Ty Willingham To Step Down

[shaft]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3667258

Willingham to step down as Huskies coach at season's end

Associated Press, Updated: October 27, 2008, 3:22 PM ET

SEATTLE -- Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said Monday he will step down at the end of the 2008 season.

The embattled Washington coach fell to 0-7 on Saturday after a 33-7 loss to Notre Dame. Willingham and athletics director Scott Woodward made the announcement at a news conference.

Willingham has been under fire for being unable to turn around the Washington program. He is 11-32 overall in his four seasons with the Huskies. Washington currently has a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season, tied with North Texas for the longest in the country.

Woodward has said he did not want to change coaches during the middle of the season. But he said Monday's announcement ends speculation of what is going to happen with Willingham and lets the team focus on the final five games.

[untbowler]

I would take Willingham in an instance, bye bye Dodge time to bring in Willingham!!!

[dml7007]

I would take Willingham in an instance, bye bye Dodge time to bring in Willingham!!!

I give Dodge one more year, and he better show great progress. His first recruiting class will be juniors, and he will have a majority of players that he recruited. If he has this type of season next year he has to go.

[Green Dozer]

I give Dodge one more year, and he better show great progress. His first recruiting class will be juniors, and he will have a majority of players that he recruited. If he has this type of season next year he has to go.

Great progress is not to just win 2 or 3 games? I am not saying that to be a smart a** to your post, because I do not see more wins than that next year unless some major adjustments are made. We are not going to have a bigger, quicker offensive line. I think the defense will be improved. I do not think it is the players as much as I think it is the system as it stands today. And until that changes, it won't make any difference even if we were playing 5th year seniors at every position.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

--That means we now #1 in two things...

1. points allowed

2. consecutive losses.

[KRAM1]

Thanks 97 and 03 ... Iwas going to point out that Ty Willingham had some fours years to try to turn it around at Washington. If the same problem exists at UNT under Dodge AFTER FOUR YEARS...well, the eveluations can begin! Until then, GO DODGE...GO UNT!!!!!! Dodge will get it turned around.

[houstonmeangreen]

Thanks 97 and 03 ... Iwas going to point out that Ty Willingham had some fours years to try to turn it around at Washington. If the same problem exists at UNT under Dodge AFTER FOUR YEARS...well, the eveluations can begin! Until then, GO DODGE...GO UNT!!!!!! Dodge will get it turned around.

Yea, and you see how well giving him 4 yrs to turn the program around worked out....not so well.

Dodge will get it turned around....well the evidence doesn't suggest that....in ANY way.

[jdennis82]

i will never understand the benefit of calling for dodge's head on a public forum like this board. i understand impatience and i understand venting about frustration with your buddies who share the passion for the program, but i don't understand doing so through a public, anonymous medium.

i think everyone on here will do anything they can to help improve the program. when will that include restricting oneself from blasting the program on gmg?

[SUMG]

Thanks 97 and 03 ... Iwas going to point out that Ty Willingham had some fours years to try to turn it around at Washington. If the same problem exists at UNT under Dodge AFTER FOUR YEARS...well, the eveluations can begin! Until then, GO DODGE...GO UNT!!!!!! Dodge will get it turned around.

We can't afford a 4 year dead spot in football...like UW can. After all, they're a storied program, and if not mistaken shared a national title in the early 90s (91?)

Plus, Ty Willingham, though a disaster at UW....has proven himself as a college coach. He had some decent years at Stanford and one great year at Notre Dame.

Dodge has yet to prove that he's a college head coach. So, I don't think he should get the same leeway that Ty W got.

[UNTLifer]

I would take Willingham in an instance, bye bye Dodge time to bring in Willingham!!!

Why? Where has Willingham been successful?

[SUMG]

Why? Where has Willingham been successful?

I wouldn't want Willingham here....but he has had a little bit of success as a coach:

Following the 1994 season, Willingham was appointed head coach of the football program at Stanford. In his seven seasons (1995-2001) as coach, he led the Cardinal to a 44-36-1 record, a Pac-10 conference championship and four bowl game appearances, including the 2000 Rose Bowl. His 44 wins were the most by a Stanford coach coach since John Ralston who left the school after the 1971 season. On December 31, 2001, Willingham was hired as head coach at Notre Dame.[2]

