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Energetic and innovative Paul Hackett, a one-time USC assistant coach who has been on coaching staffs that have won a national championship in college and a Super Bowl in the pros, made an immediate mark on the Trojan football program upon his return to Troy as its head football coach.
In his first year at USC's helm, he led the Trojans to an 8-5 record in 1998 (5-3 in the Pac-10 for a third place tie) and a berth in the Sun Bowl. With his 1998 opening win over Purdue, he became the first head coach to win his Trojan debut since Jess Hill in 1951, and by starting off 3-0, he became only the third Trojan coach since 1915 to win his first 3 games (joining Hill in 1951 and the legendary Howard Jones in 1925). Hackett is one of only two USC head coaches to have won their first outing against Notre Dame (John Robinson is the other). Hackett, Robinson and Larry Smith are the only USC coaches to have guided squads to a bowl game in their first seasons at Troy.
In 1999 in his second year at USC, Hackett's team went 6-6 overall (4-5 in the Pac-10 for a sixth place tie) as Troy won its final 3 games of the season and snapped UCLA's 8-game winning streak over the Trojans. USC was in every game, as it was the first time ever that Troy lost all 6 games by 10 points or less.
Hackett replaced Robinson, who was relieved of his duties after 5 seasons at USC, on Dec. 17, 1997. Hackett, who was the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs prior to coming to USC, officially started with the Trojans on Jan. 8, 1998, at the conclusion of the Chiefs' 1997 season. He signed a 5-year contract with Troy.
The 53-year-old Hackett, regarded as one of the game's most progressive offensive coaches, has 31 years of experience as a college and professional assistant and head coach. He has tutored some of football's top players--including Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Andre Rison, Tony Dorsett, Steve Bartkowski, Charles White, Brian Sipe, Herschel Walker, Danny White, Dwight Clark and Vince Evans--and has worked under such head coaches as Bill Walsh, Tom Landry, Marty Schottenheimer and Robinson.
Before coming to Troy, Hackett was the offensive coordinator at Kansas City for 5 years (1993-97). The Chiefs advanced to the NFL playoffs in 4 of those years, including the 1997 season while capturing the AFC West title with an AFC-best regular season record of 13-3 (with wins in their last 6 regular season contests).
Before that, he was at the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92), the first season as the quarterbacks coach and then 3 seasons as the Panthers' head coach (posting a 13-20-1 record). He actually took over the head coaching reins prior to the 1989 John Hancock Bowl, a 31-28 win over Texas A&M. Pitt was eighth nationally in total offense and passing offense in 1992, and Panther quarterback Alex Van Pelt ranked in the NCAA's Top 10 in total offense in 1991 and 1992.
As a college coach, he has a 27-31-1 overall mark in 5 seasons, including 14-11 in 2 years at USC.
Hackett began his coaching career for 3 seasons (1969-71) at his alma mater, UC Davis, assisting the freshmen the first year and then directing the frosh to a 13-0 mark over the next 2 seasons.
He then was an assistant at California for 4 years (1972-75), the first season as a graduate assistant, the next as the receivers coach (tutoring Golden Bear greats Wesley Walker and Steve Rivera) and the final 2 as the quarterbacks coach. Bartkowski was the NFL's No. 1 draft pick after being the NCAA's leading passer as an All-American in 1974 and the late Joe Roth led the Pac-8 in passing and total offense the following year while directing the NCAA's top-ranked offense.
Then, at age 29, Hackett moved to USC for 5 years (1976-80), where under Robinson he was in charge of the quarterbacks and receivers for the first 2 years and then the quarterbacks and passing game the final 3 years. During his Trojan tenure, USC was the 1978 national champion, won 4 bowl games (including 3 Rose Bowls), posted a 50-8-2 record and produced a Heisman Trophy winner (White). Among his quarterbacks, Evans was the MVP of the 1977 Rose Bowl, Paul McDonald was a 1979 All-American first teamer while setting 17 NCAA, Pac-10 and USC records, and Rob Hertel established a pair of USC marks. Wide receiver Randy Simmrin also set 2 USC records under Hackett.
Hackett began his pro coaching career as quarterbacks coach with the Cleveland Browns for 2 seasons (1981-82).
He next was the quarterbacks and receivers coach with the San Francisco 49ers for 3 years (1983-85). The 49ers won Super Bowl XIX in the 1984 season.
He then became the pass offense coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys for 3 years (1986-88) before returning to the college ranks at Pitt.
Hackett started at quarterback for 3 years at UC Davis (1966-68). He led the Far Western Conference in passing as a senior while earning All-Conference first team honors. After starting out as a pre-med major, he received his bachelor's degree in history from UC Davis in 1969.
The son of a biochemistry professor father, the late David (who taught at California after receiving his doctorate from Harvard) and a mother, Sarah, who was a nurse, Hackett played football (quarterback), basketball and baseball at Miramonte High in Orinda, Calif., in the Bay Area.
