Lutz did it right by returning to his wife, er, job

With a sketchy memory, I asked Bobby Lutz about that interview and flight to South Alabama. It was a Friday, right?

"A Wednesday," he said.

Bobby Lutz has two years left on his deal and is coming off a 14-16 season. (US Presswire)

"I left on a Wednesday afternoon," Lutz answered. "Got back about 2 that morning."

You remember it that well?

"Oh," Lutz said, "I remember it vividly."

Of course he does.

Hard for a man to forget the details surrounding the first time he publicly walked out on his marriage, just stormed out the front door of the home built with his childhood sweetheart, convinced he's no longer appreciated, determined to see what else is out there. So the reason Lutz remembers that day vividly is because it was a defining moment in his career, the time he realized he'd rather try to fix his rocky relationship with Charlotte than settle for a divorce. And a little more than a month after rejecting an offer from South Alabama, Lutz is back to playing golf with 49ers boosters while trying to ensure they understand why he felt compelled to interview for a lesser job in a lesser league.

"It was tough because I knew it opened me up for criticism," Lutz said. "But I was at a point in my career where I needed to at least explore it, and I think the majority of the fans understand if they understand my situation."

Ahhh, Lutz's situation.

Is there a more interesting one in the country?

He graduated from Charlotte, worked his way from assistant to head coach and led the 49ers to five NCAA Tournaments in his first seven years, all of which were spent in Conference USA. And that was the good C-USA, by the way, the one with Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, DePaul, Memphis and UAB.

True fact: Cincinnati, under Bob Huggins, was the only C-USA school that went to more NCAA Tournaments in that span. In other words, there was a time not too long ago when the 49ers performed at a level arguably higher than Louisville, Marquette and Memphis, three perennial Top 25 programs, meaning Lutz has been a huge success by any reasonable standard.