouraged them in that same manner.  I'm not going to do it any other way than the right way.  That takes time.  I'm disappointed with the results too, on the scoreboard, but everything else that has been done here, they are better.  From how we treat the players with Pasta Jay's and the training table, to the academics, all that stuff is better than it was when I got here.  The results show for it off the field."

On Conflict Between The Department And Embree Wanting To Keep Coaching Staff

"No, there was no conflict.  That's one of those internet rumors or something, I guess.  Just so you guys know, of my coaching staff, I had six of them say if they needed to resign so that we could keep the job and keep going on, that they would do it.  So That's not the issue.  Those are the kind of men that I work with.  Those are the kind of men that coach those guys.  They want to see nothing but the best for [the team].  If that meant them having to leave, they were willing to do it."

On If A New Coach Can Turn Around The Program

"How long does he have?"

On If He Believed The Program was Improving

"We're going to be a good team next year.  We've got a lot of guys coming back.  There were some changes we were going to do offensively and tweak some things defensively.  The main thing that our guys really figured out was about playing hard all the time.  We went against some really good teams that we weren't quite able to match up with.  Some of it was just physical differences and that we were young.  Some of it was that we had injuries.  At the end of the day, there was never any quit. T hey fought until the last play.  Every game, they did a great job of not looking at the scoreboard.  That mentality, I expect it to continue with them into the offseason.  I told the seniors after the last game that next year when we are in a bowl game, I was going to fly them out to the game.  That's how I felt about this team.  I really believe in my heart that we had done enough stuff that maybe doesn't show up on the scoreboard that gave us a chance.  We were a team.  When you look at these guys, they love each other.  We weren't this close when I first got here."

On What He Is Proud Of The Past Two Years

"Changing the mindset and the culture.  As I said, not having athletes do anything to embarrass the university.  Guys that do things the right way."

On Having Support From People

"It means a lot.  I heard from a bunch of former players that I haven't heard from in a while last night.  It's good to know you can help change lives.  That's why I came back to college [to coach], to change lives."

On His Next Job Opportunity

"I haven't even thought about that.  I've had contact with a couple of coaches, ironically.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I want to make sure first off that our assistant coaches get taken care of.  There's no contracts here, so I want to make sure they are taken care of properly.  I want to make sure these kids are okay.  I need to, later on this week, talk with them and help them through this.  Your relationship with them is different.  Sometimes it's a father, a brother, an uncle, whatever.  I need to make sure I can spend time with them."

On If He Thought He Would Have Enough Time To Turn The Program Around

"Yes, I thought I would be here to help build it and then have the opportunity to see it through."

On Financial Motivations In College Football

"I guess you have to decide what you want to be.  You can try to do things the right way, or you can throw caution to the wind and just do whatever it is that you have to do to win.  Be it from admissions, be it from what you do and give to your players, from facilities. . .  if you want to get in that game, then you have to get in it.  You can't have one foot in and try to build it a certain way.  It doesn't work that way. Some schools have inherited advantages.  Everybody knows that. Texas, Ohio State, it is what it is.  The rest of us, you have to decide what you want to do.  There's a reason why college football is cyclical.  There's a reason why five years ago, half the teams in this top 10, or seven of these teams in the top 10, weren't there.  Five years from now, they probably won't be there either.  If you want to be there consistently, you have to change a lot of things."

On If He Would Have Done Things Differently If He Knew He Only Had Two Years

"I wouldn't [have done anything differently], because that would have meant shortcuts.  Yeah, you have to roll the dice on a lot of different things.  You expose the university, you can put the university at risk.  There are a lot of things.  If you just hire the next guy and tell him he has two years, keep your fingers crossed."

