MEET THE PRESS: Houston Nutt 06.08

Fresh off his trip to visit U.S. troops in the Middle East, Ole Miss head football coach Houston Nutt took time to visit with local media Monday in his office in the Indoor Practice Facility.

Full transcript of Nutt's meeting with the media:

On trip to the Middle East

 

“That was a really life-changing experience for me to go see our soldiers, I have such awesome respect for navy, marines, navy seals, army, air force. We all got to St. Louis and they briefed us on the whole deal, and it’s just amazing how many planes, tanks and airmen we have - soldiers we have - that are doing work for us for our freedom. The biggest thing that hits you so fast is the young faces. Looking at soldiers the age of my son - 21, 22, 23, 24, the average age of a pilot is 25 - it just blows your mind, and they handle machines that are just so awesome I see why we’re the greatest country in the world. It’s just the organization, the teamwork, the mission. The work they do is unbelievable.

We started in St. Louis. When they briefed us and showed us the big screen of the organization and all the planes going here, that was unbelievable. Then you take off and go nine-and-a-half hours on a C135, and it’s not real comfortable and it can be very hot when waiting to take off. And then we’re up in the air 40,000 feet anywhere between 30 and 40 degrees so you have to bundle up. It was a cargo plane that we were on, and basically it can be a tanker for fuel when they fuel airplanes in mid-air or used to carry tanks. It’s a carrier. We went to Ramstein, Germany, for our first stop that was probably the toughest because it’s the hospital where they bring most of the troops. This was the theme, the biggest theme. I can’t wait to tell our players. You go around to each room and the biggest thing about each one of those young men is it’s not about themselves or when they get home. It’s, I’ve got to get back out there.’ I say, you’ve got to get back out there where?’ They say, I’ve got to get back out there in that battlefield. I’ve got some troops of mine that are out there fighting and I’m letting them down.’ That was the attitude of people that had no limbs or legs, just mangled, pins everywhere. One young man’s face was partially blown up because of a road-side bomb, which really tore you up. That was the biggest thing that hits you. It’s real war. It’s life and death. And they fight it everyday for us.

We spent the night there. At each place they had it set up pretty good where they had a panel. Coach (Jim) Tressel, Coach (Mack) Brown, myself, Coach (Tommy) Tuberville, Coach Troy Calhoun of Air Force, Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest, and they have questions then they hand out t-shirts and balls and I tell you our t-shirts and balls were a hit. I really appreciate our people here doing such a great job because there were a lot of young men that wanted them. The other thing that stood out was they keep up with football. They have a network, AFN they call it, that they watch games. The toughest thing is it’s eight hours ahead. Therefore, they wake up at 2:30 or three in the morning to watch a ball game, but they are watching. When you walk in they holler out teams. Yay Ole Miss, yay Texas, Ohio State, Wake Forest - they keep up with football. That’s one thing our young men need to know is that what a privilege and honor it is that these soldiers are cheering you on in the middle of war watching a great game, when all you have to do is go to school and work out.

We went from Germany to Turkey and visited a couple of cities there and another base. We went from there to Balad, close to Baghdad, and that’s where you see the difference in the intensity of the soldiers. You can really tell once we landed. We have to put on bullet proof vests that are 52 pounds and a helmet, and it can be very hot. It was 108 degrees. When we landed the next day it was 112 in the sand desert, very difficult, but those soldiers said one thing. As soon as we got in, we went to eat with them, and they kept saying, Coach, don’t call off the game. Don’t call of the ballgame.’ I said, What do you mean?’ They said there was a sandstorm coming but they’d been waiting a long time for this and if you could see what we play on nothing but sand deserts and rocks. But it was lined out and those guys were playing their heart and guts out, diving for balls, taking coaching, Young men would come up and say, Coach me up, coach.’ Then you got a general coming up afterwards saying, Hey you don’t know what you’ve done coaches. For an hour and 15 minutes you took their mind off war.’ It’s things like that that grab you. Our guys don’t understand truly how much freedom that we have. Those soldiers, men and women - I was surprised how many women had M-16’s on their backs, at all times, and there were bunkers, and anytime a sandstorm would come up they’d say, There’s the bunker coach, but I got your back.’ And you can expect maybe an incoming mortar. We have such a great intelligence system with predators and these new airplanes that are unmanned, but when the sandstorm comes you can’t see because it’s so thick and that’s when they just blindly shoot these mortars off trying to hit the base, hit the camp. They’re so many stories like that it just blows your mind. You just have so much respect for all of them. You could really feel the intensity of the soldiers in Baghdad, Kuwait, but the release they had playing the game and talking ball was just unbelievable. We got a briefing from the four-star General Odierno, just an unbelievable soldier and American citizen who is just awesome, and his biggest theme is I believe in young people’. It’s no different than a football team. You know some of the themes he used about taking them where they can’t go by themselves: it works. A lot of these people were misfits coming out of dysfunctional families and wanting to be a part of something, and now they have a lot of honor and integrity and feel good about their country and feel like they’re doing so much good work, which they are. So you just have an awesome respect for what they do, and it kept coming back they were really fighting for a purpose and mission. They kept saying to go back and tell the people we’re doing our job now, we’re doing it for the United States of America. You’re heart just goes out to them because it’s 24-seven. It’s not fake. It’s real bullets, bombs. You see the hospitals and the injuries, and boy, they were in it for the long haul.

