You remember things differently (or maybe were told things differently) than what Harvey Perlman remembers, according to this article:
"Perlman also revealed that when Pederson made the move, he already had lined up an NFL head coach for the job, one who 'led us to believe that he was available and willing to do it.'
Perlman would not name the coach, but says 'everyone would have said ‘Wow.'
He last week said it was not Dave Wannstedt, the Miami Dolphins coach who was one rumored target at the time, but Perlman declined to entertain other names. Other coaches on NFL sidelines at that time included Jon Gruden, Marty Schottenheimer, Butch Davis, Tony Dungy, Steve Spurrier, Herm Edwards and Bill Cowher.
In the end, the coach got cold feet, contract negotiations dragged on, and the coach decided to stay with his team. 'The error in judgment Steve made was he was so confident he'd get him, he didn't have Plan B,' Perlman said."
So Who Was Steve Pederson's "WOW" NFL Candidate from the 2003 Nebraska Football Coaching Search?