It took Mel Tucker 21 years, 13 different jobs, three stints with legendary Nick Saban and crisscrossing the country from Michigan to Florida to Colorado. But here he finally is at age 46, with his first real chance to lead a football team, as head coach of the CU Buffaloes.
When Tucker was introduced Thursday as the man to awaken the often-sleepy, sometimes-stumbling Buffs program, I took a glance at his lengthy resume, which shows success from here to the NFL and back. I wondered what took so long to land a prestigious job that will pay him nearly $3 million per year.