Err We Go Again

Kevin White: Rhymes With "Ducked"
For the second time in as many attempts, Notre Dame's Athletic Director, Kevin White, has failed in one of his primary duties in attempting to secure the administration's top choice for the Notre Dame head football coach vacancy.

Sadly, the first failed attempt begat the second. In December of 2001, White happily paraded George "Central Casting" O'Leary around for the media as the new head coach, only to be forced to slink into the shadows once it was revealed that O'Leary lied in several regards on his resume. [Obviously, due diligence was & is not one of White's stronger management traits.] Resorting to their second choice-Stanford's Tyrone Willignham--continued the years of competitive mediocrity which dawned with the disposal of Lou Holtz from South Bend.

Willingham's subsequent well-documented dismissal occurred earlier this week. Many including yours truly have opined that the administration's hand was forced by the need to go all in for the Urban Meyer sweepstakes before the hot commodity Utah coach headed south to the warm climes of Gainesville. In the end, Gator fans are left applauding while ND loyalists are left grasping at straws like many an Irish defensive back.

One question remains: did ND in fact make an offer to Meyer, or were talks simply held that revealed the impossibility of an agreement? Only time will tell. But for the sake of argument, consider the realities of the situation:

1. Meyer had in his contract with the University of Utah an escape clause which would allow him to leave the agreement early, penalty-free, in the interest of pursuing a head coaching vacancy at one of three school: Michigan, The Ohio State University, and Notre Dame (where Meyer was an assistant from 1996-2000).

2. In the hottest hotbed of college recruiting, Florida, a coach can almost recruit a national championship caliber squad without ever leaving the Sunshine State.

3. UFlorida already has on the team one of the best QBs in college football today, Chris Leak, who is only a sophomore.

4. Problems with balancing highly-desirable recruits with academic standards was cited in the ouster of Lou Holtz from ND, and has dogged ND coaches since. This is much less a problem at UFlorida.

5. Say what you want about schedules, but UFlorida's is year-in, year-out, much easier than that of Notre Dame. I personally like ND playing a tough schedule; as Holtz one paraphrased, in order to be the best you must beat the best. This year UFlorida's docket included games against Middle Tennessee St. and Eastern Michigan. Additionally, the SEC isn't the powerhouse it used to be, with just three teams aside from UFlorida in the Top 25 and 7 squads with 6-5 records or worse.

Lastly, but not inconsequentially, Meyer allegedly has received a 7-year, $14million contract from UFlorida. With the Faust/Davie/Willingham experiences still seared in the minds of the South Bend intelligentsia, was ND even prepared to consider anything beyond a 3-to-5 year deal with any coach, nevermind at $2million per campaign? Doubtful.

Perhaps in the end this will be one of the best deals never done. But until proven otherwise, the Kevin White watch is fast approaching the 11th hour.

Meyer to Gators?

well, of course they offered him the job. but did Meyer take it?

if so, pardon me while i go light myself on fire. are we seriously getting into this problem again?

ND Coaching Candidates

No, George O'Leary Is NOT Available
First of all, Kevin White should have been shown the door before even Willingham. My hope is that perhaps Rev. Jenkins had a hand in this and it is a positive sign for the future of striving towards higher achievement than the status quo (i.e., "a winning record"). Tyrone Willingham is and will be a fine person and will succeed...just not under the ND microscope.

As such, a somewhat checkered past since the early 80s (Faust, Davie, O'Leary & Willingham vs Holtz) presents an interesting predicament for which direction the administration may pursue for their next head coach. The leading candidates:

1. Urban Meyer, Utah. PRO: He has only four years under his belt as a head coach at the college level, but a cumulative 38-8 record. From '99-'00, Bowling Green was 7-15. In his two years as head coach ('01-'02), they went 17-6. Similarly, Utah was 13-10 from '01-02. In his two years as head coach ('03-'04), they are 21-2, ranked #6 in the nation and headed to a big-time BCS bowl game. Those are the kind of results alumni and administrators drool over. And much like Holtz at Minnesota, Meyer so coveted the ND head coaching position that he has an escape clause in his current contract. CON: Only four years head coaching experience, and even that at smaller conference schools while playing against few teams making cameos in the Top 25.

