Harris out; Mason, Tressel could get interviews for Ohio State job

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Cross one prominent name off the list to succeed John Cooper as Ohio State football coach. <br><br>Pittsburgh has denied Ohio State permission to talk to Panthers coach Walt Harris

Saturday, January 6th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Cross one prominent name off the list to succeed John Cooper as Ohio State football coach.

Pittsburgh has denied Ohio State permission to talk to Panthers coach Walt Harris about the Buckeyes' coaching position. The Buckeyes fired Cooper on Tuesday, one day after a 24-7 loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

``Late today, I was contacted by Ohio State, which requested permission to talk to Walt Harris,'' Pitt athletics director Steve Pederson said Friday. ``Consistently, coach Harris has said he's happy and excited to be at Pitt, and he is not looking to leave.

``In that vein, and in the best interest of our program, I have denied Ohio State permission to talk with him. I have talked with coach Harris in depth, and he is comfortable with the position we have taken.''

Ohio State athletics director Andy Geiger got a more favorable response from his counterpart at Minnesota, who said Geiger could speak with Golden Gophers coach Glen Mason about the job.

``Andy Geiger said he'd like to talk to our football coach, and I said I was not going to stand in the way of doing that,'' Minnesota athletics director Tom Moe said Friday. ``I don't know any more than that.''

Moe said he had ``no idea'' when Ohio State officials would contact Mason. But, Moe added, ``If there's anything I can do to see that he stays, I will.''

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported that Mason and Youngstown State coach Jim Tressel, who served on the same Ohio State coaching staff under Earle Bruce from 1983-85, could interview for the Buckeyes' coaching job as soon as Saturday at the NCAA Football Coaches Convention in Atlanta.

Mason told the newspaper that he had not spoken with Ohio State. Tressel confirmed being contacted by representatives from Ohio State's search committee and said he is interested in the job.

``I've had a chance to talk to the folks there and I am even more excited at this moment,'' Tressel said. ``It's an exciting situation. Anyone who loves the game of football and loves the state of Ohio would be extremely excited to have the opportunity to talk to the folks who are in a decision-making position.''

The News Journal of Mansfield, quoting an unidentified source, reported Saturday that other candidates who have been asked to interview with the committee include Miami offensive coordinator Larry Coker, Oklahoma assistant head coach Mike Stoops, Ohio State assistant head coach Fred Pagac and Akron coach Lee Owens, who along with Coker is a former Ohio State assistant.

Mike Stoops, a Youngstown native, is the brother of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, whose team won the national championship Wednesday by defeating Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Bob Stoops has taken himself out of consideration for the Ohio State job.

Geiger did not return a message seeking comment left Friday night.

Mason played on Woody Hayes' 1970 Big Ten championship team at Ohio State and later coached at the school under Hayes and Bruce from 1978-85.

He recently signed a seven-year contract with Minnesota worth about $1 million a year. His contract has no buyout clause, but if he leaves before the end of the deal he would forfeit an incentive package worth about $2 million.

Tressel has been head coach at Youngstown State since 1986 and has won Division I-AA national titles in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997.

Harris, who in four seasons has coached Pitt to its only two bowl appearances in 11 years, was Ohio State's quarterbacks coach before being hired by Pitt in 1997.

He is considered one of college football's best offensive coaches and was long known to be interested in the Ohio State job. However, when Cooper was fired, he said he was happy at Pitt and wasn't looking to leave.

In March, Harris signed a long-term contract with Pitt worth about $600,000 per season through 2006.

``There has been a lot of discussion in the past week about myself and the Ohio State head coaching vacancy. Ohio State is a great school and I enjoyed my time there, but Pitt is the right place for me. We are building something special here and I want to continue the progress we have made over the last four years,'' he said Friday.

``The Panthers have a great future ahead and I'm excited about what we can accomplish.''