RAIN OF HAMMERS, CONT’D, CONT’D: BOWERS, ROBINSON, ETC
The Day of the Long pen-Knives continues as resignation letters and “sources” chirp away.
Jeff Bower, longtime Southern Miss coach, is out after a 17 year tenure. SMQ, the blogosphere’s resident Golden Eagle fan, promises pending commentary. Our own input on the situation is that coaches with a 17-year run of taking a mid-size football program in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to bowl games are rare, and should be kept as long as possible. Unless they’ve pulled the coup of the century and are prepared to announce Nick Saban as their new coach, they have misjudged their human resource situation gravely.
Ted Roof, Duke coach, is fired after six wins in his entire four year tenure as Duke coach. Coach K thinks they should only field sports in which they will be competitive, because you know what a drain the football program’s been on the success of the Duke basketball team over the years.
Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak is retiring, opening up another spot in the MAC. (HT: DevilGrad, who has nothing but nice things to say about Novak and his job putting the NIU program together from little more than old twine and hope.)
And finally, the next hammer to strike home will allegedly be Greg Robinson, Syracuse coach, who looks thrilled to be where he is right now.
About to sneeze. Please don’t ruin it. This is all I have left: sneeze-rush endorphines.
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1
drogue says:
Any rumors on a possible Arkaloid vacancy?
Half of the Arkies are very afraid he’ll be given an extension beyond the existing 2012 contract for beating LSU.
The other 1/2 says he’s doing a great job, and if he’s ran, who else can AR attract?
November 26th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
2
AgnosticTheocrat says:
I was hoping that the search for Michigan’s next head coach would stretch into bowl season, giving everyone plenty of car wreck to watch. Unfortunately, Michigan being Michigan, they’ve gone and ruined my interregnum. . .
November 26th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
3
Jerkwheat says:
Press conference at 6:30 tonight where Nutt announces his future plans..
November 26th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
4
sjs1959 says:
Who cares about Nutt anyway? The new AD will can him.
As for USM’s dumping of Jeff Bower, that is hideous; all the man has done is given his entire professional career to the Golden Eagles, and he’s rewarded with this?
Shame on USM.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
5
Bill says:
If Nutt is fired, will he run the entire bowl game from the Wildcat out of spite?
November 26th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
6
the croominator says:
What the…who the…B-B-B-Bowers is gone?
Shit, I have an idea…every five years, every team just fire ALL their damn coaches and shift them around!
Just…shit.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
7
Blog Goliard says:
Ditto the above comments on Jeff Bower. If you’ve got a solid coach who is dedicated to the school, you ride that train as long as humanly possible.
ADs with itchy trigger fingers, together with coaches with happy feet, are starting to do serious damage to the sport. Everybody’s impatient and unrealistic and willing to go to any extreme to snag that marginally better job or might-be-marginally-better coach.
And part of the fallout is that we fans spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing over coaches. Tune in to your average college football TV show and you’re likely to come away with the impression that football games consist of two coaches squaring off at midfield. No wonder the Heisman race has been so confused…most days we hardly talk about the kids who actually play the game!
Nope, find somebody solid and stick with him. Multi-million-dollar babies are more likely than not to flame out, leave in the middle of the night, or get you on probation; and even your garden-variety slightly-better-than-average college coach will have his day.
An inability to leave well enough alone is behind at least half the trouble in this world.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
8
Cameron Siggs says:
what I want to know is, is how many times will Florida have to whup FSCW in a row before The Very Reverend Robert Bowden is politely asked to turn in his resignation. any thoughts? over/under for us degenerates?
November 26th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
9
Edsall is God says:
Why does everyone in Arkansas want Nutt fired? Is it just because he’s batshit crazy? He’s a good coach in my book.
And I LOVED his pregame speech that CBS showed. “A lot of your mamas and papas are sitting around, eating leftover turkey and watching their boy play some football. So let’s play some football!!”
That’s southern fried goodness right there.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
10
PW says:
Sean Taylor shot
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3127928
November 26th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
11
Petie says:
#7
Well damned said.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
12
The Last Dragon says:
Yep – Bower got fucked. Here’s to USM going 3-8 for the next 10 years………
November 26th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
13
Mr Pelican Pants says:
Here is a stroke of genius…Bower to Ole Miss…..and Coach O to USM……..free agency at its best
November 26th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
14
Will says:
There is an official 6:30 PM press conference being held by the Arkansas Athletic Department; right now, emotions are running high among Hog fans, who have no idea if this is Nutt being fired, Nutt leaving for greener pastures, or a multi-year contract extension.
