Ty Willingham fired as ND head coach

Coach · 11-30-2004, 01:27 PM

From ESPN

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

Two black head coaches left in I-A

Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Coach Tyrone Willingham was fired by Notre Dame on Tuesday after three seasons in which he failed to return one of the nation's most storied football programs to prominence.

Willingham had a record of 21-15, 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.

Willingham's firing comes after a season in which the Irish pulled off upset victories over Michigan and at Tennessee, but were also blown out by USC and Purdue.

Notre Dame's loss to top-ranked USC on Saturday marked the fifth time the Irish lost by 31 points or more under Willingham -- three of the losses coming to the 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, away from Stanford to replace George O'Leary, the former Georgia Tech coach who resigned five days after taking the job because he lied about his academic and athletic achievements on his resume.

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 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 Irish's worst stretch in 115 years of football.

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

The Irish haven't won a bowl game since ending the 1993 season ranked No. 2 after beating No. 7 Texas 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl.

Since then the Irish have lost six straight postseason games.

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.

11-30-2004, 01:27 PM	Topic Starter
Coach Champs! Join Date: Mar 2004 Casino cash: $3788476	Ty Willingham fired as ND head coach From ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1935138 Two black head coaches left in I-A Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Coach Tyrone Willingham was fired by Notre Dame on Tuesday after three seasons in which he failed to return one of the nation's most storied football programs to prominence. Willingham had a record of 21-15, 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. Willingham's firing comes after a season in which the Irish pulled off upset victories over Michigan and at Tennessee, but were also blown out by USC and Purdue. Notre Dame's loss to top-ranked USC on Saturday marked the fifth time the Irish lost by 31 points or more under Willingham -- three of the losses coming to the 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, away from Stanford to replace George O'Leary, the former Georgia Tech coach who resigned five days after taking the job because he lied about his academic and athletic achievements on his resume. 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 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 Irish's worst stretch in 115 years of football. Notre Dame has won eight AP college football national championships, more than any other school. The last was in 1988 under Holtz. Players from the school have won the Heisman Trophy seven times, also the most in college football. The Irish haven't won a bowl game since ending the 1993 season ranked No. 2 after beating No. 7 Texas 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl. Since then the Irish have lost six straight postseason games. 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.
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