Gene Huey opts for early retirement
After the initial shock, Gene Huey is coming to grips with his dismissal by the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18.
Huey, a Uniontown native, spent 19 seasons with the Colts, the most for an assistant in franchise history.
He was caught off guard by the firing.
“I was surprised because I have been here 19 years and certainly felt like I had contributed and the guys I was responsible for over those year like Roosevelt Potts, Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Dominick Rhodes, Joseph Addai and Donald Brown contributed to the Colts,” Huey stated.
“I certainly feel like over the years that I’ve been here that I’ve tried to do my job in my area the best that I could to make sure that we had consistency and a good product with the players that I coached and was responsible for.”
Huey, 63, coached 304 games with the Colts.
In the last two decades, he worked with 1,000-yard rushers and Pro Bowl running backs such as James – the franchise’s all-time leading rusher – Faulk and Addai. Each of those players made the Pro Bowl with the Colts.
The way the Colts laid the blame for running game woes on the shoulders of Huey was met with criticism from former players, fans and the media.
“I had a lot of emails and text messages from people that I’ve coached,” Huey said. “Also people that I know in the community, plus Tony Dungy and Tom Osborne, people that I’ve coached for. I talked to Joe Greene. He and I played in the East West Shrine Game back in 1968. It happened and I’ve dealt with it.”
Minnesota offered Huey a coaching spot soon after news broke that he had been fired. New Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was an assistant on the Colts staff for two seasons (2005-06), so he is familiar with Huey.
“When I thought of the prospects of going up to Minneapolis and leaving my family and all that, I was anguishing about it,” Huey said. “It took me a couple of nights and a lot of prayers, and I thought to myself that family is important and I had been gone a lot with this job. I have a 15-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son, and I think it’s time to spend time with them and take early retirement.
“I had a great run in football and it’s unfortunate the way it came to an end. I thank Leslie Frazier for thinking of me enough to want to hire me. I thought about it and I’m at peace with my decision.”