Notre Dame

Main article: Notre Dame Fighting Irish football under Tyrone Willingham

Willingham got off to an auspicious start at Notre Dame. He began the 2002 season by going 8–0, becoming the only first-year coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games. For his efforts he was named the ESPN/Home Depot College Coach of the Year,[3] the Scripps College Coach of the Year, the Black Coaches Association Male Coach of the Year and the George Munger Award College Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club.[4]

Subsequently, Notre Dame finished 5–7 in 2003 and were beaten badly in four of those losses, getting shut out twice in one season for the first time since 1960. In 2004, Notre Dame posted a 6–5 record regular season, including a 41–16 loss to Purdue and ending with Willingham's third consecutive 31 point loss to the University of Southern California for his fifth blowout loss by 30 points or more in his three seasons. The following Monday, November 30, after an overall record in South Bend of 21–15, Notre Dame terminated Willingham as head coach.[5] Defensive coordinator Kent Baer served as acting head coach for the Insight Bowl, a 38-21 loss to Oregon State University.

[KRAM1]

I would say that just because a guy has proved he can lose at major DI schools is no reason to get excited!

[Got5onIt]

Why? Where has Willingham been successful?

Uh, Stanford & Notre Dame?????????!!!!!! Remember, Fatty Flatop was winning with Ty's guys his first year at ND.

[KRAM1]

Thought ND let Ty go? Did I miss something..why did they let a winning coach go if he was, in fact, winning at ND? Just asking an honet question...I simply don't recall.

[LoveMG]

would i be more excited with dodge back next year or a new coach? give me a new coach. i have seen nothing to indicate this mess is turning around any time soon.

[jimmyjames_99]

We can't afford a 4 year dead spot in football...

In terms of wins, yes we are in a dead spot. However, football has a new stadium to look forward to as well as a record setting receiver in CF. Plus #3 in average attendance, barring the inevitable terrible attendance for the 11/29 ASU game.

A twist to the logic, I don’t think UNT is a team that can afford to let go a head coach every two years either.

We are in year 4 of a losing program and I don’t like it any more than most of you. I do not think Dodge is football Jesus, but I am willing to hold off on calling for his head for a couple more years. If season 4 looks like season 2, then I believe RV will have the same type of meeting with Dodge he had with Dickey in 2001.

Edited October 27, 2008 by jimmyjames_99

[Got5onIt]

Thought ND let Ty go? Did I miss something..why did they let a winning coach go if he was, in fact, winning at ND? Just asking an honet question...I simply don't recall.

He was fired after having having a couple of bad years. They had a helluva year his first season at ND.

[yyz28]

i will never understand the benefit of calling for dodge's head on a public forum like this board. i understand impatience and i understand venting about frustration with your buddies who share the passion for the program, but i don't understand doing so through a public, anonymous medium.

i think everyone on here will do anything they can to help improve the program. when will that include restricting oneself from blasting the program on gmg?

I will never understand the benefit of censoring people's well placed frustrations regarding this coaching staff and the direction it has gone thus far, and how people actually think it negatively effects UNT any more than negative talk on other school's boards (which it does, often to a larger degree than here and it happens on EVERY programs' fan boards) to a point where people feel the need to post such nonsence.

I PROMISE that if we closed this board down or started Censoring people asking serious questions and having discussion about what is wrong with the program, that we'd still be winless right now.

The group of supporters on this board are the best and strongest supporters and assets the UNT Athletic Department has, despite the negative discussions.

Edited October 27, 2008 by yyz28

[GreenAlums]

In a word, NO!

[Green Mean]

If Dodge is smart he will consider stepping down. It is now all pretty much in the open that this program is in shambles.

Oh and I would love to see Willingham come here. He has had a rough time in UW but I strongly believe that he is a good coach and a good motivator. Charlie Weiss' big success in Notre Dame was with all of Willinghams players. When he was at Stanford he made a lot of progress there. I know Willingham wouldn't come here since there will be better jobs with better pay out there but If I had the power to boot Dodge and bring in Willingham, I would do it in a heartbeat.

[Quoner]

I would say that just because a guy has proved he can lose at major DI schools is no reason to get excited!

Is this another bit? Sweet lord...

[Green Mean]

Is this another bit? Sweet lord...

In Norm's voice...."BITS are fun!"

[eulessismore]

I would take Willingham in an instance, bye bye Dodge time to bring in Willingham!!!

I lived in Seattle once, and can remember how well they loved and supported their Huskies! This was back in the Don James days, so I'm dating myself. Willingham did start out improving things ever so slightly, taking basically the same players who had gone 1-10 in 2004 to 2-9 in 2005, with 3 and 4 win seasons to follow.

