Arizona: A second chance for Bernie Busken

"When we saw his application come in we didn’t know if we should consider him because of his past, but we decided to at least listen," Basha (Chandler) High School principal Ken James said. "I expected a brash-talking, egotistical loudmouth to come in and tell us how the football program should be run. Instead, we heard a humble, gentlemanly professional who absolutely wowed our search committee.

"He went right to the top of our radar after the interview because what came through loud and clear was his love and caring for student athletes."

James sent a recommendation to the Chandler school board this week to hire Busken as Basha’s new football coach. The board was expected to approve the recommendation Wednesday night, putting Busken in charge of a program that has reached the state playoffs every season since it began playing as an Arizona Interscholastic Association member in 2005.

The hiring also completes an eight-year odyssey in which Busken went from the bright lights of Arizona prep power Mesa Mountain View to the wilderness of Western New Mexico University, where he coached for six years, three as an assistant and the past three as head coach, following stints in Brazoswood, Texas and at Southern Utah.

"It’s been a good eight years because I got to go back to the bottom of the totem pole and start over," Busken said, "sometimes to be treated good, sometimes to be treated poorly, but it was good for me because it made me more aware of things you say and do and how they affect others."

After leading Mountain View (Mesa) to three Class 5A state championships and an 82-9 record from 1995-2001, including a Class 5A-record 40-game winning streak, Busken resigned in the spring of 2002 amid allegations of verbally abusing players, allowing hazing rituals and excessive athlete-on-athlete contact after being warned to desist by the school district.

At the time of his resignation, Busken was anything but contrite. He blamed a certain faction of the Mountain View community for orchestrating a witch hunt, and he blamed the Phoenix media for reporting exaggerations, half-truths and outright lies. Busken still wishes the unhappy members of the Mountain View community had come to him instead of airing their grievances through the media, but time has healed most of those wounds. It’s also given Busken more perspective on his past.

"Eight years and four months ago, I didn’t care for me," Busken said. "I had my priorities out of order. The thrill of the chase was more important than anything else. I did not always understand other people’s passions.

"When I left Mountain View I spent a lot of time thinking about the things I had said to people, the way I had said those things and some things I did."

Although he would not talk specifics, Busken said he regrets some of his actions.

"I never have done anything where I meant to hurt someone physically, mentally or anything else. I just tried to prepare them for their one shot to do well," he said. "All I can do now is apologize. If I was kidding around and I crossed a line; for those things I was wrong and I am sorry."

"It would be hard for me to sit here and say Bernie’s a changed man because I never saw that Woody Hayes, punch-him-in-the-face kind of person," Western New Mexico athletic director Scott Woodard said. "He’s a disciplinarian who expects you to do things the right way, be fundamental and play hard, but we’ve never had a whiff of a problem with him."

James knows it will be his hide if those problems resurface at Basha. Given Busken’s past, Basha should take a zero-tolerance stance toward him. If verifiable evidence surfaces that he has breached their trust, Busken should be fired. James says he will not institute any additional safeguards to ensure Busken minds his Ps and Qs.

"I just joked with him that I’m going to be his shadow for a while but the honest answer is no," James said. "I hired him. Now I have to trust him.

"We talked to a lot of people in his life. Our research was exhaustive. He’s our man and I wouldn’t have hired him if I didn’t think he could and would do the job the correct way.

"If he messes up then I was wrong and I’ll have to answer for that."

Some of Basha’s players and parents have expressed surprise over the hire, but most are taking a wait-and see approach. Busken is offering them even more.

"They’re welcome to come to practice every day, to watch and listen," Busken said. "I’m not going to act any different just because someone’s there. I am who I am and I want the same thing those parents want: to do well, act right and be successful."

Time has also altered Busken’s perspective on winning.

"I’m older now, so I want the kids to enjoy the game more," he said. "The expectations are pretty high at a lot of places, and that’s OK, but we’ve also got to be realistic and remember why we’re doing this."

Busken knows he will be under the microscope – that small missteps will be magnified because of his past. He also knows his actions will speak louder than his words. He is at peace with both of those realities.

"Talk is cheap, so come watch me," he said. "I am a parent, too, and I care about kids. Maybe it’s time to give me another chance."