2. And the rest...Butch Davis (likely headed to UFlorida), Kirk Ferentz, Dan Hawkins, Bobby Petrino and Jeff Tedford.

One last item for the conspiracy theory file: NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol was on his way back to ND (with his sons, one of whom is a senior there) when their plane crashed on Sunday. Did he plan to meet with anyone at ND to discuss the current state of affairs?

"honoring a contract"

i've read plenty about Notre Dame failing to "honor its contract" with Willingham. not to pick nits, but Notre Dame's termination of Willingham does not mean that it will not honor its contract. not paying him for the final two years of the contract would constitute a failure to honor it. there is no indication that this is the university's intent.

i could reprint pages and pages of legal treatises about the concept of an efficient breach, but i guarantee there would be no mention of "honoring a contract" in that discussion. let there be no mistake: Tyrone Willingham will still be paid for those final two years of his contract.

An article that takes ND's side

here's an article that actually takes our side in Willingham's dismissal. Under Willingham, the Irish lost their fight

i tend to agree with it, by and large.

Not Like Everybody Else

One of the themes emanating from the media this morning is that TW's dismissal is proof that Notre Dame is now no different from any other football school...

Firing Willingham tarnishes Golden Dome
White's quick trigger kills myth of special place - Star
Shame on Notre Dame
ND now looks like everyone else

That's right, if you'd just take the time to read the dozens of articles, or watch the numerous news stories, or listen to the ubiquitous talk radio segments on Irish football, you'd realize that they're correct--Notre Dame is no different than any other school that fires its coach after a sub-par season, like Florida or Nebraska or Stanford.

Whoa, Stanford fired their coach?! When? Well, nevermind that, let's get back to focusing on how Notre Dame isn't special...yawn.

They're Shocked. Shocked!

Ya gotta love ESPN's feigned shock and indignation over TW's firing. Yeah, they were completely blindsided by this--I mean, pay no attention to the fact that three days earlier they featured a roundtable discussion on what's ailing Notre Dame football.

Hey, wouldn't it be deliciously ironic if that ESPN segment actually convinced some influential people on the Board of Trustees to pull the trigger?

Lessons Learned

As Notre Dame begins to adjust to the tectonic shift that occurred today, let's examine some of the lessons that have been learned since 2001--all of which bode well for the future:

1. Three years is enough to judge the direction of a football program.

The three year benchmark has always been an accurate barometer of success at Notre Dame and the decisionmakers finally recognize it. No more lip service to the sketchy precedent of granting struggling coaches five years to display their mettle. As if getting waxed by 30 pts the next two seasons will somehow make the program more honorable.

Now critics will say that by terminating the contract, ND is abandoning its principles.
Nonsense.
ND is standing on a greater principle--the commitment to excellence.

2. Don't worry about the media's reaction. Do what's best for Notre Dame.

One of my favorite Holtz quotes is, "Don't tell people your problems. 90% of them don't care and 10% are glad you have 'em." In ND's case, that 10% works at ESPN.

Hey, they're gonna hate us anyway, so they might as well hate us with an effective coach.

3. Football matters. The suddenness of this decision reveals that program had reached a crisis-level, at least in the eyes of the movers-and-shakers within the University. You wouldn't see this kind of decisive action in relation to the hockey team. Although fencing maybe... (sorry, Chris)

4. The ND message boards are the best indication of the program's pulse. The folks that post there are the true stakeholders in ND football; ignore their influence and knowledge at your own peril.

Let The Wild Speculation Begin

Whose Name is Chanted in the 1812 Overture in September?
Urban Meyer? Butch Davis? Buddy Teevens? John Allen (All-American)? The author will not speculate further until we can get a whiff of what exactly this administration has been smoking for the past three years.

