Jim Carlen, former WVU, Texas Tech and South Carolina coach, and just a generally great gentleman to talk to, died Saturday at his home in South Carolina. He was 79.

I came across Mr. Carlen a few times on the beat and it was always fun. Had it been a few more times, I would have bought some property from him as part of the little real estate thing he had going on at Hilton Head Island. Smooth operator.

Anyhow, my favorite conversation with him was before the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, when we made a meal out of the unexpected part of bowl preparation.

I yanked the story out of the archives. Enjoy.

Publication: CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL
Published: Friday, December 28, 2007
Page: 3B
Byline: BY MIKE CASAZZA
DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There is a certain mystery, shrouded in confidence, dripping from the words Bill Stewart speaks.

“The holsters,” West Virginia’s interim football coach said at Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl practice, “will be empty before we leave the field.”

What that means no one knows.

The Mountaineers have three of their six practices open to the media, but for about only 20 minutes or so. What happens the remainder of the time may never be known – or it may reveal itself on the field Jan. 2 against No. 3 Oklahoma.

After all, it was in the same game last year when underdog Boise State used a barrage of trick plays to beat the Sooners in overtime.

In truth, the Mountaineers need not resort to chicanery to win the game and Stewart simply has vowed to incorporate quarterback Patrick White, running back Steve Slaton, fullback Owen Schmitt and receiver Darius Reynaud.

“If those guys get chances to touch the ball, we’ll have a fine time,” Stewart said.

How the playmakers get the ball is the intrigue and there is precedent beyond the Boise State blockbuster.

It was 1969 and Jim Carlen was coaching the Mountaineers as they prepared for the Peach Bowl against South Carolina. Little did anyone know he was about to spring a surprise on the Gamecocks.

“We ran the wishbone,” Carlen said from his home in Hilton Head Island, S.C., where he is a real estate entrepreneur.

The Mountaineers were 4-0 and ranked No. 17 in the country when they headed to No. 5 Penn State, where they lost, 20-0.

“We should have beaten Penn State,” Carlen said. “We had a better team. But Oscar Patrick, our 6-foot-4 receiver who was probably as good as we ever had there, tore his knee up in warmups. We had to switch our plan and we weren’t ready for it.”

Carlen remembered the feeling. He caught his second-best receiver, Wayne Porter, cutting class before the bowl game and had to bench him. Carlen was left with no legitimate receivers.

“But,” he said, “we had three good running backs. Really good running backs.”

Bob Gresham ran for 1,155 yards and nine touchdowns that year. Jim Braxton had 842 yards and 12 scores and Eddie Williams added 589 yards and four touchdowns.

Carlen knew passing would be a problem and was sure South Carolina would think the same. If WVU was forced to run, Carlen was going to do it differently.

WVU ran the veer that season, something Carlen and his staff, which included Bobby Bowden, studied from then-Houston Coach Bill Yeoman. The Mountaineers ran from a split-back formation and utilized quick, handoff set-up plays where the running back read his offensive linemen’s blocks.

Before the bowl, Carlen and assistant Jim Flick went to the University of Texas to study the wishbone. Without a wide receiver, Carlen put Williams at fullback with Gresham and Braxton at the halfbacks. They lined up in the wishbone and ran the veer plays.

“South Carolina had never seen us in that,” Carlen said. “They worked so hard on the veer and they were waiting for the halfback to dive and to react. We gave it to the fullback inside and they never even touched him.

“We kept handing off to him and there was nobody there.”

Williams ran 35 times for 208 yards and the Mountaineers threw only two passes, winning 14-3 in a steady rain.

“If it hadn’t been raining, we would have beaten them by 40,” Carlen said.

It would be hard to keep a plan like that confidential today, even though schools go to great lengths by closing practices. Carlen’s were open and one day before the bowl, WVU Hall of Fame sportswriter Tony Constantine approached Carlen after practice.

“He said, ‘Coach, what were you doing out there?’ ” Carlen said. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘It looked like you were running an option offense and I know you don’t run an option offense.'”

Carlen didn’t hesitate with his reply.

“We’re using an up-back,” he said, “and if you tell anyone we won’t let you back in practice.”

The secret was preserved, although Carlenwasn’t done protecting the truth.

A day after the bowl win, Carlen resigned as WVU coach and moved on to Texas Tech, accepting an offer he had agreed to a few days before the game.

Carlen was making $17,000 at the time and while not completely satisfied with his salary, he had gone to then-President James Harlow to ask for raises for his assistants.

“He said we had a good year, but we would have had a better year if we had beaten Penn State,” Carlen said.

Carlen was hurt. He had received job offers before, but remained loyal to WVU, which had given him his first job. Carlen wanted to stay until he felt the program was in better shape than when he inherited it, allowing a replacement to continue the success.

“I didn’t look until Harlow did that to us,” Carlensaid.

Texas Tech called and Carlen agreed to meet in Atlanta as WVU prepared for the Peach Bowl. He accepted without ever visiting Texas Tech. Carlen didn’t tell anyone until after beating South Carolina.

When the game was over, Carlen paid Harlow a visit to tell him his decision.

“What do you have to have to stay here?” Harlow said.

“I’m insulted,” Carlen replied. “You didn’t want me until someone else wanted me. I don’t want to do business that way.”

A day later, Carlen was gone and Bowden, his recommended replacement, was in charge.

“I could keep a secret,” he said.

“You probably couldn’t get away with that today, either.”