When we got through with those cities we flew to Djibouti, Africa. That’s a base that very rarely gets any visitors, so they were pumped up. There were about 2,700 to 3,000 soldiers there. Djibouti is in the northern tip of Africa next to Somalia where the pirates are, so there were navy seals training and getting ready to go out again. A lot of pirates are taking over merchant ships with goods, and there’s nobody on those ships with guns. Now they’re patrolling the seas a little more. That base is in the end of the world. The poverty and trash and all different things made it a really tough place. But the thing about our bases is, boy, our soldiers are fed well. They make things as good as possible for our men and women, which was impressive. And the organization of it: from chaplains to generals, lieutenants, everybody, is just unbelievable. We handle 120 while they handle three to 10,000. The four-star general is handling 137,000 men, so that was really impressive. It was teamwork; it was everything that we try to talk about everyday: about doing what’s right, having a work ethic and an attitude and working together, and it was just an unbelievable trip.

The Djibouti trip was really eye-opening because running water wasn’t always running. Those are things we take for granted. I tell you what, our country does so much. I don’t think we realize what all we do. I know I didn’t.

Then we left there and went to Rota, Spain, the last base we visited. Again, I can’t tell you how many Ole Miss people were in the bunch. They were proud of their team and can’t wait for football. It was just overall an unbelievable experience, and as I come to this room and look at these faces, they are the same young faces over across seas fighting for us. So I’ll never forget it. It just makes me have that much more passion for coaching and trying to make a difference with young people. I can’t wait. I’m going to try to get pictures and video. I hope it all gets here in one piece because I think it could really change our guys and the way they attack and go about things everyday.”

On spending time with the other coaches - Mack Brown, Jim Tressel, Tommy Tuberville, Jim Grobe, Troy Calhoun, Rick Neuheisel

“It was great because you had so much time on the plane. We had nine hours going over and coming back. You could really talk to Mack Brown, Jim Tressel, Jim Grobe, Rick Neuheisel, all these guys. It’s really interesting to get input from different teams. Everybody exchanged a lot of ideas, and it was really good. We all got along great and were all really glad that we went.”

On going back to the Middle East

“I would go back, but I’d rather skip a year. I’d like for somebody else to go do it, but what a worthwhile trip. I never dreamed it would have such an impact on my life, and I think once I tell the story to these players and coaches, I think it’s going to affect them as well.”

On expectations of the trip

“I thought it was going to be more like a Rebel day when you basically sign autographs. I mean, they kept us busy. We always left early in the morning or ate breakfast with generals, and when we would get in there we would sign for two to three hours, and you couldn’t turn them down. They wanted those t-shirts and hats and footballs saying, Can you sign this for my cousin? For my daughter? I hadn’t seen her yet because she was just born.’ I had no idea what to expect. I knew we were going to see the soldiers but had no idea it would be so organized and seeing so many troops. Somebody was always a point man saying OK you’re going here to the hospital for an hour then the gym then questions and answers and then signing. It was like that everyday. By 10:30 at night you were ready to go to bed. I didn’t realize your clock gets so messed up.”

