'Brother' Bill discusses career, Bowden, Stallings

ALEXANDER CITY, ALABAMA - Bill Oliver is friendly with one of his former bosses, and not so friendly with another.<br> <br> The surprising twist: the famed defensive coordinator gets along fine with former Auburn coach Terry Bowden, who left the job amid rumors of a coup involving Oliver.<br> <br> And Alabama&#39;s Gene Stallings, who won a national championship with Oliver running the defense? ``He&#39;s not a friend of mine,&#39;&#39; Oliver told The Birmingham News in a story Sunday.<br> <br> Eight years since he left Auburn, Oliver lives in a house on Lake Martin, fishing for crappie and bream and playing golf as often as possible.<br> <br> He&#39;s turned down overtures from South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier to become the Gamecocks&#39; defensive coordinator. Oliver spends hours each week analyzing videotape for both major college and Alabama high school coaches seeking counsel.<br> <br> He&#39;d also like to set the record straight: Oliver said he was a supporter, not a rival, of Bowden, who walked away from the job midway through the 1998 season.<br> <br> ``Everyone feels I cut his throat. I never had anything but complimentary things to say about him,&#39;&#39; said Oliver, who finished the season as interim head coach.<br> <br> ``I&#39;d love to work with Terry Bowden 365 days a year,&#39;&#39; he said. ``He was young and he had a hard time handling success no ifs, ands or buts about that. He got in that mode where this is what got us here, and we&#39;re not going to change. But he&#39;s one heck of a football coach.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Bowden also said he and ``Brother&#39;&#39; Oliver have gotten over any hard feelings.<br> <br> ``After I left, Brother and I met and talked and buried any differences we had,&#39;&#39; Bowden said. ``We&#39;ve been good friends ever since.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Oliver, who turns 67 in November, won five national championship rings one as a player under Bear Bryant at Alabama, three as a Bryant assistant and a fifth working under Stallings.<br> <br> The resume was enough to bring South Carolina&#39;s Spurrier calling in Alexander City in February, trying to hire him as defensive coordinator as he had while coaching at Florida.<br> <br> ``I picked him up at the airport and nobody saw us. I took him to the house and we spent four hours talking,&#39;&#39; Oliver said. ``Then he flew out, telling me to think it over.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Oliver&#39;s wife, Sue, said he should take it.<br> <br> ``I knew he was going to struggle defensively. They&#39;ve got nothing back there,&#39;&#39; Oliver said. ``I sat in bed two, three hours thinking it over. Yes, the money would have been nice. But I felt the best thing I could do was keep doing what I&#39;m doing.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Oliver coached defensive backs for nine seasons under Bryant, leaving after the 1979 season to become head coach at Chattanooga.<br> <br> He returned to Tuscaloosa to work for Stallings. Asked about Oliver, Stallings doesn&#39;t say much.<br> <br> ``I thought the defensive secondary played extremely well (under Oliver),&#39;&#39; he said. ``And they were extremely well coached.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The relationship deteriorated following the 1992 national championship run. Cornerback Antonio Langham, one of Oliver&#39;s favorite players, signed with an agent in the hours after the 1993 Sugar Bowl.<br> <br> Oliver believes Langham, who wasn&#39;t declared ineligible until the week of the 1993 SEC championship game, was made the scapegoat because Alabama did not report the contact immediately.<br> <br> After the 1995 season, Oliver filed his retirement papers and went home. Then Bowden came calling.<br> <br> A year later, Stallings stepped down at Alabama and Mike DuBose, Oliver&#39;s successor as defensive coordinator, got the job. If Oliver had stuck around, he has no doubt he&#39;d have been the Tide&#39;s head coach.<br> <br> ``Hell, yeah, I would&#39;ve been the guy,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Stallings agrees. ``I think Brother would have been in line when I left if he&#39;d stayed around,&#39;&#39; he said.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/8/105555