Notre Dame, the biggest name in college football, made one of the biggest decisions in its history yesterday, firing head football coach Tyrone Willingham.
Willingham, who arrived from Stanford three years ago, led the Fighting Irish to a 21-15 record during his tenure.
Fourteen of the losses came in his last 25 games, including three to rival Southern Cal, which drubbed Notre Dame 41-10 on Saturday in Willingham’s final game.
In a press conference yesterday, athletic director Kevin White cited those poor game-day performances as the lone motivation for the dismissal.
After a 10-3 season and a Gator Bowl trip in 2002, the Irish went 5-7 last year, not qualifying for a bowl, and finished this fall’s regular season 6-5. They last finished in The Associated Press Top 10 in 1993 and last won the national title in 1988.
“From Sunday through Friday, our football program has exceeded all expectations in every way,” White said. “But again, on Saturday, we’ve struggled.
“We just weren’t manufacturing the momentum, the progress, that we felt we needed to have to move this program back to the elite.”
A national search for Willingham’s replacement has not begun, but speculation surrounds Utah coach Urban Meyer, whose unbeaten Utes likely will play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day. Meyer has an out in his contract to accept the head coaching job at Notre Dame, where he served as wide receivers coach from 1996-2000; Ohio State, his alma mater; or Michigan.
“I have great respect for that university,” Meyer told the AP last night. “That’s the reason it’s in my contract.
“I’m sure that this is going to spark a lot of discussion, but I’m trying to get a team ready to play in a bowl game.”
Meanwhile, Notre Dame needs a head coach for its potential bowl game. The school accepted a bid to play in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 28 in Phoenix, but the coaching change put both the staff and the team’s participation in jeopardy.
A source close to the team said the captains called a 6 p.m., players-only meeting to decide whether to continue bowl preparations.
The decision to terminate Willingham, which White said was made over the past three days by school president Rev. Edward Malloy and other senior administrators, sent shock throughout the school and the sport.
Even White must have felt a bit stunned; three weeks ago, he said in a television interview that he stood “100 percent behind” Willingham and the staff.
Irish alums now in the media expressed surprise over the dismissal, particularly because Willingham is the first coach since 1963 to not serve five years and the first to be fired since Terry Brennan in 1958.
Players told friends they couldn’t believe the news given at a 1 p.m. meeting with Willingham and White.
Anthony Fasano, a junior tight end from Verona, N.J., shared similar sentiments with his father yesterday afternoon.
“[The players] were very surprised,” Joseph Fasano said in a telephone interview. “He’s a little uneasy. He’s seeing how the big boys play in the real world. But he liked his coach, and he’s committed to winning.”
For some, this coaching change isn’t all about winning football games. With the dismissals of Willingham, Tony Samuel at New Mexico State and Fitz Hill at San Jose State, two black coaches remain at the 117 Division I-A schools.
Willingham, who became the first black head coach in any sport at Notre Dame on Jan. 1, 2002, spoke frequently about the responsibility he felt in the position.
Ty at a loss
Tyrone Willingham’s Record at Notre Dame
2002 10-3
2003 5-7
2004 6-5
Total 21-15 (.583)
Record at Stanford (7 seasons): 44-36-1 (.549)
ND Bowl games
2002 Gator Bowl (lost 28-6 to N.C. State)
2004 Accepted bid to Insight.com Bowl
Against rivals
vs. USC (0-3)
2002 44-13 loss
2003 45-14 loss
2004 41-10 loss
vs. Michigan (2-1)
2002 25-23 win
2003 38-0 loss
2004 28-20 win
vs. Michigan State (2-1)
2002 21-17 win
2003 22-16 loss
2004 31-14 win
vs. Boston College (0-3)
2002 14-7 loss
2003 27-25 loss
2004 24-23 loss
Record vs. USC, Michigan, Michigan State and Boston College: 4-8