On keeping the coaches together

“In hospitals they split us up, but in the signing and questions they always kept us together which I thought was really good.”

On talking (with generals) about ending war

“When talking to generals, they want to get their troops out, but a lot would say you want us here, because of this. A lot of Iraq people can’t stand us, but when there was talk about leaving they’d say you don’t want to leave yet. The generals feel like you want us here protecting what’s going on because you never want it to be on American soil. When he said that, I was like, absolutely. You see a different perspective when you hear the generals talk. When we were going to Afghanistan that was a little bit too hot,’ and I’m not talking about the weather. I’m talking about more activity where they couldn’t control the activity 100 percent.”

On redefining or thinking differently about the term “war”

“You don’t want to use that term, to me. It’s over there where there’s real life and death. I had one young man come up to me and say, Please pray for me. I have 31 days. I have to see my brand new baby, and my partner just got blown up.’ You could tell when you got to Baghdad and Kuwait there was serious intensity and focus. Their minds were at a whole different level. You could tell when they were coming off and you see those fatigues and the vest and guns and fighting in the sand and oven air, I mean, it was a different look on their face. What was amazing was how many times soldiers would say thank you for coming. You don’t know what this means to us. And you know, I don’t feel like we did that much. But in their minds and generals’ minds they say you don’t know what you’ve done here. You might have kept 22 or 23 percent from committing suicide. That’s eye-opening. Especially the ones that get injured, that’s very tough.”

On was there ever an attack or lockdown situation

 

“No it wasn’t. You sometimes would hear it go off in the distance. But it was never on top of us.”

On Iraq being “hot” and what it’s like putting on the 52-pound bullet-proof vest

“When we land and before we land, they come around and say before the plane lands we want the vest on. Really it’s because of bombs. If they attack, that can really save your life. When you have that 52-pound vest on then you start thinking like a soldier, like this thing is for real now. And that makes your mind start thinking like a soldier like there is war. People throw that term out. I know I’ve done it, but we don’t know what war is. We have no idea until you’re out there in the battlefield, the true battlefield. And it’s just so amazing the courage of those young men and women that want to go back out there. Where most people say, I can’t wait to go home,’ they want back out there. The other experience was staying at Saddam’s palace. We spent the night at this palace. And that was a trip, just to see like he’s the only one that had anything. You look out and see all desert except for his 20-25 palaces where his brothers and sisters and sons lived. One of the army officers told us how some of the Iraqi officers would come up and ask to get some water for their crops, and he (Saddam) would blame it on the U.S., that they took all our water. He wouldn’t do anything for his people, only for himself. Then the oil they had they only got probably 10 or 15 percent because the technology is not right. There’s so much more oil he could get, and he could do so much for that country that he didn’t do. He just did it for himself. He was a real bad guy.”

On wanting to talk to soldiers (they wanting to talk football

“They wanted to talk ball, and I wanted to talk to them about what happened this morning. They wanted to talk Ole Miss you beat Florida. How’d you beat Florida? They talked about the Cotton Bowl and the Mississippi State game, and what’s amazing is just the young men that have their teams would come in and holler, Hook em Horns.’ They would line up for each speaker and root for their team. So that was huge.”

On being able to see former Rebel football player Sheldon Morris (on his fourth tour)

“I did not. He was 150 miles from us and we couldn’t get there. It’s amazing that a lot of them go back. Not to have a draft and to have so many volunteers is just unbelievable. That they would give their life for that is remarkable.”

QUESTIONS ABOUT FOOTBALL

 

On thoughts about the 28-man signing rule

“I was disappointed in it. That they’d wait until today, in 2009, when we all knew the rules and the rules basically say you have to be at 25 by August 1, and there hadn’t been any parents especially that we’ve been dealing with that were getting ready to write Commissioner Slive a letter saying I was promised this but didn’t get this, you know I just don’t understand why now. It’s always been for me a tool for incentive, and I know the numbers are big, but we did it for a reason this year because of our junior college and the placements we’re going to do. I was disappointed, but we can live with it. That’s fine. If that’s the rule, that’s the rule. But we didn’t break a rule.”

