Big 12 Coaching Carousel Starts to Turn
2 Coaches Fired, 1 Resigns
With the end of the regular college football season at hand, coaches who have not met expectations are being shown the door. One fourth of the head coaches in the Big 12 conference have been fired or forced out in the last 8 days. It may be all of the vacancies created for the time being, but with other vacancies being created around the country, there might be a departure or two before it’s all said and done.
On Saturday, one day after Nebraska lost to Colorado, Bill Callahan was ousted at Nebraska. Interim Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne delivered the news to Callahan after a five minute meeting in Lincoln. Nebraska fell to Colorado 65-51in Boulder, and finished with a 5-7 record. Callahan’s record at Nebraska was 27-22 over four seasons, and the Huskers reached the Big 12 Championship game last year, losing to Oklahoma. It will cost Nebraska more than 3 million dollars to buy out Callahan’s contract.
One day after defeating arch rival Texas, Texas A&M Head Coach Dennis Franchione resigned, under heavy pressure after a scandal erupted at mid-season over Franchione admitted selling inside information to big money boosters. Franchione might have survived with a better record over the last four years, but the Aggies finished 32-28 in his tenure, not good enough for College Station. A&M finished this season 7-5, but lost four of the last games. And even worse, Texas A&M hasn’t won the Big 12 since 1998.
There was no surprise that Gu Morriss was let go at Baylor, but one has to wonder if the Bears can ever rise above Big 12 doormat in football. Baylor lost its final eight games to finish 3-9, last in the Big 12 South. Morriss was 18-40 in five seasons. The Bears have been through 4 coaches in the last fifteen years, none have been able to move the program forward.
