New York Giants special teams coach Larry Mac Duff has left the team and will re Coach informed Giants of job offer
join the UA football program as defensive coordinator.
The Giants' official Web site reported yesterday that Mac Duff has accepted the position and will return to Tucson, where he helped run the "Desert Swarm" defense at Arizona from 1987-96.
The New York Times and the Newark Star-Ledger both confirmed the Giants' report yesterday.
Duane Akina quit the position last week to become the defensive backs coach at the University of Texas.
UA officials are forbidden for now from talking about the job opening. University policy dictates that a job opening must be posted for a week before any candidate can be hired.
Arizona officials cannot officially hire Mac Duff until Friday.
Giants offices were closed yesterday due to inclement weather. Head coach Jim Fassel and general manager Ernie Accorsi could not be reached for comment.
Mac Duff, if hired, would seem to be a logical choice for the Wildcats. He maintains a home in Tucson and is one of just a few men familiar with the intricate double-eagle flex defense, Arizona's trademark scheme for the past decade.
During Mac Duff's tenure as Arizona's defensive coordinator, four Wildcat defenses were ranked in the top-10 nationally. UA led the nation in scoring defense in 1992 and was No. 1 in the country in run defense in 1993.
Both UA athletic director Jim Livengood and Wildcat football coach John Mackovic said Monday that they had interviewed Mac Duff and that contract talks had gone well.
