Exclusive: Nolan talks about losing his dream job

<p>SANTA CLARA - When Mike Nolan was fired Monday from his dream job, he said it did not catch him by surprise. In fact, he said he saw it coming “for a couple weeks.”</p><p>Coaches are measured by victories, and Nolan was fully aware his 18-37 record in 3½ seasons with the 49ers was simply not good enough.</p><p>When asked what he could have done to turn things around, Nolan answered, “Win more games. That’s basically where it was. I don’t disagree.”</p><p>After two days of deliberations in January, team ownership decided to bring back Nolan for a fourth season. However, Nolan ceded final say on personnel matters to general manager Scot McCloughan. Entering the season, Nolan knew he did not have much room for error.</p><p>His fate was sealed with the 49ers’ current four-game losing streak, during which Nolan was criticized for some questionable game-management decisions.</p><p>Nolan expressed his love of coaching, and how he learned from his experience with the 49ers. It was a remarkably challenging time in team history, including the 2005 death of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion after an exhibition game in Denver.</p><p>“Oh, without question, it’s been a difficult experience,” Nolan said in a 15-minute phone interview Tuesday with The Press Democrat. “Even from the beginning there have been a lot of trials and things - from a player dying in the locker room to a lot of unexpected things happening on this job.</p><p>“I’d still love to be here to coach and enjoying the successes that you reap when you go through all those things. But we’re not. If another opportunity comes along, without question I’ll call on the experiences that I’ve had - good and bad - to do a much better job next time.”</p><p>Interim coach Mike Singletary credited Nolan with building the foundation for the 49ers. Nolan was hired and given total control over personnel matters after the disastrous Terry Donahue/Dennis Erickson era ended with a 2-14 record in 2004.</p><p>“There are a lot of things in the building that, without question, are better than they were,” Nolan said. “At this point, it’s just about winning. The pieces are in place. The coaches are in place. It’s about winning now. If Mike (Singletary) can get that right, I’ll be as happy as he is.”</p><p>Team executives Jed York and Scot McCloughan officially fired Nolan on Monday after he had already gone through his usual day-after-game press conference. Nolan described his firing as “uneventful” and devoid of drama.</p><p>“More than anything else, it comes down to winning,” Nolan said. “And our window of opportunity ran out because of last year. If we looked last year like we do right now, I think it would be a whole different story. I think there’d be a lot more optimism in the air because it just looks better than it did.”</p><p>Nolan said he was disappointed his firing happened so late in the day - approximately 3:30 p.m. He received word an hour after a report on ESPN.com, citing an unidentified source, stated the 49ers’ plan was to fire Nolan after Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.</p><p>“It was a little disappointing that something wasn’t said earlier in the day because I would’ve liked to at least talk to the players, but I didn’t get the opportunity,” Nolan said.</p><p>Nolan said he spent a lot of time Monday and Tuesday speaking with and texting players. Nolan was especially close to 49ers running back Frank Gore, who would often call him Sunday evenings to rehash recently completed games. When asked about his conversation with Gore, Nolan got emotional.</p><p>“It was sad,” he said. “Yeah, that’s the best way to describe it. It was sad.”</p><p>Nolan had a chance to take care of some unfinished family business when he became head coach in January 2005 - 37 years to the day his father, Dick, was named 49ers coach.</p><p>“He’s going to do all right,” Dick Nolan said in a September 2005 interview. “I’ve told him, ‘I put them in the playoffs three or four times, now you got to put them in the Super Bowl.’ He may do it, too.”</p><p>Dick Nolan coached the 49ers from 1968-75. The 49ers won their first three division titles under Dick Nolan, who died last November after battling Alzheimer's Disease for more than two years.</p><p>His biggest victory as head coach might have been in convincing the NFL and Reebok to alter its policy on coaching apparel. Mike Nolan fought for - and won - the right to wear a suit on the sideline as a tribute to his father.</p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com</p>