On Taking Shortcuts

"Well when you do that, you start talking about whether you're paying for athletes, you're talking about grade things, you're talking about not worrying if your kids are going to class, getting a guy in here that you've got for two or three years and he's out.  There are a lot of things you can do that can circumvent doing it the right way.  If you just basically want to get mercenaries, guys that you can bring in, just to use to try to win and then whatever happens to them, happens to them.  If you get lucky and you win, then you move on to the next job because you're going to be in trouble here and you're going to leave the program in shambles, if you don't do it the right way.  I don't know anyone that has done it.  I'm sure it probably has been done."

On How Sure On Saturday Night That He Would Be Retained For Another Season

 "Pretty good.  There had been some dialogue about some stuff moving forward that I had with the administration Thursday or Wednesday.  I had no indication.  No indication until probably Saturday night . I had a phone conversation with Mike [Bohn] and some of the things he said led me to this.  I shared that with some people Sunday morning that I knew what was about to happen."

On People's Opinion Of Him

"They are going to do whatever.  People already have opinions, good or bad about me.  It is what it is.  It's more about the opinions of my players and the people that know me.  Obviously as you go through this, you hear from a lot of people.  Our players, our coaches, they've done a lot with different programs, be it with Special Olympics or the Make A Wish Foundation.  There are some things we've done that haven't been public, now obviously it is, but I prefer it that way, because it's genuine.  Being able to help those guys.  That's what is important to me."

On What Changed Over The Weekend To Result In His Firing

"I don't know because I know that Saturday, Utah didn't get an extra touchdown.  I know the record stayed the same, so you'll have to ask them what changed."

On If He Thought That He Would Be Here For At Least Another Year

"There are a lot of people who are close to the program that made statements along those lines.  Like I said, I know its sports and things change.  What exactly, I can't answer that.  I don't know.  I really don't.  All I was told was that the trajectory of the program wasn't what they wanted.  My response was, 'What was the trajectory of the program before I was hired?'  Here are the things that have changed for the better.  Here are some of the things that we have accomplished.  We've won two years in a row on the road.  It's something that small.  There have been a lot of small victories, a lot of changes that don't necessarily show up on the scoreboard.  Those things have changed the trajectory of the program.  It is what it is."

On His Players Showing Their Support And Attending The Press Conference

"Maybe they heard me sometimes when I was yelling at them.  That's the hard part.  It's the relationships.  You know, I tell them this all the time and I mean it - I love them and I treat them like they are my own kids.  I really do.  That's what makes this hard.  I'm going to be okay.  It's hard leaving these kids."

On What He'll Miss Most About Being The Head Coach At The University of Colorado

"The grind and camp with these guys.  You know, seeing them change.  Seeing someone come in as a freshman, not that I got to, but seeing a kid come in as a freshman and how they change from year to year and become a man.  That's the unique thing about college football.  You get to help someone go from a boy to a man.  As a head coach, you get to impact all 112 [players].  As a position coach, you don't get that.  That's what I'll miss."

Athletic Director Mike Bohn and CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano at the Podium. CU President Bruce Benson Available Via Conference Call

General

BOHN: "Again, I'd like to reiterate the heartfelt desire we had for this to work.  For all the people that helped us recruit Jon, for all the people that helped us recruit the staff, and all the people that helped bring the team together, we desperately wanted this to work.  As I said, we had incredible hope and expectations for that to come together.  We believe we provided the support to try and help Jon and his staff.  I thought Jon was incredibly honest and I enjoyed working with Jon a great deal.  I think that in two years, so much was revealed very quickly; part of it was we were overmatched on the field.  My heart goes out to our student athletes because I feel like they gave it their all and that's a reflection on Jon and the program.  I know what they are going through because I went through it myself as a college student athlete.  But, in the end it's about our functionality and the way our enterprise is run and the proactive approach that we take to trying to be competitive.  The landscape has changed across the country associated with college football; the resources, the exposure and the competitiveness.  We are not going to be deterred.  We've had headwinds with this program for quite some time and we will continue to have some headwinds.  But, the alignment with leadership and so many other key stakeholders has never been better and that's going to be imperative as we pull that together."

