List of college coaches who have been fired with a .750 win %
Honest question, can anyone give me some examples of college coaches who have won 9 or 10 games a year and got fired? I know it happens some times in the pros, but who does this in college?
I have been googling and I got nothing, but maybe the board can enlighten me.
November 30th, 2019 at 11:47 PM ^
Bo Pelini, all I can think of right now.
November 30th, 2019 at 11:55 PM ^
Pelini was 66-27 (.710) in his time at Nebraska.
Harbaugh is 47-17 (.734).
John Cooper was 111-43-4 (.715), only other one that comes to mind.
November 30th, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
Frank Solich Nebraska?
December 1st, 2019 at 12:05 AM ^
Good one, he was 58-19 (.770). Though trending downward after inheriting a juggernaut. Still, I think Nebraska would love to have that one back.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:04 AM ^
I think range of what can happen is covered pretty well here.
OSU does it and strikes gold
Nebraska does it and becomes a laughing stock
I don't know, I guess the end of the season came at the right time because I am burnt the heck out
December 1st, 2019 at 11:31 AM ^
Harbaugh will be 47-18 after the bowl
December 1st, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
Pelini would be an interesting DC hire for Michigan if he gets canned at Youngstown State.
November 30th, 2019 at 11:51 PM ^
I don't know exact win percentage but I'd guess Richt.
November 30th, 2019 at 11:58 PM ^
145-51 (.740) at Georgia is slightly better than Harbaugh's .734. But Richt got 15 years.
November 30th, 2019 at 11:54 PM ^
Solich/Pelini at Nebraska. John Cooper at OSU. What was Mac Brown doing at Texas? He hasn’t gotten fired and won’t now, Guz Malzahn been on hot seat. Les Miles at LSU? He won a lot.
You make a solid argument but not many programs win 10+ win seasons. Sample size is small to only top 20 programs year in and year out.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:04 AM ^
Miles was 114-34 (.770)
Solich was 58-19 (.753)
Harbaugh is 47-17 (.734)
Cooper was 111-43-4 (.715)
Pelini was 66-27 (.710)
December 1st, 2019 at 12:14 AM ^
Those not Nebraska above seemed to have worked out...
November 30th, 2019 at 11:54 PM ^
Yes it seems outrageous to fire a coach with a .750 win % but you have to factor in the outrageous salary were paying Harbaugh and also the expectations of his performance in The Game
When Harbaugh was hired people weren't thinking "its cool if he wins 8-10 games a season, never beats OSU, and then loses in a meaningless bowl game". He was given that huge check to turn Michigan into a powerhouse which he hasnt done
December 1st, 2019 at 12:00 AM ^
I don't understand this argument. The results would be okay if he made half as much money? If we want a cheaper coach give me the job, I will lose to Ohio State for 10% of what Harbaugh makes.
December 1st, 2019 at 3:36 AM ^
What is idiotic about this rationale is processing it in the vacuum that doesn't include the fact that there is no better option out there that will work at Michigan. Tressel cheats and the next year he's brought in for a standing ovation at a game. Our athletes cheat and they're banned 20 years. Michigan has too much Ivy League in it's blood to ever compromise the integrity and ethics required to compete properly with the "play school" down South.
We should just call it a career and move to the Ivy League with other old school programs from yesteryear who still value academics and integrity over football wins.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:00 AM ^
OSU is a valid thing to argue about but the salary thing is silly.
If he was making $5 million it wouldn't be any different plus he's been a boon to revenue when the financials were trending down outside of the TV deal.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:00 AM ^
...and never gets to the B1G Championship game.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:20 AM ^
Do you think ticket prices would be any cheaper if Harbaugh was paid less?
I don't.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:07 AM ^
The price we paid him is what it took to hire him from the NFL. It was not dependent in any way to becoming a powerhouse. I dont remember all the clauses of his contract, but I assume the staff gets bonuses for certain accomplishments. If you think some clause to make $X for beating OSU is going to incent our coaches to work harder you are stupid. This game already means everything to Harbaugh (a Bo disciple).
December 1st, 2019 at 2:12 AM ^
So your logic is Harbaugh was not hired to make Michigan into an elite program. Got it.
December 1st, 2019 at 2:50 AM ^
Yeah, let's pay Harbaugh $20M+ to leave, that'll save us some money.
December 1st, 2019 at 8:37 AM ^
It isn’t about his salary.
But one area no one seems to discuss is Jim Harbaugh has been given what no other coach before him was given, A football department loaded with support staff. He has analysts, social media guys, edit guys, photographers, and anyone else he can squeeze in.
The facts are Jim Harbaugh teams are undisciplined, unprepared on the road, and strategically inept at times with a staff size thar rivals the Grand Canyon
November 30th, 2019 at 11:59 PM ^
Another thing, lots of bad teams. If you stay a top 25 program every year that’s like a 70% win rate. Only got about 4-5 true games a year. I think we could have a lot of coaches give us wins over Maryland, MSU, Rutgers, Indiana, etc. Can they beat OSU/PSU/Iowa/Wisconsin/ND/Etc,
December 1st, 2019 at 12:23 AM ^
Actually, there are 13 Power 5 teams with a 70% win rate or better over Harbaugh's tenure.
https://www.teamrankings.com/ncf/trends/win_trends/?range=yearly_since_2015
December 1st, 2019 at 12:37 AM ^
The only team you can reasonably harrumph about is Penn St. and they have an extra game and JH has a winning record against them.
Everyone else either has elite talent (face it, 4-5 teams get the preponderance of 5*s due to higher salary caps) and the rest have schedules that JH would have annihilated (Boise, App, Big West). If the Big was still the original groups, we’d have played O$U twice at least three times already.
