This weekend was a time for John Mackovic to celebrate.

After a dismal 0-6 start to the Pacific 10 Conference season and one of the most tumultuous weeks in UA football history, his team hoisted him onto their shoulders to celebrate a 52-41 win over Cal.

But once the joy of Saturday's win wears off, the head football coach will find he has little to celebrate. His team, which is stuck in the conference cellar, has long been out of bowl contention, and Mackovic himself will now have to wear the stigma of being a short-tempered coach.

The team's frustrations with Mackovic became evident Tuesday night in a meeting with President Pete Likins, where 41 players expressed their frustration with Mackovic's coaching style. After late-night conferences between Likins and athletics director Jim Livengood, and then between Livengood and Mackovic, the coach made a tearful public apology Wednesday afternoon for weeks' worth of verbal abuse.

Mackovic's mea culpa made national news, and its ramifications were still being discussed over the weekend on national sports shows.

Now that the public apology has been made and the football team's dirty laundry aired to the nation, UA fans are wondering whether Mackovic will be able to persuade potential players to come to Arizona.

Imagine the coach sitting in a high school senior's living room, sweet-talking his parents into letting their son trek cross-country to Tucson. What father would allow his son to go off and play for a coach who admitted he once told a player he was a disgrace to his family?

This weekend's win couldn't have come at a better time; but the joy will fade. And even if the Wildcats clobber ASU over Thanksgiving weekend, the fact will remain that the nation now knows Mackovic has trouble controlling his temper.

Livengood has said he has no intention of firing Mackovic. So, for at least the next year, the coach will have to overcome the trouble he has brought on himself. Whether he is successful in rebuilding UA football remains to be seen; but that would take all of his charm and a huge show of support from UA faithful.