Willingham Fired

[Irish Envy]

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tyrone Willingham has been fired as coach at Notre Dame after three seasons in which he failed to return one of the nation's most storied football programs to prominence.

The decision to sever ties with the coach was made during an emergency meeting of the univeristy's board of trustees Monday night, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel has learned. At the time seven assistant football coaches were on the road recruiting. Upon learning of the decision Tuesday afternoon, Willingham called his coaches and, according to one source, said to them "come on in, we're done."

Willingham went 21-15 during his tenure, including 6-5 this season. The Fighting Irish lost 41-10 to No. 1 Southern California on Saturday.

It was not immediately clear whether Willingham would coach the team at the Insight Bowl on Dec. 28. Notre Dame accepted the invitation to the game on Sunday.

Athletic director Kevin White scheduled a news conference for 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Sophomore free safety Tommy Zbikowski told ESPN.com's Wayne Drehs the team had scheduled a 5 p.m. meeting for Tuesday to dicuss bowl plans. Instead, the team attended an emotional meeting at 1 p.m. with Willingham and White who said "they decided to go in different directions."

"I feel bad for the seniors," Zbikowski said. "First they have to go through the (Bob) Davie firing, then the (George) O'Leary controversy and now this. Those guys have constantly helped the underclassmen and they've been so selfless, and now they have to go through this again. The other bad part is most of the coaches were out recruiting, so we didn't even get to talk to them.

"The best way to describe it is shock. You hear about this stuff on the message boards, but no one thinks it can happen and then there's a meeting called out of nowhere and it happens."

Willingham's departure comes after a season in which the Irish pulled off upset victories over Michigan and Tennessee but also were beaten badly by USC and Purdue. Student groups were planning a protest on campus Tuesday evening to call for Willingham's firing; he faced criticism from fans much of the season.

"The only way to look at this is as a fresh start," Zbikowski said. "We have to keep our heads on straight, move forward and get ready to play in the bowl game. It's part of college football, part of the business and when you're the coach at Notre Dame, you have to win."

Notre Dame's loss to USC on Saturday marked the fifth time the Irish lost by 31 points or more under Willingham -- including three against the rival Trojans. By comparison, former coach Bob Davie's team had just one such loss; Lou Holtz and Dan Devine had none.

Notre Dame hired Willingham, the first black head coach in any sport for the Irish, from Stanford to replace George O'Leary. The former Georgia Tech coach resigned five days after taking the job because he lied about his academic and athletic achievements on his resume.

With Tony Samuel fired by New Mexico State and Fitz Hill resigning from San Jose State last week, there are now only two black head coaches in Division I-A: Karl Dorrell at UCLA and Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State.

In his first season, Willingham had many fans recalling Notre Dame's glory days, taking over a losing squad and turning things around immediately. The Irish won eight straight games to start the season before finishing 10-3 and going to the Gator Bowl.

But during his second year, the Irish fell to 5-7, with four of their losses coming by 26 points or more. It was Notre Dame's third losing record in five seasons, the team's worst stretch in 115 years of football.

One coach certain to be mentioned as a possible replacement for Willingham is Utah's Urban Meyer, an Irish assistant from 1996-00. The Utes are 11-0 and ranked No. 5. Meyer said he hadn't heard about Willingham's departure from Notre Dame until he was asked about it by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Asked if he has had any contact with Notre Dame or if he would be interested in coaching the Fighting Irish, Meyer responded: "I won't comment on it."

Notre Dame has won eight AP college football national championships, more than any other school, with the last in the 1988 season under Holtz. Players from the school have won the Heisman Trophy seven times, also the most in college football.

But the Irish haven't won a bowl game since ending the 1993 season ranked No. 2 after beating Texas A&M 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl. Since then, the Irish have lost six straight postseason games.

URL: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1935138

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

I wish Ty the best. I think he'd be a good fit for Washinton and he'd be back in the Pac 10 again.

I'm more concerned with a replacement. Urban Meyer we're calling you!

 

[NDLyght37]

I'd search a lil' bit longer than that for a replacement.

I think Meyer's a solid coach...but will his offense work in South Bend?
And for those who criticized Willingham's experience before he was hired...Urban has less than Ty.

Not to say that I wouldn't be happy with Merer, but I think there are better fits out there (Tedford, Gruden, Hawkins, etc.).

 

[GoinIrishSince85]

I think you're right there Albuquerque. Ty will be happier with a team like Washington. To be honest, Washington will open up a lot more recruiting opportunities then the ones he had with Stanford or Notre Dame. I think he's a great coach, but I don't think he's a good fit. As for Meyer, as impressive as his record is, I'm leery of hiring a guy with only 3 yrs of head coaching experiance, especially in the small markets he's coached in. Yeah, Utah is in the BCS, but could they compete with a USC or an Oklahoma or an Auburn? They're going to play Pittsburgh in the bowl game and despite the fact that Pitt has gotten lucky more than once this year, it's not gonna be a walk in the park for Utah. I don't want to take anything away from Utah, but I don't think they're proven yet. I'd rather see Meyer go to a bigger,more prominent program and then come coach the Irish (because I doubt this next coach is going to be here for Paterno years) and really prove himself. I'd rather see a coach like Ferentz or Butch Davis or even Ron Zook or Frank Solich (strange, haven't heard his name mentioned at all) come and coach this team.

 

[irishtexan]

Wait, were all 7 coaches that got fired in the process of recruiting on the road? If so, what the heck do we do now about recruiting, the deadline for commitments isnt too far away.

 

[jiggafini19]

Texan echoes a very important concern. What of the 11 verbals in hand and the other potentials in the bush?
Butch Davis brought Miami back with respect and integrity. His 11th hour recruiting skills there were top notch, a skill that Larry Coker has as well. Davis has brief NFL experience, but he has the ability to meet the standard that is Notre Dame Football. Urban Meyer is not the guy....right now.
Ron Zook is said to be interviewing in Champagin, IL this week. Can't see Ferentz leaving Iowa either, even with the White connection. Butch Davis or Jon Gruden? What about the Mooch up in Detroit? Harrington struggling, Lions all but out of the playoff hunt....could they get in touch with him again?

 

[Guest]

I'm hearing that willingham is going back to Stanford, I hope he doesn't take any of our committed recruits.

 

[NDLyght37]

I'm hearing that willingham is going back to Stanford, I hope he doesn't take any of our committed recruits.

It's not clear where he's going yet. The top 3 places seem to be Washington, Stanford, or the Arizona Cardinals next year.

It shouldn't affect the recruiting too much (unless it takes a while to name a replacement).

 

[Guest]

It's not clear where he's going yet. The top 3 places seem to be Washington, Stanford, or the Arizona Cardinals next year.

It shouldn't affect the recruiting too much (unless it takes a while to name a replacement).

The Cardinal's? Dennis Green just started there. Maybe as a assitant coach.

 

[GoinIrishSince85]

After he coached under Bill Walsh, he assisted under Denny Green. Remember he was at Stanford under Green and then at Minnesota under Green. So I could definitely see him going to AZ as an assistant, but I think he'll land in a head coaching job in the NCAA...unless of course San Francisco say to hell with it, lets give him a run.

 

[urban meyer]

bring on urban meyer

bring on urban meyer

[fuck ty- he ruined the whole irish team as a whole. now we have to start over and get urban in here adn win a national chmapionship!!!!! anyone think i am wrong??? that what i thought

 

[hybriddad]

ND heard the cries of the ND Nation, alums and subway-alums alike, and took the right actions to stop this slide into obscurity.

Now we need the right man, Meyer, Gruden, just the man who lead ND "back to glory"!!

Ty did his best, but this is NOTRE DAME. I go on vacation to Hawaii tomorrow a happy man!

 

[Rocket25]

Ty blows....its a close tie....whose worse him or davie....BRING ON URBAN

 

[GoinIrishSince85]

I'm skeptical about Meyer. We'll see I guess cuz I'm pretty sure he's the one.

 

[pappy]

while i think it was a good decision, i do have one major concern. most of the upperclassmen were brought in to play the option offense. ty's guys are just freshmen, sophmores, or redshirts that haven't had time yet. now, let's say the new coach, wants to go with a different type of offense than the west coast. then what? you now have guys that will be upperclassmen who learned the west coast, and the younger, inexperienced guys on the bench, learning the new system, without a chance to implement it. same boat, different year. only time will tell, i guess.

 

[Vince Young]

Well, it's good to see someone else finally echoing the concerns I've been expressing about Urban Meyer for the past 2 weeks...

I wish we'd have given Ty one more year, but it was getting hard to defend him anyway. *sigh*

 

[NDLyght37]

The Cardinal's? Dennis Green just started there. Maybe as a assitant coach.

Yeah, they were saying he could serve as one of his coordinators (like he did in Minnesota).

Also to the vocal "Willing-haters" in here...let's just hope we haven't made a mistake. By all accounts, Ty was working in a pro-style offense...that takes time. As good as Meyer is, who's to say he will be any better when he implements the spread offense? Throwing Ty by the wayside to get Urban could be a great move...or it could continue the slide we've been on since Holtz left.

 

[irishgo8]

I think getting a coach who has a good record somewhere else (Urban Meyer, Jeff Tedford, Nick Saban, Bob Stoops, Mack Brown) will stay here for the full term of the contract because unlike willingham they will be known to have had good records other place and ND will just say "Give Him Time" whereas with Ty - what hes been doing here is what he did at Stanford - so they didnt have an excuse not to fire him.

 

[irishgo8]

I heard a rumor - i am not sure if it is true

Willingham TOLD nd to fire him so that he could get his ND salary and since he will probably go coach at Washington he will get his Washington paycheck too - TWO PAYCHECKS.

Whats your thoughts?

I dont know if it is true but if it is - then watch out ESPN and MSNBC u will really look bad.

 

[NDLyght37]

I heard a rumor - i am not sure if it is true

Willingham TOLD ND to fire him so that he could get his ND salary and since he will probably go coach at Washington he will get his Washington paycheck too - TWO PAYCHECKS.

Whats your thoughts?

If that's true then Ty is a heck of a lot smarter than some of y'all give him credit for.

I'm sure he saw the writing on the wall and went and talked to White. Supposedly his family is having problems as well and wanted to move back out west. IMO, it's a good compromise to pay Ty out the remainder of his contract (which is only one more year, right?). To put him through the stigma of being one of the few ND coaches fired before his contract ran out could potentially hurt his hiring prospects.

So ND gets Meyer (or Gruden!), and Ty gets a nice chunk of change. Win-Win situation.

BTW, ND plays Washington & Stanford next year...drama all around.

The House Of Mutumbo...And Maybe LaPhonso Ellis.

 

[GoinIrishSince85]

I think he actually had 3 years left on his contract. I heard it was a 6 year deal. Don't know why it was a year longer than normal, but I heard a couple analysts say yesterday that this could be more of a mutual thing than it is the Irish unhappy with the program.

Anyway, still skeptical about Meyer here. Yeah, he's done well at Bowling Green and Utah, but that's just it. It's Bowling Green and Utah. When you have guys out there like Bob Stoops and Nick Saban and even Butch Davis willing to listen to what you've got to say, I just don't know if I'd go after Meyer just yet. Yeah, he looks like a good coach, but look who he's coached, and, more importantly, who he's coached against, and suddenly, it isn't as impressive.

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

I think he actually had 3 years left on his contract. I heard it was a 6 year deal. Don't know why it was a year longer than normal, but I heard a couple analysts say yesterday that this could be more of a mutual thing than it is the Irish unhappy with the program.

