UCF introduces Rooney as head coach

• By CARL DUBOIS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jun 13, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:33 a.m.

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OMAHA, Neb. — Hours after being introduced as the new head baseball coach at the University of Central Florida, LSU pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Terry Rooney arrived Thursday night at the site of the College World Series.

His long-range plans for UCF now take a backseat to his immediate goal: to finish the job the right way with LSU.

Stetson coach Pete Dunn, for whom Rooney worked as pitching coach in 2002 and 2003, said LSU fans shouldn’t worry about Rooney’s focus being in the wrong place during the CWS, which begins this weekend.

“I can guarantee Tiger fans that once Terry got on that plane in Orlando to head to Omaha,” Dunn said, “his preoccupation returned to winning the College World Series.”

Rooney, 35, accepted the UCF job Wednesday, flew that night to Orlando and was on campus for the introductory news conference Thursday.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri, Rooney’s boss for three seasons at Notre Dame and two with the Tigers, said he was excited for Rooney.

Rooney becomes the fifth Mainieri assistant to move on to a head coaching job. The others: Brian O’Connor at Virginia, David Grewe at Michigan State, Cory Mee at Toledo and Dave Schrage at Notre Dame.

“I used to think the greatest thing in the world was sending your players out and seeing them be successful in the major leagues, or becoming doctors or lawyers,” Mainieri said. “I’ve also realized its gratifying to see assistant coaches become head coaches.

Mainieri cited historical precedent, one familiar to LSU fans and to the entire state of Nebraska, when asked to described how worried he might be that Rooney’s situation would be a distraction during the College World Series.

“Probably about as much as Les (Miles) was concerned about Bo Pelini going to Nebraska,” Mainieri said.

Pelini, the former LSU defensive coordinator, accepted the job of head football coach at Nebraska in December but stayed with LSU through its BCS national championship victory Jan. 7 against Ohio State.