Tyrone Willingham is gone

i hate to be the guy to post it -- it oughta be Fillio -- but every major news source (NY Times, ESPN, my brother) is reporting that Tyrone Willingham will not be returning for the 2005 season. tough to say if he's resigning or if he has been fired.

Tyrone Willingham By The Numbers

Where Have You Gone, Lou Holtz, oh oh, ND Nation Turns it's Lonely Eyes At You

17: Combined losses by 21+ pts of previous six ND coaches dating back to 1961
17: Ty's career losses by 21+ pts as head coach dating back to 1995

7: Davie's losses in ND Stadium in 5 seasons (1997-2001)
7: Ty's losses in ND Stadium in 3 seasons (2002-2004)

5: ND's losses by 31+ pts in 41 seasons (1960-2001)
5: Ty's losses by 31+ pts in 3 seasons (2002-2004)

0: Number of times ND allowed opposing QBs to throw for 5 TDs in past 116+ seasons.
2: Number of times Ty's team allowed opposing QBs to throw for 5 TDs during consecutive games in November 2004

.583: Davie's winning percentage at ND 1997-2001
.583: Ty's winning percentage at ND 2002-2004

Some statistics about Tyrone Willingham

In Tyrone Willingham's first 3 seasons at Notre Dame:
1. Tyrone Willingham has lost 8 games by at least 3 touchdowns. By comparison, Bob Davie lost 4 games by 3 touchdowns and Gerry Faust lost 3 games by 3 touchdowns. That means that in 3 years Tyrone Willingham has lost more games by 3 touchdowns than Bob Davie and Gerry Faust did in their 10 years combined.
2. Notre Dame was shut out by at least 30 points twice in 2003. The last time that happened was 1904.
3. In Tyrone Willingham's first 3 years, Notre Dame has lost by at least 30 points 5 times. For perspective, in the previous 40 seasons (1961-2000), Notre Dame lost by at least 30 points a total of 4 times. Bob Davie only lost by 30 points 1 time, as did Gerry Faust.
4. The 38-12 loss to 6-6 Syracuse was Notre Dame's first 3 touchdown loss to an unranked team since 1960.
5. From the 44-13 loss to Southern Cal in 2002 until the 20-17 loss to a 5-6 Brigham Young team, Notre Dame lost 10 games over a 15 game stretch. That was the worst 15 game stretch since 1960.
6. Tyrone Willingham is the first Notre Dame coach since Joe Kuharich (17-23) to have fewer wins by 3 touchdowns (5) than he had losses by 3 touchdowns (8). Bob Davie had twice as many 3 touchdown wins as losses (8 wins, 4 losses). Gerry Faust had over 4 times as many (14 wins, 3 losses).
7. In 2003, Tyrone Willingham became the first Notre Dame coach to have consecutive 4 TD losses to Southern Cal. In 2004, he had his 3rd in a row.
8. Tyrone Willingham has been a Notre Dame coach for 3 years out of the school's 117 years (2.6% of the seasons) and has coached in 36 of Notre Dame's 1,106 games (3.3%), however, he has coached in 23.8% (5 out of 21) of Notre Dame's losses by at least 30 points.
9. After starting out 8-0, Tyrone Willingham's record since has been 13-15.
10. When Tyrone Willingham took over, Notre Dame had the #1 all time winning percentage, with a record of 781-247-42 (.749), ahead of Michigan's 813-265-36 (.746). At the end of the regular season of 2004, Michigan now has the #1 all time winning percentage, with a record of 842-274-36 (.747) while Notre Dame is #2 with a record of 802-261-42 (.745).

