Pat Hill withdraws name from Washington

Dec 4, 2008 - 10:37 PM FRESNO, California (Ticker) -- Pat Hill will not be heading to the Pacific Northwest next season.

Hill, who is finishing his 12th season as Fresno State's head coach, announced Thursday that he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the job vacancy at Washington.

"I had a great visit with the people at Washington and I appreciate their consideration" Hill said in a statement released by Fresno State. "At this time, it's in the best interest of my players and the Fresno State program that I withdraw from consideration and put my full attention on preparing for a bowl game and getting our team ready for the 2009 season."

Hill, who coached the Bulldogs to a 7-5 record this season, interviewed recently with Washington, the only winless team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Huskies (0-11), who close out their season Saturday at California, have been abysmal this year under lame-duck coach Tyrone Willingham, who had his contract terminated in October.

Washington reportedly has been courting Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, who has guided the Red Raiders to the third 11-win season in school history.

"Whoever gets the Washington job will have a great challenge but also a great opportunity," Hill said. "They have great support and tradition there and are making a serious commitment to restoring that program.

"As they move through their hiring process, they have made it clear that they are not ready to hire a coach at this time and I can't keep my players or our staff hanging on. We are building a very good recruiting class that I'm really excited about and that's a huge consideration, too."

Although he offered words of praise for the program, Hill revealed that Washington officials presented him with a deadline by which he had to decide on the school's offer.

Hill also intimated that he is not Washington's top candidate.

"I had a great visit with the leadership at the University of Washington and I have a great deal of respect for them and their vision," he said. "Because of the time frame we discussed, which is that I needed an answer by Wednesday, it's apparent that I'm not their top candidate.

"I felt it was in my best interest and the best interest of our team to make this decision at this time. I wish them the best of luck in their search."

Leach, who posted an 11-1 record this season at Texas Tech, also reportedly withdrew his name from consideration for the Washington job.

Texas Tech has not publicly commented on the status of Leach, who reportedly is negotiating a contract extension to stay with the Red Raiders. Leach also has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the recent job opening at Auburn.

Despite being ranked earlier this season, the Bulldogs have had a disappointing campaign under Hill, going 4-4 in Western Athletic Conference play.

Fresno State dropped a 61-10 decision in its regular-season finale last weekend to WAC champion Boise State. Hill owns a career record of 92-60.

"We have not met all the goals for our program at Fresno State, and I'm committed to reaching those goals," Hill said. "We are going to have a good football team in 2009, but we have a lot of work to do this offseason to get ready for that.

"No one within our program is completely pleased with the results of this season, but the season's not over. We can finish it with a bowl win and build toward next year."