Why Norte Dame's Firing Of Willingham Is A Mistake

[NATO AIR]

what a shame how a once mighty and honorable program has fallen....

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/phil_taylor/12/06/nd.willingham/index.html

Three and out
What if other great coaches had been given the Notre Dame treatment?
Posted: Monday December 6, 2004 2:03PM; Updated: Monday December 6, 2004 2:21PM

Red Auerbach didn't win any of those fabled banners in his first three seasons.
Greg Foster/Getty Images

Notre Dame's firing of Tyrone Willingham after three seasons in which he compiled a 21-15 record was the latest evidence of the impatience afflicting sports. Coaches aren't given time to build a team or a program anymore because no one -- not fans, not owners or athletic directors, not the media -- will stand for losing very long. It's not enough anymore to "Just win, baby." These days, it's "Just win now, baby."

But thankfully, it wasn't always this way. If you don't think that teams are too quick on the trigger when it comes to firing coaches, consider how sports history might have been changed if other coaches had met Willingham's fate after their mediocre first three years. Imagine the news stories we might have read through the years:

BOSTON (SUMMER, 1953) -- Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach was dismissed yesterday by after three seasons at the helm. The Celtics finished with winning records in each of Auerbach's seasons, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of his first two seasons and lost in the second round this year. "Regular season success is nice, but everyone knows the name of the game in this league is winning in the playoffs, and that's something that Red just hasn't been able to get done," said the Celts' owner. Fans seemed pleased with the change. "Let's face it," said one sports radio caller, "Red just can't win the big one."

DURHAM, N.C. (SPRING, 1983) -- Duke officials terminated basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski's contract today after three seasons in which the Blue Devils went a combined 38-47. Krzyzewski arrived three years ago amid high hopes that he would resurrect the Duke program, but he had only one winning season, and after Duke finished 10-17 and 11-17 the past two years, athletic department officials felt a change was in order. "He's just a little guy from Chicago," said one insider. "He'll never be able to recruit."

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (SPRING, 1964) -- The Dean Smith era at North Carolina has come to an end. Smith was fired as the Tar Heels' basketball coach yesterday after failing to get the Heels into the postseason in any of his three years at the school. After going 8-9 in his first season, Smith appeared to have the Tar Heels on track with a 15-6 mark in his second year. But this year the team slid back to 12-12, fifth in the ACC, and the pressure to fire Smith grew. University officials disputed claims that they didn't give Smith enough time to build the program. "The guy just wasn't winning," said one member of the athletic department. "What were we supposed to do, name the arena after him?"

SAN FRANCISCO (SEPT., 1981) -- The 49ers relieved coach Bill Walsh of his duties after yesterday's 24-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Niners were 2-14 and 6-10 under Walsh in his first two seasons, and after going 1-2 to begin his third year, calls for Walsh's ouster grew louder. "We had to cut our losses," said a front-office source. "He seems like a smart guy, but he had some strange ideas. Maybe that 'West Coast' offense he keeps talking about would work in college, but not in the NFL."

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (JAN., 1961) -- Giving in to mounting pressure from alumni, the University of Alabama has dismissed head football coach Bear Bryant. After going 5-4-1 in Bryant's first season, the Crimson Tide had shown improvement the past two seasons, with trips to the Liberty and Bluebonnet bowls. But that wasn't good enough for many boosters, who feel the Tide should compete for the national championship every year, or for the athletic department, which seeks the lucrative payouts of the major bowls. "What really did him in was that he wasn't good with the alumni," said a source close to the athletic department. "He mumbled a lot, and he kept showinig up to the cocktail parties with that hat on. Folks in Alabama were just never going to warm up to him."

All of those coaches, of course, survived their rocky first three years and went on to earn a place among the greatest coaches in history. That's not to say that Willingham would have done the same thing, but the impatient administrators and alumni at Notre Dame might one day wish they had given him the chance.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor writes about a Hot Button topic every Monday on SI.com.

 

[insein]

why is it a mistake? Cause they didnt have another coach lined up. Retards, lol.

 

[NATO AIR]

like its willingham's fault norte dame has the nation's roughest schedule every year and the highest academic standards... one of them has to go, and i would have gutted the schedule and done what everybody else does, while keeping up my high standards and succeeding with them as he had...

 

[hylandrdet]

like its willingham's fault norte dame has the nation's roughest schedule every year and the highest academic standards... one of them has to go, and i would have gutted the schedule and done what everybody else does, while keeping up my high standards and succeeding with them as he had...

I agree. coaches are terrified at the idea of coaching at Notre Dame.

I'm a Michigan fan; do you know how many coaches had gotten fired for losing to Big Blue? Four coaches, including a coach from Notre Dame and Ohio State, have been fired over losing to Michigan. Ty Willingham finishes his career at Notre Dame with a 2-1 record over Michigan, but that's not enough for NOTRE DAME!!!

The winninest active Div 1-A coach is Tennessee's Phil Fulmer. Ty beat Fulmer in his OWN BACKYARD!!! BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR NOTRE DAME!!!

Ty's most embarrassing loss was to USC; not Northwestern, not Vanderbilt, not Prairie View, not anybody in the Big 12 north, USC...THE NUMBER ONE RANKED TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!!!

This is clearly a case of arrogance beyond belief; when considering the catholic theme of Notre Dame, please excuse the pun.

As a Michigan fan, I love the idea of leaving Michigan Stadium at halftime smiling next season. They screw up badly; well, at least the ND players won't have to vote as to whether or not to play in a bowl game; they might not even qualify.