We have the right coach. He’ll get his. And if your life hinges on the fortunes of 18-22 year-olds I suggest finding some hobbies.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:46 AM ^
You, sir, are awesome.
At times, I get discouraged reading a bunch of tripe, and then once in a while a great post such as yours.
+1
December 1st, 2019 at 1:08 AM ^
Seconded. A logical, level headed take. I fully agree.
December 1st, 2019 at 3:48 AM ^
But hinging my life to 18-22 years olds is the hobby I got.
December 1st, 2019 at 1:32 PM ^
Even consider hinging your life on some different hobby? Why not cribbage? Or maybe stamp collecting?
December 1st, 2019 at 6:26 PM ^
All the other cribbage players cheat, and I'm not willing to lower my ethical values enough to pay the kind of money it takes to have a competitive stamp collection...
I'll see myself out.
December 1st, 2019 at 3:43 AM ^
Wonder how Harbaugh would have done with Clemson’s schedule, Georgia’s, Bama’s or inherited the talent differential on OSU’s roster? Call them excuses, but SOS and talent inherited are significant factors. Toss in a few QB busts or recruiting misses because you’re program doesn’t pay players and you get what we have.
ever wonder why the national championship rotates between 4-5 teams over the past 10 years? Because we’re not all dealt the same deck of cards.
December 1st, 2019 at 10:10 AM ^
Nice find. Michigan plays 3of those top teams consistently while the others play a couple of those top teams or maybe none at all. The only one that is a constant lose is osu and exchange wins and loses with the other team played each year.
Just giving another data point to observe.
i firmly believe we should add some cupcakes in the middle of the season to work on our game plan and scenarios for the game. This helps in so many different ways. Players healthy, confidence in knowing the game plan better, winning percentage as well.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
Les Miles. What a horrible decision they made, should have just accepted they would always be behind Bama in the SEC......
December 1st, 2019 at 12:34 AM ^
I mean, they did let him coach into his 12th season there, so there really aren’t any similarities to our situation unless you’re suggesting we should keep Harbaugh for another 7 years
December 1st, 2019 at 12:39 AM ^
And...the guy got screwed by having to beat Bama twice the same year. He’d already shut them out...in Tuscaloosa!
Worst BCS game ever. Lose at home, you’re done.
December 1st, 2019 at 11:39 AM ^
Yea because Les actually played for and won titles. Something Harbaugh has never done as a college coach and never will.
December 1st, 2019 at 5:57 AM ^
should have just accepted they would always be behind Bama in the SEC......
Les Miles said it himself, that he never emphasized the passing game.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
A part of me hopes he leaves the program just to see the mass chaos.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:05 AM ^
Frank Solich: Nebrasker 58-19 .753
Earle Bruce: aOSU 81-26-1 .755
Gary Moeller: MICHIGAN 44-13-3 .758
That took less than 3 minutes. Not willing to continue.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:14 AM ^
Bruce last year he went 6-4-1
Moeller didnt get fired for performance
Solich had 7 losses in 2002
don't need you to continue because you didn't understand the question
December 1st, 2019 at 11:18 PM ^
No way Roberson fires Moeller had he gone 21-3 the two years prior instead of back to back 4 loss seasons. Plus the questions about the character of some of the recruits at that time. Trevor Pryce's rep did Mo no favors. But anyway, ancient history at this point.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:06 AM ^
The more interesting question is what happened to those programs after they moved on from coaches with comparable records:
- Nebraska with Solich and Pelini? Bad and very bad
- Tennessee and Phil Fulmer? Very bad
- Texas and Mack Brown? Very bad
- Georgia and Mark Richt? A little better
- OSU and John Cooper? Very good
I don't know if Harbaugh is the be all end all of how successful Michigan can be in a landscape where no recruit remembers them winning the B1G but there's an awful lot of downside to explore.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:14 AM ^
Good old “8-3” Earle Bruce got fired so OSU could hire John Cooper. Sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for.
For the young here, Earle Bruce was Woody Hayes’ successor.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:17 AM ^
Moeller never should have been fired. Somebody from OSU slipped something in his drink that night.
December 1st, 2019 at 12:41 AM ^
I guess Lloyd retired, but this place was adamant that he should be fired despite him being a much better coach than Harbaugh. Doesn’t matter though. The 9-10 wins we hate now are the ceiling for any reasonable replacement barring a miracle.
December 1st, 2019 at 2:30 AM ^
Woody Hayes.
205-61-10 .761
December 1st, 2019 at 5:51 AM ^
I suppose if you choke a player on national tv you might get fired.
December 1st, 2019 at 9:54 AM ^
Woody choked a Tiger named Charlie...
December 1st, 2019 at 3:06 AM ^
In 13 years Carr had only 3 seasons with 2 losses or less, with fewer games. He had the Woodson year (Moeller's recruits) and got to go against Cooper. Otherwise he was objectively worse than Harbaugh at Michigan. Not considering Harbaugh's runs at SD, Stanford, and SF, where he proved at all 3 places to be an elite coach. Harbaugh will likely end up with top 15 teams 4 out of 5 seasons. Carr had 7 out of 13. The only thing Harbaugh hasn't done is beat OSU, something Carr did only 1 time in his last 7 tries.
December 1st, 2019 at 3:27 AM ^
We are too sanctimonious to hire Meyer or do what needs to be done to recruit against OSU to level out the talent. Harbaugh is about as good as it's going to get. We aren't LSU or OSU. We're culturally closer to Nebraska.