The SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reports this afternoon that, “University of Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham has resigned. Willingham will coach the Huskies through the end of season.
“Willingham and athletic director Scott Woodward made the announcement at a news conference Monday.”
Many will point to Willingham’s replacement at Notre Dame, Charlie Weis, as contributing to Willingham’s demise at UW. But the program was long gone before ND arrived last Saturday.
So this is a low point for Willingham, but far from, in my opinion, the end of his coaching career.
He proved he could win at Notre Dame, and Weis’ high moments with the Irish were with Willingham’s players (think Brady Quinn). Most notably though was Willingham’s performance as coach at Stanford, where he had the Cardinal program competitive every season.
I still remember the epic beating Willingham’s Stanford team handed to Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans in 2001. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen a Carroll-coached USC team get manhandled like that - and in the Coliseum.
It looks now like Willingham never should’ve left Stanford. With current Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh’s star rising, you wonder if Willingham could land back in Palo Alto as soon as next season?
4:44 pm on October 27th, 2008
Good riddance. Nothing against the guy personally, but something needs to be done. But why stop with Ty? Get rid of everyone and start completely over.
4:51 pm on October 27th, 2008
Tyrone might as well stay through the end. Why turn down a shot at a perfect season?
4:53 pm on October 27th, 2008
Maybe Syracuse, Tennessee, Clemson or the Raiders will take him.
5:09 pm on October 27th, 2008
Another victim of Rick Neuheisel's dastardly ways . . . Colorado still hasn't recovered. F**k that guy in his nasal passages.
5:16 pm on October 27th, 2008
Sure, bring him on. Why not? SU football has nowhere to go but up.
5:19 pm on October 27th, 2008
And Ricky's doing so well at UCLA, too. What's that? They're 3-5 and just got shellacked by Cal? Huh.
5:39 pm on October 27th, 2008
Willingham got stuck in a sad situation in Seattle. I'll be surprised if he isn't coaching somewhere else next season, be it in a head or assistant role.
5:43 pm on October 27th, 2008
Supersc:
I think we're doing pretty well considering our 1st & 2nd string QBs were knocked out even before the season started. Give Rick sometime, and the Bruins will be back on top.
And you guys are ones to talk. Oregon State, anyone?
6:51 pm on October 27th, 2008
It's not like Washington had high hopes to begin with, but still winless this year? That UW-Wazzu game is going to be a doozy.
6:53 pm on October 27th, 2008
Too bad the Huskies weren't on Vandy's schedule this year. We could have gotten our historic 6th win by now.
8:01 pm on October 27th, 2008
Ty's too smart to take the Raiders gig. He's already done the Bay Area coaching thing, and knows all too well about Al Davis & co.
11:36 am on October 28th, 2008
In the last 32 seasons, Washington has had 5 losing seasons…4 of them were coached by Ty Willneverwiningham! If Brooks is going to go off of one fluke win Stanford had over Pete Carroll's first team at USC as a basis for thinking he's a "good" coach, then Brooks is blind like everyone else was by those TWO good seasons out of 7 Ty had at Stanford! Ty fooled a LOT of people…he's become a millionaire on those fluke seasons. He took a program with 1 losing season the previous 2 1/2 decades and turned it into every opponents "bye" week! Ty doesn't deserve to be a parking lot attendant much less a head coach! Good riddance "Paint Dry"!