AD candidate Berndt takes Missouri post

Former Penn football coach Jerry Berndt ended speculation he may be Penn's next Athletic Director by accepting the offensive coordinator position at Missouri. Berndt cited the length of the Athletic Director selection process as the main factor leading to his decision. "The process was so long and lengthy that when this opportunity presented itself I couldn't wait any longer," Berndt said. "If the process had concluded two weeks ago, I would have been delighted and ecstatic to take the the Penn job. I really wanted to get to the final interview stage of the process." That desire to return to Penn was echoed in almost every one of Berndt's statements. "I'll be very honest with you. I was delighted at the prospect of becoming the Athletic Director of the University of Pennsylvania. I made a conscious decision in the middle of last fall to make a career change if Penn wanted me to be the Athletic Director. I would have been very happy to end my pro career as Athletic Director at Penn." Berndt led the Quakers to four Ivy titles in five years in the early 1980s before serving as head coach at Rice and Temple. He joins Larry Smith at Missouri. Smith most recently coached at USC, leading the Trojans to the Rose Bowl in 1990. "He adds the extra dimension we need to fill out our coaching staff," Smith said. "His head coaching background and offensive knowledge fit perfectly with my own coaching philosophy, both offensively and defensively." Berndt looks at this job as an opportunity to return to football after a year-long hiatus. "This is a new beginning for me," he said. "I'm prepared to pick up where I left off."