DiSTEFANO: "I want to begin by offering my sincere thanks to Jon Embree.  Jon is a dedicated alum of the University and the Colorado Buffaloes with a passion for his students and the athletic program as a whole.  If this decision were based on passion for CU and dedication, there's no doubt that Jon would be coach for life.  But, it also has to be based upon progress and results, which we simply did not see enough this year.  We looked at the performance on the field and did not see the development and the cohesion nor progressive strategy that gave us confidence in the future.  That is why this decision was made to relieve Jon of his duties as head football coach.  But, again I want to offer him my sincere thanks for his service to the University."

On What The Deciding Factor Was 

BOHN: "I think when you look at the total body of work and, again, the chancellor nailed it, it is not an indication of how we feel about Jon as a person.  But, when you evaluate a head football coach and look at all the key elements associated with that leadership position, it's not just the results on the scoreboard, its how we manage the entire operation - from recruiting, to community outreach, to development of young men, to discipline - of which, many areas Jon did excel in.  But, when you start talking about the key element of alignment, back again to that issue with his coaching staff and the decisions and discussions about moves associated with coaches, and those different pieces and recognizing that the unknowns associated with those key pieces and the support staff to Jon created great unrest and doubt about the ability to drive that forward.  That's not an indictment on any particular member on their coaching staff.  When we hired Jon, he was hired because of all that he stands for and the Buff ties and so forth, but also the ability to attract, what we believe, to be one of the finest staffs in the country with tremendous NFL experience and all the different elements associated with it.  As the erosion of some of that equity we had in the program began to become revealed, it was a question of how can we continue to go down that path of unknowns and change.  When we went through some different strategies adjustments Jon made this year, that added a new dimension to it and I think it would be wrong to not recognize that that's a key piece of it.  I think everybody in here recognizes the different elements of what Jon tried to put together."

On Embree's Decision Making

BOHN: "I think that Jon was doing a great job of recognizing what we need and making decisions.  He had already made some tough decisions, that obviously won't be revealed now being that Jon is no longer our head coach, but he was making those tough calls and looking at pulling that together.  But, the viability of how those plans were going to come together and the ability to have the third year, which is, when you look around the country, and look at coaching changes and the importance of the third year and all the things that are moving forward, if you don't have the momentum that is vital to transcend that, then eventually you begin to think, did we not make the adjustments quick enough and the ability to pull it all together allows us to show that we're on the right path and all the elements are coming together."

On Why He Now Believes Coaching Staff He Signed Off On Was A Mistake

BOHN: "I believe the staff that Jon had was one of the key elements of why we hired him and all the Buff connections.  I think that's why it's so hard for us to have this regime not be able to show the production we wanted, because of all the ties they have to the university, they're wonderful professionalism, all those different pieces of their resumes that are important for us to pull together.  But, clearly, that it was not on the track of producing the type of progress that we needed to put together.  But, again, Jon Embree's leadership in pulling the coaches together is to be commended; that's why we hired him."

On If He Takes Responsibility Because He Signed Off On Coaching Staff

BOHN: "Absolutely, I think we all have culpability in the challenges associated with the football team and the headwinds we have.  But to continue down a path of unknowns and trying to retool in a major way, when we don't have momentum and some key pieces working is high risk.  When you consider the aspirations we have, and I know everyone in this room has expectations and aspirations for this program because of where it has been in the past.  We are trying to reach that again, so obviously we don't want to be deterred and settle and think, well we will continue to hope.  In the end, we don't have the ability to pull together the structure and the alignment of the staff to pull that together."