Stay tuned.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
15
Mr Pelican Pants says:
If I am Nutt, and I am crazy, I ask for Crazee Money….
like Fifty-eleven gazillion dollars, just phrased, just like that so that they know Im fuckin crazy and I want more than that Alabama coach….and it better be at least in real money 32 million and 1 dollar, so I can be the highest paid mutha in the SEC for knocking off LSU, cause we got the wood
November 26th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
16
charnold says:
Robinson is not leaving. Check out syracuse blogs for more on that deadspin has a link to one. SU can’t afford the 3 million buyout. Problem is he will probably go 7 and 5 and demand an extension to cover more losing seasons to follow so it seems like 3 million is your firing fee these days. No one at SU gets the memo though.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
17
Year2-Dave says:
Joe Schad reported on College Football Live a couple minutes ago that Nutt is definitely out.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
18
Jerkwheat says:
Nutt to Georgia Tech!!!
November 26th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
19
Thor says:
Greg Robinson should be fired for making fun of retarded people like that.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
20
Geaux Irish says:
Follow-up on Schad and Nutt…this from the EsPN:
Sources: Nutt out as coach, will receive settlement from Arkansas
ESPN.com
Updated: November 26, 2007, 2:57 PM ET
Houston Nutt, the second-longest tenured football coach in the Southeastern Conference, will not be back at Arkansas next season, sources told ESPN.com on Monday. University officials will make the announcement at a news conference scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET in Fayetteville. The university would not comment on the nature of the announcement, other than to say Nutt, Chancellor John White and outgoing athletic director Frank Broyles will be on hand.
Nutt, who led the Razorbacks to two SEC championship game appearances, will receive a settlement in the neighborhood of $3.5 million.
The Razorbacks lost their first three Southeastern Conference games after a turmoil-filled offseason.
Arkansas rebounded to finish the regular season 8-4 and knocked LSU out of the nation’s No. 1 spot with a 50-48, triple-overtime victory over the Tigers on Friday.
Two weeks ago, the university strongly denied reports that this would be Nutt’s last season as Arkansas’ coach. On Sunday, Nutt said White and Broyles wanted him to return, but he said more talks with the university were forthcoming.
Information from ESPN.com’s Chris Low, ESPN’s Joe Schad and The Associated Press was used in this report.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
21
Coop says:
Nutt is gone, according to ESPN.
The thing is, Arkansas does not have anyone in the fold, whatsoever.
What are they thinking?
And, no, Butch Davis is not walking into that snakepit when he can win 7-9 games in Chapel Hill and nobody will say “boo” to him.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
22
Jerkwheat says:
Mike Leach to ARRRRRRRR-kansas!!!
November 26th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
23
Coop says:
$3.5MM buyout for Nutt?
Walton better sell some more foreign crap, Tyson better increase the sodium chicken sales, and the Fords better move Alltell up the wireless rankings from shit for sales to merely crap for sales.
Might want to steer some money to Stephens Investments, though. Something tells me they will be going for broke to help with the passing of the hat in Fayetteville.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
24
purpleheart says:
Wait — $3.5m seems a little low, doesn’t his contract run through 2012 — and doesn’t nutt make more than $700k a year? If he does only make $700k a year, who the F does Arkansas think they can get for that money?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
25
Hokie Andrew says:
Please please please let Nutt land at Duke. I love that crazy motherfucker and would love to see what sort of crazy weasel salad he could make in Durham.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
26
PeterPumpkinhead says:
Hey EiG, there are rampant but completely unverifiable rumors down this way that Edsall is GT’s number one choice to replace the Chanster.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
27
Ulysses S. McGill says:
At this point who cares who Arkansas can get? Just get rid of him! Did you see him on the postgame w/ McFad bringing the wood?! Ugh.
The entire state is getting drunk tonight. We’re going streaking!
November 26th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
28
Mr Pelican Pants says:
Coach O to Fayetteville….make it happen
November 26th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
29
Razorback Fan says:
I don’t want Houston Nutt fired. He’s done, for the most part, a quality job in Fayettville. The fiasco of this past offseason does stink though.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
30
WhiteSpeedReceiver says:
Glen Mason patiently sits by his phone.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
31
yoyofutbawl says:
$3.5MM is chickenfeed to Stephens. Some guy was bragging about $20MMor so he made on a deal, and Jack Stephens asked him if he’d be willing to cut for it.
