Louisville interim head coach Lorenzo Ward argues with a game official during the second half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State, in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. North Carolina State won 52-10. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)As University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright was waiting to introduce Lorenzo Ward as the Mocs' new defensive coordinator Tuesday afternoon, someone asked him to recall something that stood out about Ward during his first coaching stint at UTC in the mid-1990s, when Wright was a player and then a graduate assistant.
"Well, I remember he had this really old Chevy S-10 pickup truck," Wright said. "It was black, I think, but it had a lot of rust on it. When Coach Ward left to take a job at Virginia Tech, I'm pretty sure he left that pickup truck behind."
Ward apparently left at least some portion of his heart as well.
"This is where I started my career as a college coach 25 years ago," said the former Alabama player who was the interim head coach at Louisville last season after the Cardinals brass parted company with Bobby Petrino.
"(Tara) and I used to talk about retiring here one day. My family's always loved Chattanooga."
Chattanooga, and not just the Mocs Nation portion of it, should love this hire back.
One of the reasons Ward wanted to return to the Scenic City was his family's relationship with the Brocks. After a long, tough bout with cancer, Nancy Shoemaker Brock passed away on March 27. The Wards and the Brocks have been close friends for years, so much so that Nancy's parents Dan and Johnnie Shoemaker call themselves "my white parents," according to the African-American Ward.
Beyond that, Paul Brock and his children - 15-year-old Conleigh and 10-year-old Miller - also look at Lorenzo, Tara and Lorenzo Jr. as part of their family, "so it feels right to come back here to be with them."
Still, there are more than a few football reasons to believe this hire will pay big benefits for Wright and the Mocs during his first year running the program.
For starters, Ward coordinated a pretty stout defense at South Carolina for four seasons, his aggressive Gamecocks finishing 12th nationally in scoring defense in 2013 (20.3 papg), despite facing Clemson and eight Southeastern Conference teams. Though they had finished 13th nationally the previous season, they actually gave up fewer points per game (18.2).
Over 22 total seasons at the FBS level, there have also been notable stops at Virginia Tech - where the Hokies were third in pass defense during his final season there as the defensive backs coach in 2005 - Arkansas, Louisville and Fresno State.
"When you look at all the places Lorenzo's been, you can't put a price tag on that," Wright said.
Money, of course, is what often has kept the Mocs from attracting the best coaches, or, at the very least, keeping those with talent. The 52-year-old Ward doesn't sound likely to quickly return to the FBS ranks. He did speak of attempting to advise the younger assistants around him about the best way to reach their dreams.
He also tweeted out this bit of wisdom a few hours before he was introduced: "Don't get (so) caught up in planning your life that you forget what your purpose in life is. Life is just a vapor. Don't count your days but make your days count."
Mark WiedmerDoesn't sound like a guy eager to leave a place he long ago considered for a retirement home.
"Rusty has a lot to do with this," Ward said of his decision to return to the Mocs. "I know Rusty to be a good person."
He also said, "I hope I've developed some knowledge over the years that will help this program."
How much do other folks value his knowledge? HEROSports.com reportedly elevated UTC to No. 19 in its initial preseason poll Tuesday after presumably failing to have the Mocs ranked prior to his hire. More positive polls should follow closer to the start of the regular-season opener against Eastern Illinois on Thursday night, Aug. 29, at Finley Stadium.
So just what did happen to that rusty ol' black S-10 pickup truck?
"Rusty's right. I didn't take it to Virginia Tech," said Ward, breaking into a smile. "I ended up selling it to (former UTC defensive line coach) Ricky Logo for $1. I think he drove it for two years."
As good as that deal may have been for Logo, Wright hiring Ward for any salary is a far better one for UTC football.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.