Three Notre Dame opponent records have been set in the last 3 years:
Most passing yards against Notre Dame (425 yards)- Carson Palmer, USC, 2002
Most receiving yards against Notre Dame (217 yards)- Craphonso Thorpe, FSU, 2003
Most passing touchdowns against Notre Dame (5)- Tyler Palko, Pitt, 2004, Matt Leinart, USC, 2004

Combined 3-year records:
Joe Kuharich: 10-18 (.357)
Ara Parseghian: 25-3-2 (.867)
Dan Devine: 28-7 (.800)
Gerry Faust: 18-15-1 (.529)
Lou Holtz: 25-10 (.714)
Bob Davie: 21-16 (.568)
Tyrone Willingham: 21-15 (.583)

Year by Year Coaching records for their first 3 years:
Joe Kuharich:
5-5
2-8
5-5
Ara Parseghian:
9-1
7-2-1
9-0-1
Dan Devine:
8-3
9-3
11-1
Gerry Faust:
5-6
6-4-1
7-5
Lou Holtz:
5-6
8-4
12-0
Bob Davie:
7-6
9-3
5-7
Tyrone Willingham:
10-3
5-7
6-5 (and still going)

Coaching Home Records for Their First 3 years:
Joe Kuharich: 7-8 (.467)
Ara Parseghian: 14-1 (.933)
Dan Devine: 12-3 (.800)
Gerry Faust: 9-7 (.563)
Lou Holtz: 15-3 (.833)
Bob Davie: 15-4 (.789)
Tyrone Willingham: 11-7 (.611)

Total Scoring Margins Through Their First Three Years at Notre Dame:
Ara Parseghian +731
Dan Devine +517
Gerry Faust +241
Lou Holtz +438
Bob Davie + 114
Tyrone Willingham +18

In the 117-year history of Notre Dame football, Notre Dame has lost by more than 30 points 21 times. Here is a listing of those losses, detailing year, coach, opponent, and score:
1900 - O'Dea - Wisconsin - 54-0
1904 - Salmon - Wisconsin - 58-0
1904 - Salmon - Purdue 36-0
1905 - McGlew - Purdue - 32-0
1944 - McKeever - Army - 59-0
1945 - Devore - Army - 48-0
1945 - Devore - Great Lakes - 39-7
1951 - Leahy - Michigan State - 35-0
1956 - Brennan - Michigan State - 47-14
1956 - Brennan - Oklahoma - 40-0
1956 - Brennan - Iowa - 48-8
1960 - Kuharich - Purdue - 51-19
1972 - Parseghian - Nebraska - 40-6
1974 - Parseghian - USC - 55-24
1985 - Faust - Miami - 58-7
2000 - Davie - Oregon State - 41-9
2002 - Willingham - USC - 44-13
2003 - Willingham - Michigan - 38-0
2003 - Willingham - USC - 45-14
2003 - Willingham - Florida State 37-0
2004 - Willingham - USC - 41-10

End of the Road for Willingham?

During a local Washington, D.C. sports radio show today, Michael Wilbon, respected columnist for The Washington Post, noted that his inside sources at ND indicated that 'Tyrone Willingham is in trouble at Notre Dame'.

Hmmmm...what could that mean?

Pete Carroll, Asshole Coach of the Year

With seven minutes left and already leading in dominating fashion, 34-10, USC head coach Pete Carroll play-called a fake punt from the ND 39 on 4th and 3. The resulting pass interference call was followed by Matt Leinart's 5th TD pass of the game on the next play for the final tally of 41-10.

When asked, ND head coach Tyrone Willingham--who ran a fake punt in a similar situation last year against Stanford--said he didn't have a problem with the fake. But we have all learned in the past 2+ years that Ty lives in another realm of reality very far removed from this world.

Meanwhile, it should be pointed out that Pete Carroll has a long history of being a total asshole. He was convincingly despised by Patriot Nation during his stay as New England's head coach, and is rapidly making strides towards gaining the same notoriety in the college ranks. Perhaps some consolation can be gained in knowing that what comes around goes around. Sadly, ND fans could be waiting on the next 100 years for what goes around again.