The White Man For The Job?

[EnviedOne]

The University of Notre Dame football program got its man on Monday.

No, it didn’t land a high-profile college coach with a winning pedigree, like former Utah and new Florida coach Urban Meyer.

And, no, it didn’t procure a pro coach with a Super Bowl ring, like Tampa Bay’s Jon Gruden.

But in New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, the university that, in essence, represents Catholic America, did secure a football coach who is an alum (Class of 1978), a Catholic and--okay, I’ll say it--a white man.

Sorry, but there’s just no delicate way of putting it.

How else do you explain the firing of former Fighting Irish football coach Tyrone Willingham, who was hired by the troubled University of Washington football program (they know a good man when they see him) after a scant two weeks on the unemployment line?

Three years ago, Willingham, an African-American, arrived in South Bend with the perfect resume— unlike the university’s first choice for the job (George O’Leary). He had coached at a university with high academic standards—Stanford—and done so well, posting a 44-36-1 record in seven seasons.

He was getting it done at Notre Dame, too—until he got the shaft.

In the early 1980s, the Irish gave Gerry Faust five years, despite a mediocre 30-26-1 record (18- 15-1 after three seasons). Willingham’s predecessor, Bob Davie, got five years, with a similarly pedestrian 35-25 mark (21-16 after three seasons), and a program marred by the off- the-field problems.

Willingham’s record in a paltry three seasons was 21-15. And he continued to graduate players, while, by all reports, making sure they behaved off the field.

Yet, he became the first Notre Dame coach fired before being allowed to fulfill his contract.

It’s almost unheard of to fire a college football coach before allowing him a full recruiting cycle (four to five years) to make or break a program with his own players.

Yet, that’s exactly what Notre Dame did.

So what did Faust and Davie have that Willingham didn’t?

A lighter skin pigment.

At least that's my opinion. Many will argue that Notre Dame boosters and administrators had banked on Meyer returning to South Bend when they made the decision to can Willingham, but I don’t buy it. Few were surprised when Meyer, a devout Catholic and former Fighting Irish assistant, chose the Florida job. He had worked for the school president, after all, and the Gators’ future schedule and incoming recruits look a heck of a lot more favorable than Notre Dame’s. Notre Dame had to have seen that, too.

It doesn’t help the perception here either that Notre Dame president Rev. Edward Malloy and athletic director Kevin White, the two men who, at most schools, would be solely responsible for the decision to dismiss the football coach, told The New York Times last week that they had been against the decision to terminate Willingham.

So why did it happen?

My guess is the university community was far more ready to accept a black man in the high-profile position of football coach than if not the majority a powerful minority of alumni and football fans. This “liberal-college-faculty- being-out-of-touch-with-conservative-American- values” thing is becoming an old story in the media these days.

Oh wait… This is Notre Dame. Doesn’t get much more conservative than the Catholic Church.

But there’s a disconnect somewhere. Over the years, I heard more than one supposed Irish supporter use the “N-word” in relation to Willingham, the first black head football coach at the school and the only black head coach there, in any sport, at the time of his dismissal.

This isn’t about Charlie Weis, who, to me, seems like a stand-up guy. But he’s not half the college coach Willingham is. Not yet anyway.

This was about racism. And, at least one Notre Dame administrator agrees with me. Rev. Malloy’s assistant, Chandra Johnson, an African-American. She shaved her head in protest of Willingham’s firing.

I’d say simply that Notre Dame’s loss is Washington’s gain, but Notre Dame lost a lot more than a good football coach as a result of the Willingham affair. It lost its standing as a pillar of decency and values, and that’s a lot harder to fix than a football team.

URL: http://www.useless-knowledge.com/1234/dec/article217.html

[QueensNY]

Ask Stanford fans if Willingham was good and a majority of them say no, he did a poor job recruiting there, he'd recruit a ton of recievers but no linemen. Ask ND fans if Ty was a good coach and a majority of them will say no, again poor recruiter, in a few years i have a feeling you'll hear the same thing in washington. Wish him the best though.


44-36 record at Stanford is nothing special, stanford is a decent football program. They recruit top 25 classes every now and then. Talent wise there right with Boston College over the years.

44-36 at Duke or Northwestern would be impressive.

[TexMexDomer]

[Hey Amigo, guys like you still just don't get it. The guy was lettting the football program go in the crapper. He was a poor field general by getting outcoached constantly and his recruiting efforts left much to be desired.

He was given an opportunity to make an impact in the most prestigious university in the country and he failed poor and simple. Sportswriter Glenn Dickey of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote exactly three years ago on New Years Day that Ty made a big mistake by taking the ND job because he would show just how mediocre a coach he is with the whole spotlight of the press and fans shining on him. Boy, he sure proved it with flying colors!!

As for the lady who turned herself into an 8-ball, I can only say,"Smooth move. You really showed 'em!"

Furthermore, quit trying to make the "N" word sound as if it's a sacrilege against the papacy or something. It's just a WORD!! It's used constantly in the minority community. I'm more bothered by those who misuse the Good Lord's name.

[TexMexDomer]

Of course, I meant pure and simple.

[bmf175]

I just can not believe that this thread has popped up after all that was said on this issue over the past month!!!!
Who in the hell is the "bright" one that brought this up? Are you serious? Do you not know how to read? Do you not know football?

Look plane and simple. He was hired to win games and uphold a standard that he himself admitted to not doing.
Are you happy with ND being a .500 team, i guess you are! Having one more year to implement his sorry ass plan, would have done nothing!!!!!NOTHING!!
But made the hole that much deeper for the next coach to dig ND out of!!!

I think this thread was started not to get an explanation of what happened, but to start getting reactions from people and see what kind of mess can get stirred up.

This subject was clearly addressed in other threads on this website. And all the posts that will be posted on this thread is exactly what was stated on other threads, so why bring it up? You are crying, and that is all.

bottom line! If you were ok with willinghams records and performance in the last two years than that says something about your own low standards!!!

Why was he fired when others got 5 years? Because you learn from mistakes!!! Ara Parseigen said himself-
IF YOU CAN NOT DO IT IN THREE (3) YEARS YOU CAN NOT DO IT!!!!

Davie, Faust, an Holtz have prooven that to be accurate. Holtz did it 3 Parseigen did it in 3, coaches from other schools have done it in 3 or less!!!!
You can either do it at that school or not in 3 years!!!

[irishgo8]

WHAT THE H***. If Gerry Faust was Black would u say that it was cause of racism? NO WAY. Willingham was a black Gerry Faust. Nothing more needs to be said.

[irishtexan]

Im sorry, but 44-36 is not an acceptable record for any coach at Notre Dame. And if the douchebag wants to write about race in college, which I am so tired of talking about, why dont you bitch about any of the black colleges hiring white coaches? Why are their all-black fraternities on campuses? If there was an all white fraternity the f***ing world would come to an end. Yet you dont hear many people bitching about that. And who is this guy to say Weis isnt half the man Weis is? Until Willingham wins 3 superbowls he will never be on the same level as Weis. God I cant wait until Weis embarrasses Willingham when they play each other next year.