UCLA Decides 4 Years Is Enough of Hazzard : Former Bruin Player Lasts the Longest of the Five Successors to John Wooden

The rumors that had been circulating for months and escalating since UCLA was ousted from the Pacific 10 Conference tournament with a final season record of 16-14 came true Wednesday morning when Athletic Director Peter Dalis met with Walt Hazzard and relieved him of his duties as the UCLA basketball coach.

Hazzard had been the Bruin coach for four years, longer than any of the four other coaches who followed Coach John Wooden.

It is one of those former coaches, Larry Brown of Kansas, who is being prominently mentioned to replace Hazzard. Also reportedly being sought are Arizona Coach Lute Olson and North Carolina State Coach Jim Valvano.

Both Olson and Brown will be coaching teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Final Four at Kansas City, Mo., this weekend.

Brown has said many times in the past that leaving UCLA was the biggest mistake he ever made. And there are high school prospects in the area who have told friends that when they talked with Brown recently, he asked them not only how they felt about playing for him at Kansas, but about how they would feel about playing for him at UCLA.

Brown, when contacted at his home in Lawrence, Kan., said Wednesday night: “I can’t talk about anything like that now. I’m busy coaching KU and trying to win a national championship. That’s the only thing I’m focusing on right now. But I love UCLA, and I’m concerned about whatever happens there.”

Brown’s contract at Kansas will be up at the end of this season. He is also being mentioned as a candidate to become the first coach of the Charlotte, N.C., expansion team in the National Basketball Assn.

Olson signed a five-year contract with Arizona on Oct. 14, 1987, the day before practice began. When he was asked by reporters Wednesday whether he’d like to have the UCLA job, Olson talked first about how much he and his family liked Arizona, but added that there is an escape clause in his contract in case he ever wanted to leave.

Dalis, who said that he did not plan to go to Kansas City, said he only hoped to replace Hazzard “as soon as possible.”

Wooden, when asked to comment on another change of coaches at UCLA, said, “It doesn’t make any difference what profession you’re in, when a friend loses a job, you’re disappointed. But I don’t want to get into the middle of things any more than that.

“They don’t ask me my opinion of who should be the coach at UCLA. They never did in the past. Why should they start now? Really. I’m serious. I don’t think that they should. I’ve never been on a search committee or anything like that.”

But when the most-mentioned names were run by him, Wooden had some noteworthy observations.

On Valvano, he said, “You mean the guy who is both coach and athletic director at North Carolina State and who makes the kind of money I saw reported in USA Today?”

On Brown, he said, “Don’t we hear his name every time a job is open?”

And on Olson, he said, “I don’t know why someone like that would be mentioned. Unless it would help him back home.”

Indeed, highest-placed sources were suggesting that it was Valvano who was most likely to take the position. If that were to happen, it would be a major coup for UCLA. Valvano currently is coach and athletic director at North Carolina State, and recent estimates of his salary (and total extras) approach $750,000.

To get Valvano, UCLA would have to offer much more money than the position has paid in the past, and possibly offer a job currently held by Dalis.

Hazzard was given a contract extension last summer after his team finished 25-7 and won the Pac-10 title and after he was named conference coach of the year. UCLA may have to buy out the remaining two years of his contract.

UCLA has not done that in the past, but Dalis said Wednesday night, “Any institution does what it has to do. This move was made in the best interest of the institution.”

Hazzard’s attorney, Jerry Roth, said Wednesday night that he and Hazzard had met during the day with UCLA officials and that he did not expect any problems regarding the contract. Roth said, “We are confident that we will resolve it in a very positive way for everyone.”

Sources close to the UCLA athletic department had been saying all season that although Dalis had been an admirer of Hazzard when he hired Hazzard just hours after the resignation of Larry Farmer in March 1984, Dalis and Hazzard were no longer seeing eye to eye, but Chancellor Charles Young had made it clear that, as a matter of policy, the university should back its coach and honor the coach’s contract.

Asked about this Wednesday, Dalis said, “(The chancellor and I) dealt with it collectively.”

Hazzard had a four-year record of 77-47.

But Hazzard’s regime has been plagued by more than his record. Midway through the past season, his 7-foot sophomore center, Greg Foster, transferred to Texas El Paso. And there was continued speculation that sophomore forward Trevor Wilson, an All-Pac-10 player, was also considering transferring.

Wilson said last week that although it was true he did want to play alongside his good friend Don MacLean, now a senior at Simi Valley High School, that would happen only if MacLean chose to play at UCLA. MacLean, who had not made a commitment to Hazzard, was on campus Wednesday afternoon with Wilson.

Neither Hazzard nor his top assistant, Jack Hirsch, was in the office Wednesday. Kris Jason, who recently returned to the UCLA staff as an assistant when Andre McCarter left “to pursue other interests” has been asked to stay on during the transition period.

Letters from alumni had suggested that they were not pleased with Hazzard’s record or his court presence, which often seemed negative and even combative.

He did not have rapport with reporters, initiating confrontations with more than one this season.

Dalis denied a rumor that the chancellor had met with each of the players individually and received a vote of confidence for their coach from just one player, junior guard Jerome (Pooh) Richardson.

Dalis also denied a rumor that 10 influential alumni had come forward with the money and the real estate interests that would be necessary to lure a big-name coach.

Dalis said Hazzard was “hurt and disappointed” when told that he was being relieved of his job. Hazzard was unavailable at his office and at his home all day Wednesday.

Hazzard, who will be 46 on April 15, played for Wooden at UCLA on the 1962-63-64 teams and was the first-round draft pick of the Lakers in ’64. Hazzard played in the National Basketball Assn. for 10 years. He coached at Compton College and at Chapman College before becoming coach at UCLA.

Times staff writer Mal Florence contributed to this story.

Walt Hazzard’s Coaching Record

Year School W-L Pct. 1980-81 Compton 24-3 .889 1981-82 Compton 29-6 .828 1982-83 Chapman 21-8 .724 1983-84 Chapman 22-6 .786 1984-85 UCLA 21-12 .636 1985-86 UCLA 15-14 .517 1986-87 UCLA 25-7 .781 1987-88 UCLA 16-14 .533