According to Wikipedia, his recruiting classes at ND were the worst ever for that school, so maybe he didn't improve all that much after goint to UW. He did seem to have a good thing going at Stanford, and it's tough to meet expectations at Notre Dame. Really though, I would expect someone who had had some good years at Stanford and one at Notre Dame to come to Seattle, get some good recruiting classes and have a winning record by his third year; it's that kind of place. No coach had ever posted 3 consecutive losing seasons at UW, so it can't be said he didn't get a chance in his fourth year there. Of course, there were the injuries, but I can't see him at this point as someone we need to seriously consider as head coach at North Texas, for his sake or ours.

A million dollars (his buyout) isn't what it used to be, but he should be able to get by until he lands somewhere, maybe even in the NFL, where he coached before, perhaps as an assistant coach. He will probably do well for himself and his family. That seems to be the story of fired D1 head coaches.

Edited October 28, 2008 by eulessismore

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

We can't afford a 4 year dead spot in football...like UW can. After all, they're a storied program, and if not mistaken shared a national title in the early 90s (91?)

Plus, Ty Willingham, though a disaster at UW....has proven himself as a college coach. He had some decent years at Stanford and one great year at Notre Dame.

Dodge has yet to prove that he's a college head coach. So, I don't think he should get the same leeway that Ty W got.

This is absolutely a poster with a brain.

Also, to say that a man who has won 10 games in a season at Notre Dame has not proven himself is absurd. Ty Willingham is a good coach, not a great coach. But, in any case, he is far more qualified to lead any football team at any level than Todd Dodge is.

As far as his tenure at Washington he inherited a team coming of a 1-10 season. He went 2-9 his first year, then 5-7 his second year, and 4-7 last year. At that point, it seemed that he had pulled the team from the one and two wins seasons and maybe after the five and four win seasons, he could get them bowl qualified this year.

In 2006, three of the losses were by 7 points or less. Last year, five of the nine losses were by 7 points or less. They were competitive in both of those seasons against USC, losing 26-20 in 2006 and 27-24 in 2007.

The difference is, coming into the season, Willingham's previous two squads had been competitive, even in the losses. With Dodge it isn't even close. We're blown out by the like of FIU and ULM in the first half of ball games. In Willingham's second season, he had the Huskies within a touchdown of USC in Los Angeles.

When Ty Willingham, then, says aplay here or there could have turned a few games the Huskies way, he's right. When Dodge says it - on the heels of 30+ point anfter 30+ point loss - you have to question whether or not the man has a true grip on the game at this level.

Willingham couldn't deliver this year, and so he goes. That's the way it is. But, for Dodge apologists to post that Willingham isn't proven is crazy. He's a good coach and will land on his feet again. He has proven he can do it at the highest level of college competition. Dodge hasn't even proved he can do it in the Sun Belt.

[eulessismore]

This is absolutely a poster with a brain.

Also, to say that a man who has won 10 games in a season at Notre Dame has not proven himself is absurd. Ty Willingham is a good coach, not a great coach. But, in any case, he is far more qualified to lead any football team at any level than Todd Dodge is.

As far as his tenure at Washington he inherited a team coming of a 1-10 season. He went 2-9 his first year, then 5-7 his second year, and 4-7 last year. At that point, it seemed that he had pulled the team from the one and two wins seasons and maybe after the five and four win seasons, he could get them bowl qualified this year.

In 2006, three of the losses were by 7 points or less. Last year, five of the nine losses were by 7 points or less. They were competitive in both of those seasons against USC, losing 26-20 in 2006 and 27-24 in 2007.

The difference is, coming into the season, Willingham's previous two squads had been competitive, even in the losses. With Dodge it isn't even close. We're blown out by the like of FIU and ULM in the first half of ball games. In Willingham's second season, he had the Huskies within a touchdown of USC in Los Angeles.

When Ty Willingham, then, says aplay here or there could have turned a few games the Huskies way, he's right. When Dodge says it - on the heels of 30+ point anfter 30+ point loss - you have to question whether or not the man has a true grip on the game at this level.

Willingham couldn't deliver this year, and so he goes. That's the way it is. But, for Dodge apologists to post that Willingham isn't proven is crazy. He's a good coach and will land on his feet again. He has proven he can do it at the highest level of college competition. Dodge hasn't even proved he can do it in the Sun Belt.

Yes, he will, but not here, and not for the kind of pay cut that would mean.