Canzano: Lessons learned and stories told by two Pac-12 head coaches
My Pac-12 picks...
Earlier this season, I noticed Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith having a jovial chat with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham before kickoff of their game in Salt Lake City.
They looked like two old friends, catching up.
I made a note to ask about it.
Smith, 43, has a lot of respect for Whittingham. He’s watched him build a football empire at Utah. Whittingham, 62, has respect for Smith, too. It’s evident in the way he talks about OSU’s coach.
I spoke with both coaches on Wednesday. My interview with Whittingham centered around his game against Oregon this week. Also, his strict daily habits. We ended up on the subject of the book titled “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It turns out that the author of that book — Stephen R. Covey — is the grandfather of former Utah receiver Britain Covey.
“We know about that book very well,” Whittingham said. “In fact, I grew up in the same neighborhood as Brit’s grandfather.”
Later in the day, I spoke with Smith in an interview. I asked him about that pre-game chat he had with Whittingham in October. What were the two head coaches discussing? It didn’t look like football talk. Smith revealed something interesting.