ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 1996 TAG: 9602120072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS
SOURCE: Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS withdraws a contract extension offer from Ted Marchibroda, who brought the team within one play of the Super Bowl.
Ted Marchibroda brought the Indianapolis Colts a measure of success and respectability, although not enough to save his job as coach.
Marchibroda, who took the Colts within one play of the Super Bowl, said Friday he will not return next season.
Bill Tobin, the team's director of football operations, said two days ago that Marchibroda had rejected a one-year contract extension, which was then withdrawn. The pair met briefly on Friday, and Marchibroda said he was told ``they were going to go in a different direction.''
``I had hoped to be a part of next season and I expected the Colts to be in the Super Bowl,'' Marchibroda said at an evening news conference. ``It was not meant to be.''
In a statement issued by the team, Tobin said Marchibroda was relieved of his duties ``due to an inability to reach a contract agreement.'' But Marchibroda, who described himself as ``disappointed'' by the team's decision, said he thought Tobin had decided to replace him long ago.
``I think this was Bill's idea right from the beginning,'' Marchibroda said. ``I think this isn't something that just happened within the last couple of weeks, I think this is something that has been planned for a while.''
In an interview with Indianapolis radio station WIBC, Tobin said he has not yet chosen a successor, and did not know when he would do so.
``There's no timetable, probably the sooner the better,'' Tobin said. ``I have not talked to anyone, I have not had a list together. You always have things in your head but anybody, whoever I hire, will have nothing to do with what happened today.''
There have been persistent rumors that the job might go to offensive coordinator Lindy Infante, the former Green Bay coach who was out of football for three years before joining the Colts this past season.
With Marchibroda, Infante and defensive coordinator Vince Tobin, who was named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week, the Colts went 9-7 and reached the playoffs for only the second time since they moved from Baltimore in 1984. After victories over San Diego and Kansas City, they lost 20-16 to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game when a desperation pass went incomplete in the end zone on the final play of the game.
Marchibroda, who also coached the Colts to three AFC Eastern Division titles in Baltimore, was not happy with the one-year contract offer at about $600,000, the same pay he earned last season, and had sought a new contract for two years at a higher salary. But after Tobin withdrew the one-year offer, Marchibroda had admitted he didn't think he would be back.
General manager Jim Irsay, who is attending the NFL owners meeting in Chicago, said he had hoped something could have been worked out with Marchibroda. But he agreed with Tobin that a one-year offer was appropriate.
Marchibroda, at 64 the NFL's second-oldest head coach, said he is keeping his options open.
``I have no immediate plans whatsoever,'' he said, adding that he had not yet spoken to any coaches or players about leaving the team.
Marchibroda compiled a 73-71 record with the Colts during his two stints as coach. He was 41-36 in five years in Baltimore, which included AFC East titles in 1975, 1976 and 1977. He was fired after the 1979 season and later served as an assistant in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Buffalo, where he was offensive coordinator and designed the no-huddle offense that took the Bills to the Super Bowl.
Ron Meyer was fired as Colts coach five games into the 1991 season, and Marchibroda was hired to replace interim coach Rick Venturi at the end of that 1-15 season.
In his first season, the Colts went 9-7, an eight-game improvement that matched the greatest turnaround in NFL history. The Colts dipped to 4-12 in 1993 but improved to 8-8 after drafting Marshall Faulk in 1994.
This past season, Jim Harbaugh was the NFL's top-rated quarterback. Marchibroda also coached the AFC team in last week's Pro Bowl.
``I feel I did the job I was brought in to do and that was to coach the Colts back to respectability,'' Marchibroda said. ``... It's been a great ride here in Indianapolis.''
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Marchibroda. color. KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB