ADAM TURNER
VIDEO: GARY ANDERSEN MIC���D UP
weight room and the last guy to leave. Other players followed him ��� whatever he did.
���And, usually, when he talked, they listened. He
had a lot of good qualities as a youngster.������
McBride sensed then that Andersen would
make a good coach.
���He was a natural fit for coaching,������ he said.
Fit has been the operative word in conjunction
with Andersen���s transition.
���Oh, man, when he told me he was going to Wisconsin, I did back flips, so did my wife,������ said McBride, who still stays in contact with many of his
former Badgers linemen, like Bob Landsee.
���I told Gary that recruiting is a lot more competitive in the Big Ten. The week-in and the week-out
is a lot tougher, too. But I loved coaching in that
league.������
McBride feels that Andersen is also a ���natural������
as a recruiter because of his ���personality.������ Whatever adjustments have to be made, McBride said,
���He���ll figure it out fast; he���s a smart kid.������
Andersen-coached teams have established an
identity for playing hard.
���That���s his signature,������ McBride said. ���The kids
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D EC E M B E R 20, 2012
want to play for him. He knows how to communicate with them. He knows how to make them want
to play. He has a feel for that part of it.������
McBride, now 73, couldn���t be more pleased by
Andersen���s career move.
���Wisconsin is one of the best jobs in the country,������ he said. ���Saturday is important. Everybody
in that stadium comes there for one reason and
that���s to win.
���The whole atmosphere is one you don���t forget
no matter how long you���ve been in this profession.
The best thing is that if you win, you get to polka.������
��� ��� ��� ���
McBride has influenced many young players
and assistants, like Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, who just happens to be one of Andersen���s closest friends in the business.
���He (McBride) was the guy who gave me the
first opportunity to coach Division I football,������said
Whittingham whose father, Fred, was McBride���s
defensive coordinator. ���I���ll forever be indebted to
him.������
Whittingham and Andersen first crossed paths
