BATON ROUGE, La. -- Assistant coaches from Georgia and Texas A&M who both played football in Louisiana became the third and fourth candidates interviewed to replace Louisiana State football coach Bill Arnsparger.
The LSU screening committee Tuesday interviewed George Haffner, Georgia's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, and Lynn Amedee, Texas A&M's offensive coordinator.
Amedee, a Baton Rouge native, said he has turned down several other job offers to remain available for the LSU opening.
'I'm an LSU guy, born and raised here,' the former LSU quarterback said. 'If it happens, it'll be the greatest thing. If not, I'll have to adjust.'
Amedee became a Tiger assistant in 1975 and left LSU three years later to become head coach at Tennessee-Martin when the contract for LSU head coach Charley McClendon was not renewed.
Tennessee-Martin posted 4-7 records in the 1980 and 1981 seasons with Amedee, whereupon he resumed assistant coaching positions at LSU and Vanderbilt before joining Texas A&M, which has led the Southwest conference in offense the past two seasons.
Before coaching at LSU, Amedee held assistant coaching positions with Northeast Louisiana, Tulane, the New Orleans Saints and in Birmingham with the World Football League.
'They asked me if I'd leave for another job and I said, 'You'd have to run me off,'' Amedee said. 'LSU had one coach for 20 years and all of a sudden they're going to have four coaches in six years.
'I think it's time LSU wants to settle down and get a guy who wants to be here and has no ties any place else. This is home for me.'
Haffner earned a football letter from McNeese State in 1964. He was assistant coach at Iowa state, Pittsburgh, Florida State and Texas A&M before joining Georgia in 1980 when the Bulldogs won the national championship.
The first two interviews were conducted Saturday with Tiger defensive coordinator Mike Archer and offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher.
A committee member said three more interviews are scheduled this week. The staff is to talk to Southwestern Louisiana coach Nelson Stokley and former USFL Tampa Bay Bandits coach Steve Spurrier tomorrow and to former Cleveland Browns coach Sam Rutiglian Friday morning.
The committee is to present a minimum of three recommendations to the LSU Board of Supervisors Dec. 23.
