A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK : ASCENT OF CSUN COACH IS PART WORK, PART CHANCE.

Byline: Chris Branam Staff Writer

Listening to Jeff Kearin's amazing Forrest Gump-like tales, an image becomes clear of the man who took over the Cal State Northridge football program in July:

He's always been the right guy in the right place at the right time.

``No question,'' Kearin said. ``This whole business is about timing. A lot of what we do is left to chance.''

Imagine these stories, all true, Kearin can tell his future grandchildren:

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Late in 1990, Kearin got a call from George Allen, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who was then coaching Long Beach State. Allen knew that Kearin, then an assistant coach at Loyola High, wanted to move up to the college ranks.

``(Allen) gave me a couple of projects to do and I did them well,'' Kearin said. ``He wanted some film converted to video. I couldn't figure out how to do it, so finally I just went to Hollywood and paid $50 to have it done. He was all fired up that I was resourceful.''

Three weeks later Allen died of a heart attack. Kearin was the last man to see him alive; he dropped the coach off at home the night before.

Kearin suddenly had no job. But he soon was hired as a graduate assistant at USC by head coach Larry Smith, whose son Corby went to Loyola.

``I think Larry felt sorry for me,'' he said.

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On a warm June day in 1994, Kearin was the only USC football staff member in Heritage Hall when police officers arrived.

Kearin was told he needed to remove O.J. Simpson's Heisman Trophy from its display case. At that moment, Simpson was leading the cops on a low-speed chase on the freeways of Los Angeles.

Kearin took the trophy out of the case and hid it for a day. He did exactly what the LAPD had asked. He would later be known as the person who ``stole'' the Heisman Trophy.

``I was famous for 15 minutes,'' Kearin said. ``My brother sent me a newspaper from France that had my picture.''

A couple years later, Kearin learned more about Simpson than he cared to know. He lived in an apartment above the garage of Bob Baker, a family friend who was Simpson's defense lawyer in his civil trial.

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Last December, Kearin was asked by his mentor, former USC coach John Robinson, to join Robinson's staff at Nevada-Las Vegas as tight ends and special-teams coach.

Kearin took the job, but he said he didn't really like Las Vegas and he felt alienated as one of two coaches on staff who were single.

Seven months later, CSUN head coach Ron Ponciano was fired and Kearin was hired, this time as head coach.

Some guys have all the luck.

``What do they say? `Better lucky than dumb,'? '' Kearin said.

So here is Kearin, four days away from his first game as CSUN's interim head coach, wondering if he made the smart decision to leave a full-time assistant's position at UNLV to take a job he will have to reapply for in December.

``You've got to take some leaps of faith,'' he said.

Kearin interviewed for the CSUN head coaching position twice in the past three years and didn't get it. But Dick Dull, Northridge's athletic director, said he didn't hesitate in his decision to give Kearin the job.

``It was a natural,'' Dull said. ``(Kearin) has incredible charisma. He knew this place. I knew very well that he was an accommodating person.''

Kearin isn't Ponciano, whose contract was terminated in July after a university investigation uncovered violations of NCAA and CSUN policy. He grows weary, though, of rumors and innuendo that he had a hand in Ponciano's firing.

``I stand by Ron,'' Kearin said. ``The way it went down makes it hard. I've confronted Ron with (the rumors). I wanted to assure him that I could not or would not be disloyal to him.

``I can't control what other people believe or say.''

Ponciano brought intensity to the job. He's not afraid to beat down a player or a coach in practice; Ponciano has a stare that could melt a 300-pound offensive lineman.

Kearin hates confrontation and rarely loses his temper.

``Two totally different personalities,'' said Jaumal Bradley, a senior running back who was close to Ponciano. ``A lot of the younger, quieter players may not have known how to approach Coach Ponciano.''

Kearin was a part-time assistant at Loyola, his alma mater, for 11 years under head coach Steve Grady. Grady, who encouraged Kearin to pursue coaching full-time in the mid-1980s, described Kearin as ``a loyal person that would do anything you ask with a smile on his face.''

Dull wants a head coach who knows how to work within the framework of the athletic department. He's found a calm presence in Kearin, a former law student who thrives on problem-solving.

``I've always had an `in-charge' role in a lot of areas,'' Kearin said.

``(Kearin) has made the situation very, very comfortable,'' Bradley said. ``He's a perfect fit, coming into this situation, with his rapport with the administration, his rapport with the staff and his rapport with the players.''

Kearin, 39, thrives on preparation. He says he likes the strategy of football and the concept of team effort. He says his admiration probably comes from his law background.

``When you think about it, getting ready for a game is just like getting ready for a case,'' he said.

His opening argument is Saturday at North Campus Stadium against Western Oregon.

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PHOTO (color)New CSUN head football coach Jeff Kearin says a lot of the business of coaching is left to chance.The Matadors open the season Saturday against Western Oregon.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer