Jon Gruden did that while working for the first time under Mike Holmgren, as a young assistant for the 49ers in 1990.

Reid's breaking in with Holmgren eight years earlier, as a graduate assistant at BYU, was almost luxurious compared to Gruden bunking in a 1978 Delta 88. Reid lived in student housing, months removed from being an offensive lineman for the Cougars and a budding sports columnist at the Provo, Utah, Daily Herald.

"GAs are graduate students, and they live kind of a meager existence in married student housing or whatever," said Holmgren, now the Seahawks coach. "But no, Andy never lived in a car."

Holmgren got Reid into college coaching, into the NFL and into Philadelphia as its head coach in 1999. They remain close - just last week, they shared rueful laughs over the phone about their teams' injuries and unfulfilled expectations so far this season.

"We have tried to pat each other on the back," Reid said. "He's a good man."

Their paths intersect again Sunday when Philadelphia (4-3) visits Seattle (2-5).

Holmgren was in his first year as LaVell Edwards' quarterbacks coach at BYU in 1982, tutoring some guy named Steve Young. His other job was to lead Reid and the other graduate assistants.

"Early on we developed a friendship. He's a very bright guy. He was a journalism major in college. And I will still say he was a bright guy," Holmgren said on the eve of what may be the final time protege and mentor oppose each other on the sidelines.

"He had a lot of interests. I really liked how he approached things. And he loved football. His work ethic was super."

In a few months, they will go in opposite ways. Barring the unforeseen, Reid will pass Holmgren in 2009 and have sole claim on the third-longest current coaching tenure in the league at 11 years, behind Jeff Fisher's 15 years with Houston-Tennessee and Mike Shanahan's 14 seasons in Denver. Holmgren will go on what he is calling his "sabbatical" from football, spending time with six grandchildren and his motorcycle.

His good friend thinks Holmgren will be back in the NFL soon.

"He is so good for the league and I would hate to see him go," Reid said. "I hope someone can talk him back into coaching or being a president or whatever it is. ... But I know how much he loves to ride that Harley. Somebody has to talk him into doing both.

"I told him when people stop washing his underwear for him and putting deodorant out for him, that life in the league (will seem) pretty good."

Reid knows that life because of Holmgren. Holmgren had his hometown former employer, San Francisco State, hire Reid to his first full-time coaching job as offensive coordinator in 1983. Holmgren then brought Reid into the NFL in 1992 to join his staff in Green Bay.

Reid was the Packers' tight ends coach for five years before Holmgren challenged Reid's ambition to be a line coach in the NFL.

"Listen, you need to broaden your perspective on some things," Holmgren told him. "You know you can coach the offensive line. Learn the whole thing."

Holmgren so valued Reid that he placed a "supervisory" tag on him in 1996 to prevent other NFL teams from hiring him as anything but a head coach. Holmgren accelerated Reid's development in '97 by making Reid Brett Favre's quarterbacks coach.

Soon Steve Mariucci - another disciple of Holmgren's - wanted Reid as his offensive coordinator with the 49ers. Holmgren refused to remove the tag.

"I realized what I was doing. I didn't feel all that great about it, but he was a very valuable coach to me," Holmgren said.

Reid wasn't exactly thrilled.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," Holmgren told him.

He gave Reid a salary bump more toward what coordinators were making. Still, life was far from grand under the former quarterback at Southern California, a meticulous maestro of the West Coast offense.

"He's not easy on the line coach," Reid said. "But he is brutally tough on the quarterback coach."

He was.

Reid got his 100th win last week when Philadelphia, with do-it-all back Brian Westbrook and quarterback Donovan McNabb relatively healthy again, beat Atlanta. Fisher and Reid are the 17th and 18th coaches in league history to last at least 10 years in their first head coaching jobs.

Holmgren is in his 10th and final season with the injury-racked Seahawks, who will again start Seneca Wallace for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (back, knee). Holmgren has a Super Bowl ring from the Packers and 172 victories overall, most among active coaches and 10th all-time.

"I said this when I worked for him in Green Bay: I have a hard time believing anybody did it any better than him," Reid said. "And I still feel that way, even now that I am a head coach.

"He just had a great way about him. He knew when to pat you on the back and when to kick you in the butt. That is why he's been one of the most successful coaches ever."