It began as a search to replace departed secondary coach Jeff Hammerschmidt. It ended with UA selecting Alabama's Homer Smith to be the new Wildcat offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Arizona head coach Dick Tomey announced last Monday that Smith, who spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide after stints in the same position for UCLA and the Kansas City Chiefs, would replace Duane Akina, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the last three years.

Akina will remain as an associate head coach and will take the secondary position, one he held from 1987-92.

According to Tomey, after three job offers were unsuccessfully made to replace Hammerschmidt, who took the defensive coordinator position at Southern Utah, Akina approached him about vacating the coordinator position if a "special" person were found.

"(Akina) and I discussed who were special guys," Tomey said. "There was only one who we thought would be available - Homer Smith. This wouldn't have happened if Duane hadn't been concerned about staff."

Tomey served as an assistant under Smith at Davidson in 1965-66, and the two were assistant coaches together at UCLA under Pepper Rodgers in 1972-73.

"I am enormously impressed with Dick Tomey's program, the spirit of the players and the abilities of a great coaching staff," Smith, 64, said. "I want to do my best coaching job at Arizona."