(Jette started three seasons as defensive back for the Longhorns)

“Probably beating Colorado (38-21) in the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1975. I had an interception.” The Longhorns went 10-2 that season and were ranked No. 6 in the final Associated Press poll.
 

How did you get into coaching?

““My dad was a high school coach in Texas for 25 years, 17 of those as a head coach and athletic director. I never really intended to get into coaching. My dad didn’t encourage me but he didn’t discourage me. That was the reason I majored in business. I interviewed with about four companies during the spring of my senior year.

“There was a tradition that all the seniors at Texas went to watch the first day of spring practice. ... It sort of hit me then that I wasn’t going to be around football anymore. I decided to get into coaching. Coach (Darrell) Royal had retired and Fred Akers came in. He had been an assistant my freshman and sophomore years. I worked for two years as a graduate assistant at Texas.”

Jette’s first fulltime job as an assistant was at Oklahoma State for Jimmy Johnson. He also met Steve Logan at Oklahoma State, where Logan worked as an assistant in 1980.

The resume: 1977-78, graduate assistant at Texas; 1979-84, linebackers (four seasons), defensive backs (two), and defensive coordinator (one) at Oklahoma State; 1985, defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.); 1986-88, defensive backs and defensive coordinator, Texas; 1990-91 defensive backs at Wisconsin; 1992-93, defensive backs at TCU; 1994-98, inside linebackers and defensive coordinator at ECU; 1999-2000, defensive backs at ECU; 2001, defensive backs at Baylor (promoted to defensive coordinator in December). 2002, Pirates defensive backs coach.
 

“The relationships with the players and coaches. You share experiences, good and bad, and grow closer as a result. It’s almost a fraternity-type situation — the camaraderie with the players and coaches.”
 

“ A pharmaceutical sales representative.”
 

Wife: The former Vicki Wallace.

Daughters: Allison (20), an ECU student majoring in design who hopes to get into retail fashion design; and Katharyn (17), a senior at Greenville Rose who was a cheerleader for three years and is now working in a job-work study program.

Sons: Paul Eldridge (Quinn), V (13), a seventh grader at Aycock Middle School who enjoys football, baseball and golf; and twins Will and David (11), fifth graders at Elmhurst Elementary, across from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Will wears a size 10 shoe and David, a size 10 1/2. The twins are playing Pop Warner football for the first time this year.
 

“We went to high school together. Our families were real good friends and vacationed together in the summers. Her father (Howard) was a coach before he got into banking and insurance. We vacationed together for three years before we started dating.”
 

Favorite movie: Patch Adams.

If they ever made a movie of my life, _____ would play me: “Tom Cruise.”

Hobbies: “Golf. A little bit of fishing. I used to hunt when I had the time.” (Jette has a 12-point buck that he shot in Texas mounted on the wall of his office. The rack has a spread of 20.5 inches.)

Ideal vacation: “Pebble Beach.”

Ideal foursome: “Tiger Woods, Payne Stewart, and my dad.”
 

Keys for 2002: “The turnover margin. We’ve go to create and get more turnovers defensively and not turn the ball over offensively. We’ve got to win the turnover battle each week.”

Strengths in the secondary: “Experience and hunger. We have the desire to be a strength of the defense this year.”

Concerns in the secondary: “The unknowns of some position switches.”

Preseason favorite in Conference USA: “I’d pretty much have to go with Louisville.”

Goals for the season: “Take ’em one game at a time, one play at a time. Win all the games we’re supposed to win and win some or all that we’re not supposed to win.”