Asmussen: Mackovic keeps busy as analyst

If Texas had followed his contract, John Mackovic would be in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday. Instead, he'll sit in ESPN2's studio at Bristol, Conn.

Fired after last season, Mackovic has three years left on his Texas deal. The school owes Mackovic $600,000 a year, minus the small amount ESPN2 pays him.

Mackovic has nothing to do with Texas football. Being out of town during the weekends might be the best thing for him.

"I've tried to keep my distance," Mackovic said. "I don't think it's appropriate to be hanging around."

On Saturday, Mackovic will pay attention to another former employer, Illinois. The Illinois-Louisville game is the opener of ESPN2's doubleheader.

After a successful run at Illinois, Mackovic left in 1991 for Austin. Neither the school nor Mackovic has done as well since.

Mackovic won three conference titles at Texas. But a 4-7 finish in '97, including a 66-3 loss to UCLA, forced him out.

Illinois has struggled post-Mackovic, going to three minor bowls. Lou Tepper was fired during a 2-9 '96 season. The Illini ended an 18-game losing streak Saturday.

Wouldn't life have been better for both if Mackovic had stayed?

"We never know," Mackovic said. "It's hard to ever predict the future. I treasure the years at Illinois. The fans were great. We had terrific players. The administration was great. That's what made it so difficult to leave when I did."

Since '91, Mackovic hasn't been able to watch much Illinois football. He's seen small pieces of games, but that's it.

Saturday, he'll see an entire Illini game for the first time in seven years.

"I'll definitely be watching the Illini closely," Mackovic said. "And I will definitely have my eye out for the Chief, too. I haven't seen Chief Illiniwek in a long time."

The quick drop at Illinois surprised Mackovic. Once the losing started, he said, it was hard to stop.

"Winning is so tied to confidence," Mackovic said. "What happens sometimes is the team can lose confidence and the people can lose confidence. I'm certain there are games over the last couple of years that Illinois players and coaches could look back and say, 'We could have won that game.' You have to learn how to win all over again."

And Mackovic is learning how to talk all over again. Studio analysts have to speak in short spurts. That's not an easy thing for an old coach.

"Coaches have a history of being able to ramble on until something seems to make sense," Mackovic said. "We have to be able to have our ideas down, hit them quickly and they have to be meaningful. Television moves very fast. Faster than the two-minute offense."

Mackovic likes his new job and isn't interested in a quick return to coaching.

"I tell everyone I'm retired from coaching," Mackovic said. "Everyone says, 'You can unretire.' I hope this works."

Bob Asmussen is a News-Gazette staff writer. He writes a weekly column on sports media coverage.

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