WASHINGTON COACH SEARCH Only the best will do, but winning helps, too

The Huskies want someone who will restore the program to prominence.
SEATTLE (AP) -- Break out the checkbook, Washington. The athletic director hopes to restore Husky football to its old glory when he hires a new coach, and it's probably not going to come cheap.
Washington AD Todd Turner said Monday that Keith Gilbertson will step down after the season, ending an extremely difficult 15 months as Rick Neuheisel's successor.
"It became apparent to me -- really as early as the first day I took this job -- that if we didn't get a longterm commitment, then I was just going to be the interim coach," Gilbertson said.
Turner will begin his search immediately. He announced no timeframe but hopes to make the hire quickly.
Qualities
"They're going to need a Ph.D. in coaching," Turner said. "They need to be people of the highest integrity, with flawless character, who understand the mission of the university and the breadth of the job."
Turner, hired in August, and new university president Mark Emmert are distancing Washington from the turmoil that surrounded Neuheisel's dismissal. They intend to make the Huskies a national power again.
The 56-year-old Gilbertson is 7-13 in two seasons after stepping into a difficult situation in the summer of 2003. Neuheisel had just been fired for gambling on NCAA basketball when Gilbertson, the offensive coordinator, was promoted.
"It would have been easy to say no," Gilbertson said. "I had other options, but that would have been the opposite of what we tell our kids to do: Step up and take a shot."
The Huskies went 6-6 in Gilbertson's first season, then fell to 1-7 and 0-5 in the Pac-10 after a 31-6 loss at Oregon last weekend. It's the worst season in 35 years for a school that shared the 1991 national title.
Gilbertson, who also coached Idaho (1986-88) and California (1992-95), is 55-48 overall in nine seasons as a head coach.
Objectives
In his three months on campus, Turner has outlined plans for an ambitious renovation of Husky Stadium, and he wants a winner on the field. Emmert knows the importance of a successful football program -- his last job was as president at national co-champion LSU.
"We have an unbelievably rich history in our program," Turner said. "We have incredibly high aspirations for its future. We want to continue the tradition of excellence that has been here for many years."
Some names mentioned as potential candidates include California coach Jeff Tedford, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Urban Meyer of Utah, Boise State's Dan Hawkins and Missouri's Gary Pinkel.