On An Increase In Communication With Boosters To Administration

BOHN: "One of the big challenges that we have as an institution is all of our key constituents being aligned and being on board.  I think that's one of the things I was most disappointed when we were successful in getting Jon and his talented staff to join us, was we didn't have the ability to galvanize the intensity of interest in our program.  It appears that has been a problem for quite some time here and that's the obstacle we face.  That's part of those headwinds that I talk about.  It will be imperative that we pull it all together.  I had a nice dialogue with some of our former football players last night and they said, 'Hey, you haven't asked us for much help, you haven't asked us where we can be.'  I think that point is well taken.  With that said, our former athletes and people that are close to this program, it will be imperative for them to help us and to be a part of it.  That's not deflecting or defensive on my part at all, but we are going to reach out to our former players.  First of all, we are going to ask them to engage in our younger players. Jon has brought in great players of character and they are hurting.  It will be imperative for our former players to help them understand that and to understand the change in leadership and what that means to them.  I think it will be important for us to reach out to our former players and write and share their perceptions of the program so we can add that to our packet in pursuing our next head coach.  So, it's going to require us working together to address this challenge because it is a cause that we care deeply about.  Our aspirations to reach the Rose Bowl are real, but it's going to take all of us to pull that together.  I am proud that the board of regents, the chancellor, the president, have all united on that.  The question is, can we gain enough intensity of interest of all the key players to help pull it together.  That's going to be a big piece of that."

On If He Trusts Bohn On Choosing Another Head Coach

DiSTEFANO: "One thought is that when we had made the decision on Jon, our first goal was to go out and get a new head coach.  Mike has done a great job in many areas within the athletic department.  Our goal now is to go out and get the best head coach we can get and bring that person in as quickly as possible."

On Bohn's Job Being Related To How The Next Head Coach Does

DiSTEFANO: "It's not an exact science, as far as hiring coaches.  If you look at coaches that Mike has had the opportunity to hire, especially in men's basketball, women's basketball, soccer and volleyball, there have been some extremely good choices there.  Our first job, today, is to go out and get a new head coach."

BENSON: "I just want to make it clear that I am absolutely dedicated to making this program work and I am convinced that we can go out and find a head coach that can make that happen. Phil [DiStefano] and I are both strongly behind this and we are going to do anything possible to make it work."

BOHN: "I understand that question and I can see the challenges associated with that.  When I arrived, the challenge associated with the ordeal and the transition with Gary [Barnett] was certainly very painful, just like this is, but there were different circumstances.  I know how emotional that was for players who were coached by Barnett after the wonderful success he had. At that time, we were extremely pleased to hire a coach that many other institutions couldn't hire.  Unfortunately, it didn't come together for Dan [Hawkins] as much as we would have liked, despite the fact that he tried to do it the exact same way Jon did - with great integrity, with no shortcuts, and we will continue to not take shortcuts. You look back at other programs that have gone through the cyclical nature of this sport; once it's really hard to dig out, it becomes even more difficult and obviously the athletic director has culpability in that. I recognize that. You can look at Texas, UCLA, you can look at many of the programs across the country.  Sometimes it takes just the exact perfect situation to pull that together.  That's why I think it's important that we all recognize the opportunity we have to try and help them pull it together.  Our conviction and our competitive spirit collectively is what's going to have to get that done and obviously, having a leader that can pull that together.  Our most successful reigns at the University of Colorado involved multiple changes.  It's imperative for us to show a vision and a consistent drive to where we are trying to get.  I think it will be imperative for us to raise the bar as far as where we are trying to get.  We have an unparallel community; we have the finest institution college community in America, in my opinion, but is that enough?  We recognize we have to make commitments to getting our facilities up to par with others.  We recognize we've got to help with our fan amenities.  We recognize we have to pull together all those other tools to ensure our student athletes can be competitive.  We've escalated our academic support, but not enough.  We're trying to enhance our recruiting efforts, but we're behind there.  We've got to escalate our collective resolve to what we're trying to do as a program, rather than as a schism that really is tied to whether you're tied to Coach McCartney, Coach Barnett, Coach Hawkins and now to Jon.  Those are all big hurdles for us to get through.  I don't want to underscore the headwinds that we are facing.  We are in a tough spot, but it will be important for us to galvanize that support and I think that's what you're seeing from top administrations today, in pulling that together.  That is a big step, so the question is, can we galvanize everyone else behind us?"