BTW, Bower was USM’s starting QB as well. What a stoopid raw deal. Are we sure Pete Boone isn’t giving directions on how to screw up a football program down there?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
32
Mr Pelican Pants says:
Tubbs to Arkansas, write it down…
November 26th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
33
Razorback Fan says:
Nooooooo!!!!! No Coach O!!!!! Mike Leach would be fun to watch. I’d say go after Jim Grobe or Paul Johnson.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
34
TheTraditionOfTraditions says:
The Orgeron to Duke, MAKE IT HAPPEN.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
35
Coop says:
#31 – Jackson Stephens, as in the former ANGC chairman and the man who offered that bet, is dead.
However, I would imagine the son, also a ANGC member, probably throws his money around UA, as well.
But, it is the Waltons and the Tyson that are the motor in this vehicle.
And 24 – Nutt made much more than $700K per season. That is why it is called a “SETTLEMENT,” because you settle an amount that is suitable to both parties. Nutt is walking out of Arkansas with money left on the table, but when you are being forced out, some is better than none, and rarely does a fired coach ever get what he is owed on his contract, hence the buyout clauses.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
36
gerry dorsey says:
to me the ultimate in the usm fuckjob of bower is the fact that he has turned down numerous overtures from other schools over the years. i’m a fan of usm, but they deserved many years of shitiness for this injustice. hopefully he won’t be unemployed long.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
37
Steve says:
USM has lost its fucking mind.
If anyone in Oxford has any fucking smarts about them, they’d be wise to hire Bowers. Here is a man that has the coaching skills and I believe can recruit, but has never had the school backing like an SEC school to be able to do it at. Even so, he did at phenomenal job at USM and was always in every game they played.
Boy, USM fucked up.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
38
PW says:
Bower to Ole Miss?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
39
kt says:
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/11/26/razorback_central/112707nuttgone.txt
November 26th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
40
PW says:
Nutt to So. Miss?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
41
purpleheart says:
#35 – Why is this normally the case? Seems to me that with that kind of paper in place between two parties, a lawya like Sexton could really put the screws to the state of R-kansas. It’s not like Nutt shies away from a media circus anyways.
Does it drive anyone else nuts that signed, written agreements paper don’t mean shit?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
42
PW says:
Strong to GT?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
43
PeterPumpkinhead says:
Nobody is going to pay the $6M to get Tubby… they’re just not…. and not because they don’t think he’s good enough… it’s just an insane amount of money to pay just to be able to offer someone a job… and he already works for one of the two schools crazy enough to do it.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
44
the croominator says:
Tubs to Arkansas actually makes sense…he’s an Arkansas native, coached at Ark. St., graduated from SAU…I can see it.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
45
Boy Howdy says:
#41 – But if you sue a school who fired you, rather than taking a buyout, my guess would be that it’ll make it a lot harder to get another coaching job anywhere. Unless you’re Zombie Coach, that’s probably gonna factor in.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
46
Coop says:
#41 – I am willing to bet you that Nutt’s buyout clause was less than $3.5MM. However, Arkansas wanted to end this quickly, as in today, not get into an acrimonious battle that would bring further disgrace to UA, so they gave Nutt what amounted to hush money to clean out his office by nightfall.
So, Arkansas probably owed Nutt less than what they are paying him, but more than Nutt would have received from any sort of buyout that should have been written into the contract.
Also, something tells me that, much like the A&M deal with Franchione, had Nutt wanted to make this a nasty public battle to receive the full amount, assuming no buyout was installed into the contract, that Arkansas could have found some conduct by Nutt that brings his “moral torpitude” clause that every contract has for immediate termination, into play.
Arkansas wanted the Nutt era to end TODAY, and they paid Nutt off to get the hell out of town, ASAP.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
47
weagle251 says:
Pelican wrote: Tubbs to Arkansas, write it down…
Should we erase Texas A&M first?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
48
Thor says:
Tuberville to Arkansas?
WIshful thinking Pelican pants, did you not go to the meeting Sunday? Your tuberville attack has changed from “he’s leaving yall” to “don’t nobody want him no ways”
November 26th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
49
weagle251 says:
#32
Should we erase Texas A&M first?
November 26th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
50
Coop says:
#44 – Will Arky pay Auburn $6MM for the right “just to speak” with Tubs?
Didn’t think so.
Tubs is a good coach, but he is not worth paying a $6MM buyout for, which does not include the $3M per year you are going to pay him to leave Auburn.
November 26th, 2007 at 4:08 pm