Zornes Finalist At Sacramento

Former Eastern Washington University football coach Dick Zornes is one of six finalists for the head coaching job at Sacramento State.

Zornes should know by early next week if he’s Sac State’s choice.

He interviewed for the position on Wednesday.

“I thought it was one of the most thorough interviews I’ve been through,” said Zornes. “I met with five different groups of people. I was pretty straightforward with my answers. I’m pretty ingrained with the way I believe.”

“We have the last two candidates in this weekend,” said Sacramento State athletic director Lee McElroy. “After that, I’ll sit down with the president and discuss it and we’ll extend an offer.”

Zornes, 50, was 89-66-2 in 15 years as EWU’s head coach. He led the Eagles in the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I-AA when EWU joined the Big Sky Conference in 1984. His 1992 team shared the Big Sky title with Idaho.

“Dick has an extensive record, he has done well with limited resources (at EWU) and he understands I-AA football,” said McElroy, whose program also has had to battle limited funding.

Sac State football survived a close shave with the budget knife this spring when students passed a referendum.

A member of the four-team America West Conference, Sac State has applied for membership in the Big Sky. The Hornets are hopeful of being invited to join the Big Sky for the 1996 season, McElroy said.

Zornes, who played at EWU from 1963-66, was EWU’s athletic director for two years, resigning in the spring of 1993. He stepped down as football coach following the 1993 season and has helped with EWU fundraising the past two years.

Asked why he is interested in the Sac State job, Zornes said there were a number of reasons.

“My situation at Eastern is not as good as could be for me and that has as much to do with it as anything,” said Zornes. “It might be time for me to look at something else. That (coaching) is what I know.”

Other Sac State finalists are Mike Moroski, assistant coach at UC Davis; former Dallas Cowboy Doug Cosbie, assistant at Stanford; Steve DePrato, head coach at Modesto City College; John Volek, head coach at Fresno City College; and Ed Lombardi, head coach at Elk Grove High School, near Sacramento.

The Hornets are replacing Mike Clemons, who accepted an assistant’s job at University of The Pacific in February.

, DataTimes