Nearly 10 years ago, the University of Washington found itself searching for a new football coach.

Barbara Hedges, athletic director at the time, had the list of candidates down to four, including Colorado Buffaloes coach Rick Neuheisel and former Washington assistant coach Gary Pinkel. I think we’re all aware of whom she chose.

Two years after Neuheisel became the UW’s coach, Pinkel was hired by Missouri, a team he has led from zero to hero in no time at all.

Things could’ve been so different for the Dawgs.

With Neuheisel returning to Seattle Saturday, Tyrone Willingham will no doubt feel relieved to not be the source of Husky fan anger. Seen by many as the impetus for the downfall of the football program, Neuheisel will not be receiving a warm welcome.

He won when he was here. He even won a Rose Bowl. But once his teams lost players from Jim Lambright’s recruiting classes, they began teetering towards mediocrity.

Ultimately, his disregard for the rules and penchant for lying outweighed the product on the field and led to his firing.

In the press conference following Lambright’s firing on Dec. 30, 1998, Hedges was asked what she was looking for in their next coach.

“A person with a lot of experience, recruits very well [and] can manage a program in an exceptional manner,” she responded.

Well, she happened to find just the opposite. Neuheisel was given a $1 million-a-year contract, making the 37-year-old man with four years of coaching experience, zero conference championships and a history of mismanagement one of the five highest paid coaches at the time.

In 2002, it was found by the NCAA that, while at Colorado, he committed 49 secondary rules violations, which led to the Buffaloes being put on two years probation, as well as a decrease in their number of football scholarships.

As a Husky, Neuheisel, who was found making illegal visits to recruits, later lied about interviewing for a vacant position as coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

And then the “big” incident came.

Neuheisel was accused of betting in a neighborhood March Madness pool. Initially, he flat out declined his participation.

aaaaThen, after evidence proved he was in it, Neuheisel admitted he did in fact bet in the pool, but he didn’t think it was against the rules.

His overt lie in this situation was seen as the final straw in a long series of lies, giving the UW the just cause it felt was needed to fire him.

The facts were finally settled in 2005, when Neuheisel won in a lawsuit against the University, claiming that he was unfairly fired. The key piece of evidence was an e-mail sent by UW Compliance Director Dana Richardson, which said participating in March Madness betting outside of the school was acceptable.

The findings in that case are undeniable. Neuheisel was fired on very shaky pretenses and deserved the $4.5 million settlement that was given to him. But that isn’t why Husky fans are looking forward to getting on his case Saturday.

Whether his firing was legally justifiable or not legally doesn’t matter. He lied. He lied then and lied earlier about his 49ers interview. His lack of discipline over his players led to problems off the field. His chaotic exit tarnished the program.

It’s fair to say that Rick Neuheisel will be a scapegoat Saturday because it is not his fault that Husky football is this bad so long after he left. Washington should have come out of its funk by now.

I truly believe a lot of the hatred for him is irrational. But who cares?

The Huskies are winless, and it’s been a rough season as a fan.

Let the former Husky coach know how you feel.

Reach columnist Scott Eisen at sports@dailyuw.com.