News Caps Whirlwind Day For Petrino, Razorbacks

(To listen to Bobby Petrino's first press conference as Arkansas head football coach, click here for an mp3 file or listen via the mp3 player at the end of this article.)

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas was taking no chances with its hiring of new football coach Bobby Petrino.

Petrino was interviewed, signed to a contract and announced as the 30th Razorbacks coach all on Tuesday. It capped a whirlwind day for Petrino, who resigned his post with the Atlanta Falcons just hours prior to coming to terms with Arkansas officials on a five-year contract worth $2.85 million per year.

Potential hires had fallen through for Arkansas in the search to replace Houston Nutt, who resigned Nov. 26. Reports of accepted offers and subsequent deals coming apart preceded incoming athletic director Jeff Long meeting personally with Petrino and having the contract singed before the two returned to Fayetteville for a 10:30 p.m. press conference.

Petrino appeared on a stage in the Broyles Athletic Complex Raymond Miller Room with his wife and two youngest children only hours after resigning as coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He replaces Nutt, who left for Ole Miss after 10 years with the Razorbacks.

"It was a day of decisions," Petrino said. "It was difficult in one side and very easy on the other. It was very difficult to leave Atlanta and what we had started there, difficult to leave the staff, players and the fans. The timing of it was probably the thing that made it the most difficult. I certainly would have liked to have stayed and finished the season and have all that work out, but circumstances presented that this was what we had to do today and I couldn't be more happy about it."

(Click here for a transcript of the news conference, and click here to watch video of the news conference from KTHV-TV, Channel 11.)

Petrino resigned from the Falcons just 13 games into his first NFL season. He took the professional coaching job less than a year ago, following a successful stint at Louisville. Petrino was 41-9 over four seasons with the Cardinals.

Long received word through an intermediary that Petrino planned to resign Tuesday. Shortly thereafter, Long was on a plane to Atlanta. Petrino and Long met for about two hours before legal representation for the university and Petrino were brought in to hammer out contract specifics.

"Certainly he met the criteria we were looking for in a head coach," Long said. "When we got word he was going to resign, I knew he would be someone that would be sought by many colleges that had openings. When we found out he was going to resign, I knew we had to move quickly."

Less than a week after Nutt resigned reports surfaced Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was a candidate. North Caronlina coach Butch Davis was also linked and sources confirmed offers were made last week to Wake Forest's Jim Grobe and Clemson's Tommy Bowden.