Tim Skipper, Fresno State’s next man up, gets season-long job interview | Opinion

The timing of Jeff Tedford’s retirement as Fresno State football coach — 48 days before the season opener at Michigan — was far from ideal.

Quite fortunate the Bulldogs have a perfect next man up in Tim Skipper. Someone more than capable of picking up the baton in sudden, difficult circumstances and running with it.

As Tedford steps away permanently and takes care of his health, these upcoming months are akin to Skipper’s season-long job interview.

The 46-year-old former Bulldog and heretofore assistant who made a stellar debut as “acting” head coach in the New Mexico Bowl has 12 games (if that many are required) to scrub the “interim” prefix from his title by showing campus decision-makers the permanent job should be his. No national search necessary.

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Based on my firsthand experience with Skipper, which goes back a quarter-century, I’ll simply say this: Don’t underestimate him. This is an individual with a long history of making doubters and skeptics look foolish.

Skipper remains the second-leading tackler in program history despite being listed at 5 feet 7 and 215 pounds as a senior, attributes that gave him a fair bit of notoriety as the smallest middle linebacker in college football’s Division I-A (now FBS) level.

What couldn’t be measured, at least without cutting him open, was the size of Skipper’s heart.

Fresno State began the 2000 season at Ohio State, and for weeks leading up to the game sports radio hosts from the Columbus area mocked Skipper’s size and predicted Buckeyes fullback Jamar Martin (listed at 6-2, 240) would bulldoze him.

Except that’s not what happened.

On Ohio State’s second offensive play, Skipper filled a gap and collided with Martin so violently both players felt the brunt. Martin immediately left the game. Skipper stayed in long enough to take part in a memorable goal-line stand before exiting with a shoulder injury that hampered him for months.

“They weren’t doing much talking after that,” Bulldogs coach Pat Hill said later that season. “Tim buckled that guy.”

Strong support for Skipper

Skipper’s reaction didn’t contain nearly as much bravado but was full of insight into his character.

“I just play the game, and if they’re saying the same things afterward, so be it,” he told me for a feature story. “But I try to change their minds, and most of the time I do.”

Skipper certainly doesn’t have to change many minds among Fresno State fans, donors and ex-players. He already has their strong support to become the permanent head coach. Especially when compared to other potential candidates.

More importantly, Skipper would assuredly have the best chance of the retaining current roster, a hallmark of the Tedford era. (The coaching change triggers a 30-day window allowing players to transfer to other FBS schools and be immediately eligible to play. So far there has been no news of key departures.)

Aside from the Michigan game, where the Wolverines will also be breaking in a new coach, Fresno State’s schedule isn’t all that daunting. Provided current standards are maintained — by that I mean eight or nine regular-season wins and vie for the Mountain West championship — the decision to appoint Skipper would be an easy one.

If the Bulldogs stumble to a .500 record or worse, that’s where things get complicated for Skipper. Newly hired athletic director Garrett Klassy surely has a few candidates in mind from stops at Houston and Nebraska. Obvious names includes Ryan Grubb (if simply to gauge interest) and Trent Dilfer, provided his UAB squad shows improvement from last season’s 4-8.

But honestly, I don’t think it’ll come to that. Despite the suddenness of the coaching change, there is enough talent and stability in the program to keep things humming under Skipper.

‘He commands the room’

Skipper certainly doesn’t have Tedford’s résumé or experience; few coaches do. And Skipper isn’t an offensive mastermind or quarterback guru; few coaches are.

But what Skipper does possess is football insight gained only by a lifetime spent around the game (father Jim Skipper and older brother Kelly Skipper are coaching veterans) as well as the innate ability to garner respect from everyone he meets.

Think Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin with a dash of Hill sprinkled in.

“He’s a guy that when he walks into a room, he commands the room,” Hill said of Skipper during the New Mexico Bowl radio broadcast. “He’s special.”

Skipper first appearance as interim head coach is Wednesday morning on the field at Valley Children’s Stadium. As if this were just another post-practice media availability.

That’s a mistake. Set Skipper up with a microphone and podium inside the Josephine Theater, invite a bunch of boosters and former Bulldogs and let him command the room.

Like I said, don’t underestimate the guy.