DETROIT -- Steve Mariucci thought he would not coach next season for the first time in his career. The San Francisco 49ers would pay him more than $2 million to vacation with his family and dabble as a television analyst.

		Wed, February 5 Steve Mariucci is a great hire for Detroit because he will bring credibility and a winning attitude to the Lions. Coming from a place like San Francisco, he is used to winning. That is great for Detroit because he will be able to rally the players and a winning attitude is contagious. Winning begets winning, and not every coach has that going for him. Mariucci brings a freshness to the job, something that is good for both him and the team. Even though the record and statistics don't show it, he is also inheriting a pretty decent team. Joey Harrington is a solid quarterback and will be a great player in the NFL, defensive end Robert Porcher brings leadership on that side of the ball and can teach young players how to play the game, while Desmond Howard is one of their toughest players while leading on special teams. And if the Lions can keep Chris Claiborne from leaving via free agency they have a Pro Bowl-type middle linebacker. They need to get a big-time wide receiver and shore up the secondary and those things will take time, but don't forget that the Ford family has both money and great facilities to build on. Mariucci understands the salary cap, too, having taken over a cap-strapped team in San Francisco and turning the 49ers into a playoff team. He provides calmness and has a great sense of humor, taking the game seriously but not taking himself too seriously, and there is certainly a comfort level for him going home to Michigan and being close to his best buddy, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo. Steve should bring 3-4 more wins to this team next season, and playing the Lions will not be a bye week next year. Detroit should be extremely competitive in the next couple of years.

Then the Detroit Lions made Mariucci an offer he couldn't refuse, including an opportunity to return to his home state, and he took it.

As ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reported Tuesday, Mariucci's contract is worth $25 million over five years and matches Redskins head coach Steve Spurrier for highest annual salary.

"Wouldn't we all like to entertain the thought of taking the year off?" Mariucci said after being introduced at a Wednesday news conference. "It sounds good. It is something we don't get to do very often, but I'm a football coach. I don't sit around.

"I think it is a fantastic opportunity."

It's also one with extreme challenges.

The Lions have won just five games in the past two seasons -- none on the road -- and have only one playoff victory since winning the 1957 NFL title.

"It's the challenge that is exciting and intriguing to me," Mariucci said.

Mariucci was hired less than three weeks after he was fired by San Francisco, where he had a 60-43 record over six seasons. He led the 49ers to three playoff wins in four postseason appearances.

"We not only have a top coach, but a proven winner," Lions chief executive Matt Millen said.

Mariucci, who was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula town of Iron Mountain, acknowledged his family was not initially thrilled with the idea of leaving the Bay Area for the Motor City.

"I need to thank my wife for allowing me to do this," Mariucci said. "She made me promise that I wouldn't get my 'Yooper' accent back anytime soon."

Mariucci will live in a Detroit area hotel while his children finish the school year in California.

While Mariucci's hiring has been wildly popular with the Lions' front office, players and fans, some are upset with the organization's hiring process.

On Wednesday, Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, joined Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney and attorneys Cyrus Mehri and Johnnie Cochran in criticizing the Lions for failing to follow the NFL's new policy of seriously interviewing at least one minority candidate for each coaching vacancy.

"The Detroit Lions gave mere lip service to the agreed-upon minority hiring process, treating it almost as if a nuisance to their hiring of Steve Mariucci," Upshaw said. "The minority candidates were never given a fair chance to interview. In this case, the Lions' position is indefensible."

Upshaw said he will recommend that commissioner Paul Tagliabue fine the Lions for not following the minority hiring policy.

A source within the league, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said five minority candidates turned down interview requests from the Lions because it appeared inevitable Mariucci would be hired.

Mariucci had been Detroit's leading candidate since the Lions fired Marty Mornhinweg last week. Mariucci was the only coach to have an in-person interview.

"The worst thing was the timing," Millen said. "Steve had been fired, then I let Marty go. And so the prevailing thing was (I'm) going to get Mariucci. That was not the case.

	New Lions coach Steve Mariucci considers Michigan his home.

"The problem is, when you go to talk to guys, they would say, 'I'd be glad to talk to you if it doesn't get done (with Mariucci).' That's a hard thing to work around.

"You have to be honest. People I talked to were guys that I know. I had to be straight with them. When they asked if Steve Mariucci was a strong candidate, I would say, 'Absolutely.' I had to be straight with them the whole time."

Mariucci will be Detroit's fourth coach in four seasons. Mornhinweg, who was fired after the Lions went 3-13, was 5-27 overall -- the worst two-year mark in team history.

"I think Mariucci can make a difference, I really do," Lions kick returner Desmond Howard said. "But let's be honest. He had better personnel in San Francisco than we have with the Lions. It's going to take time, but I'm confident he and Matt Millen will get us going in the right direction."

Mariucci said he will interview each current Detroit assistant coach as he assembles his staff. He said Wednesday he has hired Richard Smith as assistant head coach and linebackers coach; Andy Sugarman as an offensive assistant; and Kevin Lartigue as an administrative assistant. All three were with him in San Francisco.

"I am committed to delivering the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit a championship football team," Mariucci said. "Believe me, nobody will put more pressure on me to win than I will put on myself."

But he acknowledged there is much work to be done with the Lions.

"There is a good nucleus of talent here that we are going to build on," Mariucci said. "I think we've got to build this team from the ground floor up."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.