Kern: 'Nova's Talley ready to tackle final season as head coach

SO, HAS IT really been 32 years? Who would would have ever figured, way back when?

"No, you're right," said Villanova football coach Andy Talley, who will start the final season of his Hall of Fame-worthy era on Saturday afternoon at FBS Pitt. "I thought about it the other day, when I was sitting outside smoking my cigar. I can't believe it. I made it through five ADs, with five completely different personalities, and three presidents.

"How many people can say that?"

Indeed, it's been quite a run, even if there were some speed bumps along the way. But he's survived. And thrived. Now it's coming to a conclusion, largely on his terms. How many can say that?

"It's really not that hard (to be leaving at this point)," said Talley, who will stick around for another year after he steps down in the role of coach emeritus. "At 73, when I put it in perspective, I had a chance to look at a lot of things . . . We have an opportunity to finish with a really good season. The program is one of the best FCS programs in the country, and has been. We have a new football operations building (set to open shortly), which should catapult this program into the top 15 teams, year in and year out. My longtime associate head coach (Mark Ferrante) is becoming the head coach, my handpicked successor. The coaching staff that's been loyal to me continues to be here.

"How could you write a better script than that? The beat goes on, and I get to be here for another year and sort of keep my eye on things. I think that's a good thing. Carm Cozza at Yale still comes in two or three days a week. I won't be a pain in the butt. I'm actually going to be fine watching Mark and these guys continue. I want to have a cup of coffee, a phone and a book. I don't need anything else . . .

"I think because it's a body of work that a lot of guys would like to have, I can look back and say, 'You know, I did it the right way.' For the most part we handled ourselves in a first-class fashion. The record speaks for itself. I don't have to go out and say this or that. I did it, for over three decades. It's all written. I'm looking at this as it's as good an ending as you could have."

When he took over, there was no program. The school had stopped playing football after the 1980 season. Talley won 13 of his first 14 games. He had the Wildcats in the NCAA playoffs in his fourth full season. They had an unbeaten regular season in 1997, when they got to No. 1. They won it all in 2009, and advanced into the semifinals two other times. They have three wins over FBS teams. They've produced three Walter Payton Award winners, at three different positions. They've made the playoffs five of the last eight years, and likely would have been in the tournament a year ago had quarterback John Robertson not suffered a season-ending injury in the third game.

Legacy? Well, there's also his tireless work with the bone-marrow program, which has put some 11,000 people in the national registry and helped facilitate hundreds of transplants in the past three years alone.

"We've got a foundation that's saving lives," Talley said, proudly. "And we're going to do more."

He doesn't want this season to be about him. But how can it not be?

"That's the conversation he and I have had," Ferrante said. "He wants to keep it as normal as possible, move forward as is. From time to time, something will happen that makes it seem real. But he really doesn't want any fanfare or hoopla.

"I think he's going to realize as time goes on, the reality will set in, when there are some places that might make a big deal of it. And I think that will have to affect him in some way. As of now, things have been pretty smooth. I haven't seen much of a difference. I think the most important thing is how the players feel and how they perform. I think they're OK with everything. For the last however many years, coach hasn't coached a position. He's been more like the CEO. But he's the one we all look to. So he's doing what he's always done."

The Wildcats have been picked to finish fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association. Hey, the last time they didn't make the postseason in an even-numbered year was 2006.

"We're trying to treat it like any other season," said senior linebacker Austin Calitro, the team's leading returning tackler. "But we know what's there (with Talley). I guess it's kind of a little extra motivation for us.

"It's our last year, it's his last year. It's only right to send him off in the best way possible.

"He looks like he's taking everyting in stride. If he's acting differently, it's that he's a little more loose and happy. If anything, it seems like he's starting to appreciate things a little more. He makes jokes with us, he's just more fun. He wants to leave a lasting impression with his players."

Maybe they can even give him one more December run.

"Who knows what this could turn out to be?" Talley wondered. "For me, it's business as usual, as I'm trying to get the new head coach ready to be the new head coach. I think a playoff team would be a good way to go out. It's going to be close with this team. But we have a chance to do that."

As farewells go, who could ask for much more?

@mikekerndn