STANFORD, Calif. — When Andrew Luck decided Stanford needed to change its head football coach at an unusual time in late March, he turned to a familiar face.
Luck reached out to his former NFL coach Frank Reich — who was in the middle of a shopping trip at Costco — and made the pitch for Reich to coach the team for one season to give Luck more time to find a long-term replacement.
“I think I was walking around with my fingers and toes crossed for four days hoping this was going to work out,” Luck said. “I think it’s a way for us to move forward in all the right ways.”
Luck and Reich believe they are once again a perfect fit nearly six years after their time together in Indianapolis came to an abrupt end when Luck announced his surprise retirement just before the start of the 2019 season.
The two formed strong bonds during their year and a half together in the NFL, with Reich even officiating at Luck’s wedding. They remained close over the ensuing years and now are back together in new roles with Luck in charge as the general manager of the football program.
“He’s the boss,” Reich said with a smile when asked about the differences from their time with the Colts. “I was the boss the last time. … I can do that for one season maybe.”
The temporary timeframe was a selling point to both sides. Reich was enjoying his time away from coaching, working for his foundation — which is aimed at ending the sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking of children — and speaking to religious groups and writing a book that he described as a “biblical view of competition.”
Reich considered some offers this offseason to return to coaching as an assistant in the NFL but only wanted a job he felt was right with people he respected. When Luck called him…
Source link : https://www.nbcsports.com/college-football/news/andrew-luck-believes-the-hiring-of-coach-frank-reich-for-2025-is-a-perfect-fit-for-stanford
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Publish date : 2025-04-02 15:24:00
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