North Carolina State University Athletics
O'Cain Holds no Grudges
12/3/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
The football offices at the Weisiger-Brown building on the NC State campus could have easily been mistaken for the DH Hill Library on Friday. Other than a few players passing through here and there, it was as quiet as a funeral home. And in some respects, the somber atmosphere made it seem like someone had passed away.
Nine days after being told that he would not be retained as NC State's football coach, Mike O'Cain was in the process of cleaning out an office he had occupied for seven years. And though he may have lost his job, O'Cain didn't sound like a man who had lost his dignity or integrity.
"There is no animosity or ill feelings for what has been done, but there is hurt," O'Cain said. "I don't think anybody could go through something like this and not be hurt, particularly when you've put so much into a situation. There is hurt and there is disappointment, but I also understand how this business operates. The people who have to make these decisions have a job to do, and they have to do what they feel is best for this University. If at any point they don't feel like I or anybody else isn't the person for the job, then they need to make a change."
That change was made following a 6-6 season that concluded with back to back losses to North Carolina and East Carolina. And though O'Cain has taken an almost conciliatory attitude toward his dismissal, he disagrees with a few assertions NC State Athletics Director Les Robinson made the day his firing was announced. O'Cain rejected the notion that he was almost relieved following his dismissal and that the Wolfpack players had shown no support for him.
"If you would have been in the team meeting yesterday I think you would have seen a different reaction from that group of young men. I thought that was a very unfair statement to make about me personally. That hurt because I do think I have a good rapport with the players and I do think they supported me and would have liked to see me stay here. The other thing I don't understand is the statement that was made about me being a very happy man and elated when I found out I was fired. I was not elated on that Wednesday morning. I don't understand why that was said, but other than that, I have nothing else negative to say."
After getting the bad news, O'Cain and wife Nancy traveled to South Carolina for a Thanksgiving gathering with family members. Earlier this week, O'Cain went on a hunting trip before returning to Raleigh on Thursday.
It has been rumored in certain circles that O'Cain would be a candidate to become North Carolina's offensive coordinator if head coach Carl Torbush decides to make some staff changes. Asked if he would consider working at UNC, O'Cain said: "I'd be a fool not to. Your loyalty ends when that paycheck ends. Your loyalty is to where you are. Hopefully, I will always have great friendships here, but my loyalty will be to who I am working for. I want to stay in coaching and there are no guarantees that other jobs will come up. When an opportunity arises, you have to take advantage of that if you want to stay in this business. There's all this speculation going on over at Carolina but I think everybody over there still has a job. I'll just have to wait and see."
O'Cain's seven-year tenure at NC State produced a record of 41-40. Mixed in were three bowl appearances and memorable upset wins over nationally ranked opponents Florida State, Syracuse and Texas. But as much as anything else, an 0-7 record against Carolina ultimately sealed his fate. A few days after this year's 10-6 upset loss to the Tar Heels, there were subtle hints that a change might be in the air.
"I didn't really feel it until one of the coaches asked me on Sunday morning if that had cost us our jobs," O'Cain said. "Now, after the fact, knowing what I know now, I think it was just a matter of time before it happened. All the Carolina game did was throw the fuel on the fire that was burning pretty rapidly. It was either going to happen this year or next year. If we didn't win eight or nine games next year, it was going to be the same pressures we'd have to fight. From my understanding, it had just gotten to the point where a decision had to be made."
In the short term, O'Cain will take the opportunity to spend more time with his family. And he added that he hopes he'll have the chance to stay in the southeastern region of the country.
"The hardest thing isn't leaving NC State, it's leaving the people that you've worked with for 14 years," O'Cain said. "Those are the things that you carry with you forever."
