Catching up with Ron Milus: DB stays in game as NFL coach

Ron Milus will return to Seattle tomorrow in his job as a secondary coach for the Denver Broncos, then turn around and leave once the game against the Seahawks ends.

But one day, Milus says, it's possible he'll come back and stay.

"Who knows?" he says with a laugh. "Someday Ron Milus might be back."

Truth is, Milus never really wanted to leave. The native of Tacoma grew up a Huskies fan, watching games with his father, then fulfilled his dream of playing for Washington as a defensive back from 1982-85. A career highlight was a 42-yard punt return for a touchdown that helped beat Oregon in 1984.

After a year in the NFL, he spent three years coaching at Lincoln High School, his alma mater, before getting hired at Washington, where he worked as an assistant from 1991-98 before being fired with the rest of Jim Lambright's staff.

"For about a month there, it was tough," Milus said. "We got released the last part of December, right in the middle of recruiting, and people weren't looking to fill jobs until after recruiting was over."

Eventually, Milus landed interviews with Michigan, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M and ended up at working for R.C. Slocum with the Aggies.

But his Huskies blood ran deep despite the impromptu ending.

Every Sunday, when Milus walked into his A&M office, there was a copy of the previous day's Huskies game sitting on his desk courtesy of A&M's video staff.

After a year in College Station, Milus got a call from the Denver Broncos, looking for a new coach to help in the secondary.

"I wasn't looking to (go into the NFL)," he said. "I kind of just got a phone call wanting me to come up and interview. I thought it was a great opportunity to be 36 years old and get my foot in the door. Things have really worked out OK since I left Washington."

Milus, who lives near Denver with his wife, Sandra, and sons Ryan, 12, and Bobby, 8, works primarily with the team's nickel package, the kind of specialization that helps differentiate the college game from the NFL.

"You basically have two sets of eyes on every position," he said.

The other difference is recruiting. Milus says in a typical college day, he might spend three hours making recruiting phone calls. In the NFL, that time is spent watching film and developing game plans instead.

"You have a lot more time to do to football-related things," he said.

But Milus said he still considers himself a Husky first, especially this week with Washington playing Oregon. Milus said he and Denver running back Reuben Droughns, a former Duck, have been razzing each other all week.

"I'm always going to be a Husky, no matter what happened to us at that time (in 1998)," he said.