Anyway, still skeptical about Meyer here. Yeah, he's done well at Bowling Green and Utah, but that's just it. It's Bowling Green and Utah. When you have guys out there like Bob Stoops and Nick Saban and even Butch Davis willing to listen to what you've got to say, I just don't know if I'd go after Meyer just yet. Yeah, he looks like a good coach, but look who he's coached, and, more importantly, who he's coached against, and suddenly, it isn't as impressive.

I wish we could get Bob Stoops, but I seriously doubt he would leave a national title contending program for a medicocre proram that needs to be built up again. But mabe the challenge of bringing back two storied programs will be enough to entice him. I'll put my money on Meyer. That's my vote.

 

[jiggafini19]

Two Recruits Back Out

Two Recruits Back Out

Dace Richardson, OT from Wheaton IL has said that Willingham's firing has taken Notre Dame out of the running on his list of schools. Dan Doering, OT out of Barrington IL is all but committed to Iowa or Michigan now with Willingham's departure.

I guess the moral of this story is be careful what you wish for. Urban Meyer or whoever gets this job is going to have a lot of work to do recruiting wise. Need O-linemen and D-backs like no tomorrow. 11 verbals currently, all of whom have said they are sticking to ND. The potentials are here and there. Richardson is for sure not interested any longer. Doering will most likely head elsewhere. Others have said they'll wait and see.

Recruiting wise, this is not a good situation currently.

 

[Guest]

Dace Richardson, OT from Wheaton IL has said that Willingham's firing has taken Notre Dame out of the running on his list of schools. Dan Doering, OT out of Barrington IL is all but committed to Iowa or Michigan now with Willingham's departure.

I guess the moral of this story is be careful what you wish for. Urban Meyer or whoever gets this job is going to have a lot of work to do recruiting wise. Need O-linemen and D-backs like no tomorrow. 11 verbals currently, all of whom have said they are sticking to ND. The potentials are here and there. Richardson is for sure not interested any longer. Doering will most likely head elsewhere. Others have said they'll wait and see.

Recruiting wise, this is not a good situation currently.

Richardson was pretty much committed to Ohio $tate. Doering would be a big loss. If we get urban we may end up with a better class then if willingham stayed, Urban is getting alot of attention, potential recruits know he's a hot coaching prospect.

 

[irishbukkake]

Let's go after Ron Zook, or better yet Gary Barnett from Colorado.......he could revive the stripper scene here in South Bend

 

[irishtexan]

Kent Baer is going to coach the Irish in the insight bowl. I think whoever we will get as coach, we will have a stronger recruiting class than if ty had stayed. Whoever decommitted because willingham left didnt really want to play for the irish because if they did they would stay and support whoever comes in. If anything the recruits who verbally committed should be excited with all this meyer talk, his team is playing in a bcs bowl. Granted they havent had a tough schedule, but i hope he is all everyone is hyping him up to be.

 

[NDLyght37]

Kent Baer is going to coach the Irish in the insight bowl. I think whoever we will get as coach, we will have a stronger recruiting class than if ty had stayed. Whoever decommitted because willingham left didnt really want to play for the irish because if they did they would stay and support whoever comes in.

Maybe, but a lot of kids choose a school based on the coach and his system. If that changes, the kids have every right to de-commit.

 

[GoinIrishSince85]

Read a report today that says that because Willingham refused to fire his offensive coordinator and other assistants, he was fired.

 

[Melphion]

Read a report today that says that because Willingham refused to fire his offensive coordinator and other assistants, he was fired.

I thought a lot of their offensive play calling this year was questionable. It was too predictable and conservative.

 

[TOWSON IRISH]

Eternal Optimist!

Eternal Optimist!

I Think That Nd Needs To Find One Of It's Own! There Are Currently Two Qualified Coaches In The Nfl Who Do Not Appear On Any Radar Screens, Tom Clements And Charlie Weis. What Are Your Thoughts?