On the rule being tougher in the South because of the SEC

“I wanted the commissioner to know, and he heard me out: We don’t know on signing day anymore when young people say I’m coming to Ole Miss. We don’t know for sure. You have a good idea 22 out of 25. Now these 22 are solid, but these three, they can make any decision other than Ole Miss during this time, and that’s another reason why you over-sign. We knew when we get up to 38 that eight or nine would go to junior college, but look at their incentive. They belong to somebody. They belong to us, and they feel like, OK, all I have to do is graduate and I’ll be with Ole Miss in two years.’ Now you open it up, and they’re going to be re-recruited again. It’s wide open and it makes it harder. But you don’t know on signing day really how many times have we lost. The word commitment - you know what we hear nowadays, that’s a soft verbal. Please, what does a soft verbal mean? That just irks me, because it used to be, I’m committed, it’s over,’ but that’s the world we’re in now. It’s just a different world. That’s why you have to give us some leeway.

On Jamar Hornsby allowed playing before his court date

“I’m hoping so. I’m hoping we can get him in here second session of summer school. I’d like to get to know him those four weeks and see how he is with players and school and weight room. That’s where you find out a lot about a person, but I just don’t know yet.”

On freshmen on campus now

“D.T. Shackelford, Tim Simon, Michael Brown, Mike Thomas”

On any guys the staff is worried about

“I feel pretty good about everybody after getting back and checking on everybody. I think we’re going to be alright now”

On rumors about Bobbie Massie

“There’s some work to be done, but after talking to him just about 30 minutes ago, I feel a whole lot better. I think he’s going to be alright. He’s got to do it. He still hasn’t done it. I’m disappointed in that, but I think he’s focused and ready to go. He has to go to Hargrave or some place where he can get two classes that he’s got to do work. Legitimate work, pass, get the grades in and get eligible.”

On update on Darius Barksdale

“Tig is in the same position as Bobbie, and I feel more confident now in him than I did about a month ago. I’d say a month ago, I didn’t think he’d be at this point that he is where he has a legitimate change to be eligible.”

On how the numbers are working out with this class

“I think it’s right on track. If you signed everybody right now that you knew would be ready to go we’re set at about 26.”

On either or with Tig and Jamar’s decision

 

“You could probably throw in a couple of more names, not just two or three. There are probably four or five, and that’s really why you (over-sign). I mean, there’s no doubt in my mind. That’s even more to me of an example of why you do it.”

On if Coach Nutt had to pick a number

“Thirty. Thirty’s beautiful, a good round number. That was our vote, all the coaches in the SEC. If they didn’t put that out there, all the coaches in the SEC wanted 30. That was our vote, our recommendation, but I guess it didn’t get very far.”

On intensity of being just coaches behind closed doors

“Sometimes it is (intense). I like it. I mean, it’s OK. I wish we did more of this, though. I wish we did commissioner, athletic director, chancellor, coach. Let’s all get in there together and really hear our side. We hear your side. There’s a lot of separation where you try to give your recommendation to the athletic director that this is what we’re thinking. Then they have to go in there with all the athletic directors, and they discuss and they vote, then here comes the chancellors and they have another opinion. I just would give anything where you have a coach, AD and chancellor all in there together discussing. We’re in the heat of the battle just like the signing. I would love the chancellors to hear that. You know they look at 38 and think, how ridiculous.’ I’ve heard chancellors say that. Not our chancellor, but I’ve heard chancellors say, why would anybody want to sign 38 kids?’ Well I want to explain why I would want to. There’s a reason, and it’s not because I know we’re not going to sign 38, but there’s eight kids that we’re going to help their lives, to give them an incentive to say I’m going to get my work done and I’m going to graduate, because I’m going to Ole Miss.

On coaches and athletic directors’ meetings

“We have the coach and the AD, but what happens is we spend an hour with them, then we’re gone. They vote on it the next day, then before they vote they have the chancellors in there.”

On Lane Kiffin

“I thought Commissioner Slive was pretty strong now. He was very strong about (the fact that) this is a family, a group, and since he’s been there since 2003 or 2004, he didn’t appreciate the sniping at one another. That’s not what we do. So he was very clear on that. A little bit of defense for Lane Kiffin is I can see where you can get lost when you go into a room with all the boosters and alumni, and everybody’s excited about your deal, and you start rolling and you want to build up your class, and you let your class slip, then it’s been on the recorder. It’s been on the blog. It’s on the twitter, which is a whole different subject.”

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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