On If The Administration Gave Embree Enough Support

BOHN: "The Pac-12 conference football wise is having a banner year.  When you have six teams in the top 25 and not one of those is USC, it gives you an idea.  The notoriety and the national recognition the conference gets puts additional pressure on us because we were exposed.  We were exposed in this league.  So did we give Jon a big enough shovel?  We tried to provide additional enhancements to that shovel.  But is it enough?  The answer is no.  I think that's the challenge that we have and I think that's why you hear the chancellor and the president saying that we will continue to try and add to that shovel to help."

On What Internal Changes Must Be Made

BOHN: "I think you talk about the entire operation and it starts with leadership of the coach and the ability to bring in the vision and an enterprise that has the ability to put that together and the functionality within the strong holds that we do have.  Getting all those different aspects working together to support the same vision is very important.  That is what we will be working on and what we have been working on the entire time I have been here.  I think we do have some success stories.  The academic support element started when the chancellor provided a deep enhancement financially into the operation associated with the provost office and I think that Jon took advantage of that and our young men are doing a great job in the classroom.  That being said, we have challenges associated with some of our young players currently and their academic progress; that concerns us.  We are going to have to enhance that even further."

On Giving The Next Coach Enough Time

BOHN: "I think that clearly when you have the right leader and you have the ability to put that long term plan in place, then obviously they gain extra time in pulling that together.  Coaches understand the challenges of this business.  They understand how competitive it is and the different things that you talk about putting them together.  That's why, when looking for the next coach, they have to understand commitment to the University mission and the vision of what where we are trying to go.  We want a head coach and a football program that matches the academic standing of this institution, which is high.  And, it's high in this conference.  Again, I think you talk about leadership and organizational skills and building that functionality that's so important for us."

On The University Being Committed To Football And Other Sports

DiSTEFANO: "We are committed to upgrading facilities here at the university.  When we hired Jon, his contract had a smaller amount as guaranteed, but a significant number of incentives for performance.  For the new head coach coming in, we are going to have to look at that.  Do we put more in the guarantee and decrease incentives?  We want to be competitive in the Pac-12 and being competitive means going out and doing things as far as getting the best coach that we need, paying that head coach, looking to the future for areas of recruiting and facilities, and academic enhancements.  Those are things that I will talk to prospective head coaches about."

BOHN: "I would be remiss if I didn't talk about commitment and I'm talking about everyone associated with the program.  I know how hard our young men work and I know they are doing the best they can. But, I am cognizant of what we did in basketball.  What started the basketball enterprise, I know Tad Boyle is here tonight, and I am by no means trying to take anything away from his exemplarily leadership and what he has put together, but it all started with conviction about we are going to change basketball.  We made a commitment to the facility, we made a commitment to the young men, we made a commitment to the coach, we made a commitment to our fans, and everyone rallied around that.  That intensity of interest is a combination of all the key elements that are vital for a team to be productive and be competitive and to represent us at the level we are at.  I know that conviction was extremely strong for basketball.  Phil signed off on moving the banking center out of the Coors Event Center the first week I was on the job when I asked him to do that.  It took us a while to pull that together, but the conviction was there.  The conviction for football has to be escalated amongst all of our key players.  Our next head coach is watching and they are going to say, 'How's Colorado responding, how are they going to do it, are they committed to doing it.'  They are going to look at the two of us (Bohn and DiStefano) and the president and the board of regents and they are going to look at all the other key players, how important is it, do they want to compete in the Pac-12 Conference.  Do they really want to go to the Rose Bowl?  As we look around the Pac-12 Conference, everywhere we go, we see the commitment, we see what we are up against, the bar is raised high.  It's higher than it's ever been, this is a monumental challenge for everyone."

