SAN DIEGO – Time and friendship might heal even the most devastating wounds – like losing football’s ultimate game.
Either Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden or Raiders head man Bill Callahan will wake up this morning – provided they slept at all – carrying the heavy burden of a Super Bowl defeat.
But both men, best of friends for more than a decade, said before yesterday’s game they would rejoice for their victorious pal even while coping with the sting of losing.
“I’m so happy for a lot of those people there,” said Gruden, who coached Oakland into the AFC Divisional round last season before bolting to Tampa. “At the same time, I can’t tear myself in half with all these emotions. I’m the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I’m very excited about that.”
Gruden was a Green Bay assistant coach in 1992 when he first met Callahan, the offensive line coach at the nearby University of Wisconsin. The two instantly bonded and Gruden brought his pal along to coaching stints in Philadelphia and Oakland.
“Bill and I have worked together closely, a lot of hours, personal hours, professional hours and I’ve learned a great deal from him,” Gruden said. “[Callahan] is a great football coach and a great guy.”
Gruden’s departure to Tampa opened the door for Callahan, and the previously little-known assistant made the most of his chance.
While crediting his staff and players for the Raiders’ run to San Diego, Callahan said Gruden set the ground work for this season’s success in Oakland.
Gruden led Oakland for four seasons, posting regular-season records of 8-8, 8-8, 12-4 and 10-6. The Raiders fell in the AFC title game to the Baltimore Ravens 2001 and lost the infamous tuck-rule game at New England in the Divisional playoffs in 2002. In both cases, Oakland lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion.
“Going into the program, when we took the program over, it was important for us to maintain what Jon had done and improve on it,” Callahan said. “We’ve improved in every area . . . but I would be remiss if I didn’t credit Jon for laying that initial foundation.”