He was born on July 5, 1947 in Burlington, Vt., sharing a birthday with former USC head coach John McKay. He and his wife, Elizabeth (they met as students at UC Davis), have 2 sons, David, 28, and Nathaniel, 20. David played on the 1988 Texas Division III state football champion while at Carroll High in Southlake, Tex., and then was an administrative assistant with the USC football program, while Nathaniel is a sophomore on UC Davis' football team.
As a hobby, Hackett collects old music juke boxes filled with 1950s and 1960s rock 'n roll music. A rock music fan, he sat in the front row at the final Beatles concert, held in 1966 in Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT PAUL HACKETT
USC athletic director Mike Garrett: "I'm very excited about Paul Hackett becoming our football coach. Paul is the right man at the right time for USC. Our relationship goes back to the first time he was at USC. I've always regarded him as a fine teacher who knows how to coach winning football."
Former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh: "If there was to be a change at USC, I can't think of a better hire than this one. This is a very, very bright, if not brilliant, football coach. He's the best young mind I've ever worked with. He understands offenses in a way few do. Paul brings the versatility and flexibility needed today to compete, and his offensive mind gives a program more opportunities to answer the challenges. USC is catching Paul at the right time in his life and in his career. He is on his way up. His star is still on the rise. He's going to take USC places. As bright a star as Paul has been, he would not have been as good a head coach for USC right now had he not been through the wars and paid the price at Dallas, the University of Pittsburgh and Kansas City. That seasoning was critical. It shaped him. Paul is just a great choice for USC."
Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Tom Tumulty, formerly at Pitt under Hackett: "The guy has a genius mind for offense, but I knew him and loved him as a head coach. If I had the chance to tell the parents of USC players what they're getting, it's a guy who will make sure their sons leave with a degree, a guy who will really take care of them. They said he couldn 't recruit at Pitt, but there are five or six guys just from my class in the NFL right now."
ESPN analyst Merril Hoge: "Young players see how hot the West Coast offense is in the NFL. They want to be in that system and Paul Hackett can sell that to them. And he should be able to get the type of talent that can make that system successful. Look at what he did at Kansas City in 1997, utilizing four different backs and playing through the change at quarterback, and that offense was still very potent and they had the best record in the AFC. He'll do a fabulous job at USC."
Former USC and NFL quarterback Paul McDonald, who played for Hackett in college and the pros (Cleveland, Dallas): "Hiring Paul is a huge coup for USC. He understands USC. He puts a tremendous amount of pressure on himself to win every time out, and that's what he's going to demand from the USC team. I think one thing he can do at USC is instill in the players the way it used to be. When I played for him, everything was football with Paul. He talked about football all the time. Sometimes you'd get to the point when you were hanging out with him where you just said, 'Hack, enough. I'm tired of talking about football.' But he never was."
Mike White, on whose California staff Hackett served: "He's a real student of the game and he's tremendously involved with the players. He made an immediate impression at Cal and did a great job. I was just really impressed with his approach to the game and his desire to learn. He's got the background and the experience, and I'd be real surprised if he's not real successful at USC."
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren: "I enjoy talking football with him probably more than anybody I know because he's really one of the outstanding teachers and coaches I've ever been around."
Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer: "Without question, he's the best quarterbacks coach I've ever seen in my life. I have never been around a guy who is a better technician and coach of quarterbacks. You talk about a guy who's committed to his job, who's committed to putting in the time to be successful and make things run smoothly--that's what Paul Hackett is all about. He came in here and I had to look at myself and say, 'Marty, are you working hard enough?'"
Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis, formerly an assistant at the San Francisco 49ers with Hackett: "He's very thorough, very organized, quite a perfectionist. He demands everything from his players. He's a tireless worker, loves the game and works his rear off. He's very creative. He likes to change formations, play around with them. He's the kind of guy who can talk football 20 hours a day. He doesn't have many hobbies. Football's his world."
Texas A&M head coach R. C. Slocum: "He's the best young mind in the game."
Former Kansas City Chiefs tight ends coach Jim Erkenbeck, now with the Oakland Raiders: "He is tremendous under pressure, a great thinker, a great people person."
Former Cleveland Browns coach Sam Rutigliano: "He's very outgoing, very gregarious, very emotional. He's not a yes man. He'll express his ideas."
New York Jets running back Curtis Martin, formerly at Pitt under Hackett: "He'll definitely have success at the collegiate level. He's already done that at Kansas City on the professional level."
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Andre Rison: "He's the best offensive coordinator I've ever played for. A lot of guys have their own ideas about how they do things--and should, because they're the boss--but Paul listens to his players. He hears what we have to say and works with us."
Former USC head coach and current UNLV head coach John Robinson: "Paul Hackett is a good guy and a good coach. He'll do a good job."
Former San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana: "The thing that Paul spends a lot of time on is detail, probably more so than anybody I have been associated with. It's constant, constant. Everything you do is scrutinized, from little handoff drills to footwork in passing. He drills and drills and tests and really prepares you well."
