ty willingham and the sword of damocles.
So much for the Ty Willingham Era at Notre Dame. After three sometimes-promising seasons at the helm of the self-proclaimed most famous football team in the world, Ty was shown the door to the Golden Dome. What's worse is the move will somehow vindicate the www.fire[insert coach's name here].com ilk that plague sports worse than locusts and cikadas. These folks will proudly wear their anti-Willingham position on their sleeves and somehow claim victory.
Whatever.
Fan uneasiness and rage is a part of being a coach on any level. This has been true as long as there have been newspapers and, more recently, sports talk radio. But the volume is steadily increasing to a cacophonous stir of boos and jeers. Between newspapers, blogs, Web sites, am sports radio, cable sports shows and weekly publications, anti-coach sentiment can run in a news cycle 24/7.
Did any of this do in Ty Willingham? Probably not.
Bigtime football programs are traditionally impatient. Until this firing, Notre Dame has moved in geological time, compared to the Floridas and Southern Californias. Notre Dame boasts championships in all eras, under storied coaches like Leahy, Parseghian, Devine, and Holtz. And oh yeah, some guy named Knute Rockne.
Ty was not in their collective shadow, but he was given a much narrower window.
Even though I was a Ty supporter, I can see the wisdom of Athletic Director Kevin White's decision. After a promising start to his tenure in 2002, the Irish never maintained that success. Furthermore, Notre Dame was no longer considered a dangerous Saturday on anybody's schedule. Yes, they occasionally beat better teams like Purdue, Michigan, Florida State and even Tennessee; but they were no longer the favorites. They couldn't beat Southern Cal. They lost to BYU. Boston College continues to haunt Notre Dame when it comes to perfect seasons.
Notre Dame was no longer shaking down the thunder.
All that's left is speculation on who will assume the role of Most Tortured Man in South Bend. The job pays well, of course, but nothing in the fine print mentions the Sword of Damocles hanging over the coach's head week in and week out.
Already the short list includes Flavors of the Week like Urban Meyer and Butch Davis; but one must proceed with caution when selecting the obvious big-name candidates. Nobody knew who Larry Coker was prior to winning a championship at Miami (a team he inherited from Butch Davis). Pete Carroll was mediocre, at best, in the NFL. And was Jim Tressel on anybody's short list when he was tabbed by Ohio State?
Kevin White has a big decision to make.
There's only one big name I'd keep in mind: Barry Alvarez
But I'm not sure I'd wish this job on my worst enemy.
Whatever.
Fan uneasiness and rage is a part of being a coach on any level. This has been true as long as there have been newspapers and, more recently, sports talk radio. But the volume is steadily increasing to a cacophonous stir of boos and jeers. Between newspapers, blogs, Web sites, am sports radio, cable sports shows and weekly publications, anti-coach sentiment can run in a news cycle 24/7.
Did any of this do in Ty Willingham? Probably not.
Bigtime football programs are traditionally impatient. Until this firing, Notre Dame has moved in geological time, compared to the Floridas and Southern Californias. Notre Dame boasts championships in all eras, under storied coaches like Leahy, Parseghian, Devine, and Holtz. And oh yeah, some guy named Knute Rockne.
Ty was not in their collective shadow, but he was given a much narrower window.
Even though I was a Ty supporter, I can see the wisdom of Athletic Director Kevin White's decision. After a promising start to his tenure in 2002, the Irish never maintained that success. Furthermore, Notre Dame was no longer considered a dangerous Saturday on anybody's schedule. Yes, they occasionally beat better teams like Purdue, Michigan, Florida State and even Tennessee; but they were no longer the favorites. They couldn't beat Southern Cal. They lost to BYU. Boston College continues to haunt Notre Dame when it comes to perfect seasons.
Notre Dame was no longer shaking down the thunder.
All that's left is speculation on who will assume the role of Most Tortured Man in South Bend. The job pays well, of course, but nothing in the fine print mentions the Sword of Damocles hanging over the coach's head week in and week out.
Already the short list includes Flavors of the Week like Urban Meyer and Butch Davis; but one must proceed with caution when selecting the obvious big-name candidates. Nobody knew who Larry Coker was prior to winning a championship at Miami (a team he inherited from Butch Davis). Pete Carroll was mediocre, at best, in the NFL. And was Jim Tressel on anybody's short list when he was tabbed by Ohio State?
Kevin White has a big decision to make.
There's only one big name I'd keep in mind: Barry Alvarez
But I'm not sure I'd wish this job on my worst enemy.
