Tomey to stay with UA at least one more year

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona football coach Dick Tomey is sticking around for at least next season, so says Athletic Director Jim Livengood who ended any speculation yesterday afternoon about the 11-year veteran possibly leaving.

"We want to give our players the best chance to be successful," Livengood said. "The question is who will give us our best chance of success and the answer is Dick Tomey.

Tomey rested patiently with his chin in his palm as Livengood repeatedly spoke of his confidence in the 11-year veteran, particularly stressing that the goal of the press conference was to allow the players and coaching staff to focus on the game against Arizona State.

"My belief in Dick Tomey never wavered," Livengood said. "We are heading in a great direction right now and we didn't want all the speculation to affect our team's performance."

Livengood said he will evaluate the 5-5 team at season's end and at this point there is no talk of a contract extension, but it doesn't appear any changes will occur.

"Dick Tomey's contract runs through Dec. of '98 and my intention is that he will be our head football coach until he retires," he said.

Tomey said he never doubted his future included Arizona football and offered his relationship with Livengood as the biggest factor.

"I never had any question about next year," said Tomey, whose contract pays $394,100 a year, including radio and television shows. "I believe in Jim Livengood because we have been very candid with each other. If we don't believe in each other then how are the players going to believe in us?"

Sophomore running back Trung Canidate said he couldn't have been happier about the announcement.

"It really brought a lot of relief for me because he was one of the main reasons I came here," Canidate said. "I am getting tired of hearing (that Tomey is leaving). Not that I believe in it because I can look in his eyes. He knew the situation all along.

"I guess it was a media thing that hyped the whole thing up."

Sophomore linebacker Marcus Bell backed his coach as well.

"Everybody's got their opinion about coach Tomey but they don't really know how it is," Bell said. "I never even thought that he was leaving in the first place."

Livengood said that if he didn't feel that the players were giving the coach their all each week, he would have felt stronger on the possibility of change.

"They (the players) believe in the team," Livengood said. "I don't think there is a player on this team that doesn't believe we are heading in the right direction."

Redshirt freshman Ortege Jenkins said the issue was a surprise to him.

"We didn't know anything about it until today, but I am real happy about it," Jenkins said. "Now we can get our minds straight and focus on the game."

Senior linebacker Chester Burnett said he is thankful about the announcement and it couldn't have come at a better time.

"It's great because it's keeping the team together," Burnett said. "It would be a big loss to the program if he was to leave, plus they are going to have a helluva team next year."