Evashevski, for his part, denied the charges and continued to maintain that he never intended to grow old in coaching. However, despite his public statements, rumors swirled that Evashevski would appoint himself to succeed Burns.Grady, pp. 14–15. Evashevski hired Ray Nagel from the University of Utah, although Nagel's record at Utah was not stellar. Some speculated at the time that finding a new coach had been difficult due to the problems Burns reportedly experienced with Evashevski. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported, "At least four coaches either turned down the Hawkeye job or expressed no desire to talk about it."Grady, p. 15.
