The Associated Press | Posted: Sunday, November 27, 2005 6:00 pm
ATHENS, Ohio — Ohio head football coach Frank Solich, a former Husker player and coach, was convicted of drunken driving on Monday, two days after police spotted him slumped over the wheel of his vehicle.
Judge William Grim of Athens Municipal Court found Solich guilty after he pleaded no contest. Grim ordered Solich to complete a three-day driver intervention program, suspended his license for 180 days and fined him $250.
Solich apologized in court. He declined to comment afterward.
The university, in a statement released before his court appearance, said Solich would remain in charge of the Bobcats as it monitored the case.
Solich, 61, appeared to be passed out when police found him Saturday night in the vehicle, which was facing the wrong direction on a one-way street and in drive, according to a police report.
The report said Solich had trouble figuring out to how to roll down the window, had difficulty understanding simple questions and was unsteady on his feet. He refused to take a breath test.
“I know Frank as a man of impeccable integrity,” Ohio athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in the statement, “and I am confident that he will respond to this situation in a positive manner and use these circumstances to better teach others, including his players, the importance of making wise decisions.”
The Bobcats were 4-7 in their first year under Solich, the same record they had last year.
When he was hired nearly a year ago, Solich, who grew up in Ohio, promised to rebuild a program that was just 11-35 in the four years before he arrived and has had two winning seasons since 1982.
Solich was 58-19 in six seasons as Nebraska’s coach. He was fired after the regular season in 2003.