A Near‑Miss in the Desert
Urban Meyer entered the conversation for the Arizona Wildcats head coaching position in the spring of 2011, a moment that would become a footnote in college football lore. At the time, Meyer was fresh off a national championship at Florida and was widely regarded as one of the most accomplished active coaches in the FBS.
Greg Byrne, who had just been promoted to athletics director at the University of Arizona, reached out to Meyer with a formal invitation. Byrne’s approach was notable not only for its professionalism but also for the personal touch he added, proposing to fly Meyer home and conduct the interview aboard a commercial flight.
Meyer’s decision was complicated by a family emergency: his father was battling cancer, a situation that demanded his immediate attention and made the prospect of relocating to Tucson less appealing. The personal strain led Meyer to initially decline Byrne’s overture.
Byrne, however, persisted. He arranged for a private jet to bring Meyer back to Arizona for a follow‑up discussion, insisting that the conversation take place mid‑flight. The director’s tenacity and genuine kindness left a strong impression on Meyer, who later described the episode as a testament to Byrne’s character.
Ultimately, Arizona opted for a different direction, hiring Rich Rodriguez, who would go on to enjoy a 10‑win season in 2014 before being dismissed in the 2018 offseason. Kevin Sumlin succeeded Rodriguez, steering the program through a period of transition.
Though the episode never materialized into a coaching change, it underscores how close Meyer came to joining the Wildcats and highlights the unpredictable nature of college football hiring cycles, where personal circumstances and administrative persistence can reshape a program’s destiny.