Buffalo Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt, formerly at Pitt under Hackett: "I know one thing already. USC is going to have a great offense. My success is all because of Paul Hackett. I think he's the guru of footwork, something that's very important in the offense he runs because of its timing and rhythm. He's very much the teacher and, working with him for four years (at Pitt), we giggled at the end because he would be teaching the same simple play as if he had never gone over it before, but that's how much emphasis he places on fundamentals."
The late San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick: "Paul will take a college quarterback, work with him a couple of years, and he will be an NFL quarterback, guaranteed."
Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Rich Gannon, now with the Oakland Raiders: "His attention to detail is unbelievable. Some offensive coordinators care about the passing game or the running game and don't have a lot of idea what's going on in the other parts of the offense. But Paul is totally aware of blocking schemes, footwork, the run, the pass, the whole deal. It's a pleasure watching him work. And it's how hard he works, too. Paul works harder in the off-season than most offensive coordinators work during the season."
YEAR-BY-YEAR WITH PAUL HACKETT
| YEAR | TEAM | POSITION | RECORD | HEAD COACH |
| 1969 | UC Davis | Freshman team assistant coach | -- | John Papa |
| 1970 | UC Davis | Freshman team head coach | 6-0 | Jim Sochor |
| 1971 | UC Davis | Freshman team head coach | 7-0 | Jim Sochor |
| 1972 | California | Graduate assistant coach | 3-8 | Mike White |
| 1973 | California | Receivers assistant coach | 4-7 | Mike White |
| 1974 | California | Quarterbacks assistant coach | 7-3-1 | Mike White |
| 1975 | California | Quarterbacks assistant coach | 8-3 | Mike White |
| 1976 | USC | Quarterbacks/receivers assistant coach | 11-1 (Rose) | John Robinson |
| 1977 | USC | Quarterbacks/receivers assistant coach | 8-4 (Blueb'net) | John Robinson |
| 1978 | USC | Quarterbacks/passing game assistant coach | 12-1 (Rose)* | John Robinson |
| 1979 | USC | Quarterbacks/passing game assistant coach | 11-0-1 (Rose) | John Robinson |
| 1980 | USC | Quarterbacks/passing game assistant coach | 8-2-1 | John Robinson |
| 1981 | Cleveland Browns | Quarterbacks assistant coach | 5-11 | Sam Rutigliano |
| 1982 | Cleveland Browns | Quarterbacks assistant coach | 4-5# | Sam Rutigliano |
| 1983 | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterbacks/receivers assistant coach | 11-7# | Bill Walsh |
| 1984 | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterbacks/receivers assistant coach | 18-1** | Bill Walsh |
| 1985 | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterbacks/receivers assistant coach | 10-7# | Bill Walsh |
| 1986 | Dallas Cowboys | Pass offense coordinator | 7-9 | Tom Landry |
| 1987 | Dallas Cowboys | Pass offense coordinator | 7-8 | Tom Landry |
| 1988 | Dallas Cowboys | Pass offense coordinator | 3-13 | Tom Landry |
| 1989 | Pittsburgh | Offensive coordinator | 7-3-1 (Hanc'k)% | Mike Gottfried |
| 1990 | Pittsburgh | Head coach | 3-7-1 | -- |
| 1991 | Pittsburgh | Head coach | 6-5 | -- |
| 1992 | Pittsburgh | Head coach | 3-8%% | -- |
| 1993 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive coordinator | 13-6# | Marty Schottenheimer |
| 1994 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive coordinator | 9-8# | Marty Schottenheimer |
| 1995 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive coordinator | 13-4# | Marty Schottenheimer |
| 1996 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive coordinator | 9-7 | Marty Schottenheimer |
| 1997 | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive coordinator | 13-4# | Marty Schottenheimer |
| 1998 | USC | Head coach | 8-5 (Sun) | -- |
| 1999 | USC | Head coach | 6-6 | -- |
*National champions
**Super Bowl champions
#Advanced to NFL playoffs
%Hackett served as head coach in Hancock Bowl win
%%Hackett dismissed before season-ending loss at Hawaii
PAUL HACKETT'S ALL-TIME HEAD COACHING RECORD VS. OPPONENTS
TEAM W L T Arizona 0 1 0 Arizona State 1 1 0 Boston College 1 1 0 California 0 2 0 East Carolina 0 2 0 Florida State 0 1 0 Hawaii 1 0 0 Kent 1 0 0 Louisiana Tech 1 0 0 Louisville 0 2 0 Maryland 1 1 0 Miami (Fla.) 0 1 0 Minnesota 2 0 0 Notre Dame 1 4 0 Ohio 1 0 0 Oklahoma 0 1 0 Oregon 0 2 0 Oregon State 2 0 0 Penn State 0 3 0 Purdue 1 0 0 Rutgers 2 1 0 San Diego State 2 0 0 Southern Miss 1 0 0 Stanford 1 1 0 Syracuse 0 2 1 TCU 0 1 0 Temple 2 1 0 Texas A&M 1 0 0 UCLA 1 1 0 Washington 1 0 0 Washington State 2 0 0 West Virginia 1 2 0 TOTAL 27 31 1