On When He Made His Decision To Fire Jon Embree

BOHN: "In the end the decision was late because we wanted it to work.  We wanted to try and find the formula.  But in the end as leader of the program, as athletic director, when I don't see that coming together long term.  We can't just continue to go down that path without that sense of functionality that I'm talking about and alignment when we are competing against the elite in the nation.  It came to the point late that we had to make a change."

 "Again, it was late because we wanted it to work.  It had nothing to do with the last game.  I think that when assessing the long term vision and connectivity, coaching moves and different things like that, I just didn't see that coming together and get to the high aspirations that our fans had."

On If It Was His Decision To Fire Coach Embree

BOHN: "It was my decision that I took to the chancellor and the president.  Just like we always do, we did that together."

On Commitment to Coach's Salary

BOHN: "We are working on financial models to change that dynamic.  To Jon's credit, Jon moved a lot of the resources to his staff.  That model is what helped attract a lot of those great coaches and pull them together.  It didn't materialize and that alignment didn't come together, but we are going to change that dynamic.  The president and the chancellor are supportive of that and we will be working on those financial models with our CFO, not only in the athletic department but on campus as well, to give us an opportunity to try and raise the bar there as well."

On The Players Like For The Coaches

BOHN: "I'm not sure that there was a dynamic associated with players and coaches.  My respect for our student athletes is at the highest and my heart goes out to them.  The toughest thing I have to do is try to engage them and talk to them.  I know that our staff is dedicated to our student athletes.  Our guiding principles clearly talk about student athlete first.  So our commitment is to try and help them through this and provide every resource possible.  I told the team this last night, and I've never told a team this before, but I told them that in the transition I want them to be a part of the process.  That's something that will be key for me.  Hopefully we can use this as an experience to help the players and help the program because it's vital that they stick together.  I know how close the players are to Jon and I was aware of that."

On If The University Is Satisfied Of The Athletic Department

DiSTEFANO: "Our primary goal now is to hire a new football coach.  When I look at the athletic department over the last five or six years, there have been some accomplishments.  Obviously not in football, but we've had accomplishments in other sports and in academics and so on.  We also have to look at our alumni base and raising funds from that group; that is another constituent group.  My priority right now is to work with the president and the AD in hiring the new coach."

On What Qualities The Next Coach Must Have

BOHN: "Again, I think it all starts with a commitment to the university, leadership and organizational skills, the ability to have a clear vision and ensure that that's in place and being able to sell that.  Character and integrity obviously is a key piece of that.  Competitive instinct, a desire to be the best, to recognize we have an opportunity to go to the Rose Bowl and someone that says that's where we want to get to.  Outstanding communication skills, intellect and relevant experience I think is pivotal.  Again, we want to match the high academic standards of the institution and I think as we look for this new head coach, it's important to know this is not an exact science.  Ultimately I am accountable for the decision in the end, but I don't make every single decision on my own and it's important to understand that that's why the galvanization of the entire Buff constituency is going to be critical in helping us to find that fit and pull it together and give the resources and support that's necessary.  That is vital to help us be competitive."

Quotes From Athletic Director Mike Bohn During Individual Interviews After The Formal Press Conference

On A Timetable Of Hiring A New Coach

"As soon as possible.  Our team is hurting and we get that and we want to help them see the future as soon as possible."

On If He Has A Favorite To Replace As Head Coach

"I think every AD has a list of candidates that they would love to have in an event that there is a change, and we do but we'll see if we can pull it off and that is why the things I am talking about, the presentation is really important to us."

On If He Has Discussed The Position With His Favorite Already

"No, there is a lot of coaches that are still coaching, they have regular season games this week obviously and then they have bowl games coming up.  So that is going to be a dynamic that will be tough for us to address.  We will use every resource that can help us with this process.  So [we will] exercise multiple resources to helps us."

On Firing Embree After Two Seasons

"I think the indications are related to Jon's progress and Jon's results were extremely revealing in a very short time.  The prowess of the Pac-12 Conference revealed that a lot faster."

