HONOLULU Kansas University’s football team awoke early Christmas morning, raced downstairs and found waiting a most unusual surprise.
Glen Mason, KU’s football coach for eight years, stunned the Jayhawksnot to mention the University of Georgiaby announcing that he would not take over the Bulldogs’ head coaching position and would stay for a ninth season at KU. His announcement came a week to the day after he was introduced in Athen, Ga., as the Bulldogs’ coach.
Mason, after meeting earlier in the weekend with Chancellor Bob Hemenway, called Hemenway and Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley early Monday morning. Then he broke the news to the Jayhawks.
“It was a great way to start the day,” KU sophomore inside linebacker Jason Thoren said Monday after the No. 11 Jayhawks took the news and ran with it to a 51-30 victory over UCLA in the Aloha Bowl at Aloha Stadium.
By day’s end, the events that transpired to keep Mason at KU were still unclear. Mason spoke in vague terms about his about-face, and Hemenway didn’t shed any more light on the matter.
“I made the decision not to leave the University of Kansas and go to the University of Georgia,” Mason said in the Jayhawk’s postgame press conference. “First of all, I’d like to apologize to the University of Georgia. I put them in an embarrassing situation, and I apologize for putting them in an embarrassing situation.”
“In the week since I took the job, I thought it would be in the best interests of my family, and the best interests of me personally, and taking these things into consideration, I think it was i my best interest professionally.
“I have personal reasons why I decided not to take the coaching job at the University of Georgia…I made this decision (Sunday) night. I went to bed and slept great.”
Hemenway wouldn’t disclose the nature of their discussions, but it’s clear Hemenway made the decision to allow Mason to come back.
“He had been very concerned about whether he made the right decision,” Hemenway said. “He came to me and talked about it. I listened and said if he was going to change his mind, he’d have to do it today.
“As Glen said, there were personal reasons. I respect those personal reasons.”
At the time he accepted Georgia’s offer, Mason was the lowest paid coach in the Big Eight, even though he is second in seniority. He took a moribund program and coached it to two bowl games and, this season, its first 10-win season in 90 years.
KU athletic director Bob Frederick made an offer that was believed to be about a $100,000 boost last Sunday, and Frederick expected Mason to stay.
But Monday morning, Mason called Frederick with the news he was leaving for Georgia.
Both Mason and Hemenway mentioned family concerns as a motivating factor in Mason’s decision, but neither would speak specifically.
Mason was divorced this summer and granted joint custody of his two childrenPat, a senior at Lawrence High, and Chris, a sophomore at LHS.
“It had to do with his family,” Hemenway said. “His family and the fact that he likes Kansas.”
