He replaced Mike Gottfried, whom he had served as offensive coordinator, just prior to the 1989 John Hancock Bowl, which resulted in a Pittsburgh victory over Texas A&M.
Hackett moved back to college football as head coach at USC from 1998 until 2000, prior to Pete Carroll taking over.
[4] USC fired Hackett on November 27, 2000; to do so, it spent $800,000 to buy out the remaining two years of his five-year, $3.5-million contract.
[7] He was proved correct; by 2002, the Trojans were ranked fourth in the country with a team built primarily around Hackett's recruits.
After leaving USC, Hackett again returned to the NFL, serving as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2001 to 2004.