On Former Players Having Input In The Process

"Absolutely, that is why I talked about the importance of having them help regardless of whom our coach is and the understanding the ability to try and pull it together.  We haven't had as much true connection with a lot of players and it is very difficult to pull that together quickly."

On Jon Embree Saying That He Didn't Take Shortcuts

"I thought he was being honest and that is what I respect a great deal about Jon."

On Coaches Not Wanting To Come To Colorado After Firing A Coach After Two Seasons

"No, I don't.  I think you look around the country in similar situations where timing is short and maybe it just didn't come together for a previous coach and there are plenty of coaches that want to be a part of that."

On If A Committee Has Already Convened

"We have already had preliminary work put in place but have not had a formal committee meeting yet but a lot of work is already underway."

On If Hiring A New Coach Is His Decision Or The Committee's

"Again, I have a lot of resources to help and it will be one that I will have to recommend with our leadership and we'll all come together and unify in putting it together."

On Having The Next Coach Staying For The Long Haul

"I have the same challenge as leaders across the country, general managers and presidents of professional franchises have.  When it doesn't work, it really is disappointing and it hurts you.  It is frustrating and disappointing to all of our fans, to all of us, and most importantly to me.  A true leader is one that identifies the traits and evidence to insure that you can make progress and I think that is important for the leader to do, rather than to settle.  And we never want to be in a situation where we want to settle."

Quotes From CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano During Individual Interviews After The Formal Press Conference

On If The School Was Unprepared For the Challenges Of The Pac-12

"I think the Pac-12 is the best fit for us, the best fit for us both athletically and academically.  I think on the athletic side, like what we talked about earlier, of finding the right head coach, looking at it so we can pay the head coach and look at upgrading areas such as facilities and recruiting and academics, then I believe we will be able to be in the Pac-12.  I didn't go in this naively, don't forget, we were in the Big 12."

On The Budget For The Next Coach

I don't have an exact number, but what we are looking at now is what the average salaries, it came out not too long ago, in the Pac-12.  What does our budget look like as far as the Pac-12 media money coming in, it is just the first year.  So we will start this afternoon of scrubbing the budget and looking at what we can offer as a guarantee.

On Conference Funding

What you have to realize is that when we left the Big 12, we had to pay a penalty and then there was a year where we received no funding at all.  So now we are at this point of there is funding there and it is not going to solve all the problems as we have facility issues, it is just not a head coaches salary.  I have to factor in, and Mike [Bohn] does this obviously, is facilities, academics and then take a look at it for football.

On Getting This Right

To be honest with you, I think we all have to get this one right, not just from the standpoint of having a job or not having a job, but we have to get this right because it is important for the university, it is important for our competition in the Pac-12.  It is not just that Mike [Bohn] has to get the right person or his job is on the line, I think the university has to look at our commitment to being competitive in the Pac-12 athletically.  And if that is where we want to go, we need to go out and get the best coach.  I think it is all of our responsibilities.

On Evaluating Mike Bohn's Job Status

"We do that on a yearly basis and we will continue to do that on a yearly basis."

On The CU Brand

"The risk obviously is we hired a coach, and I was extremely supportive of hiring Jon [Embree], because I wanted the alum, I wanted the assistant coaches that came back as alums, and especially the tradition that Jon would bring to the university; the Buff tradition.  Obviously, that is a setback for us because that was one of our main goals, to bring back the tradition of what we were doing in the mid-to-late 80's.  And that is what we need to regain, but that is certainly going to be a setback."

On Buying Out Another Coach

"Obviously, it is significant when you have to buy out a head coach.  The only silver lining in all of this is that it is that you only have to pay the coach one time; it's not a continuing budget line.  That is what we are looking at starting today, the cost of buying out our head football coach and looking at it as a onetime expense and where we are going to get that money but know that in the future it won't be on the books anymore.  That is why we are going to take a look today at the budget, starting today and start working extremely hard to get the next head coach in."