Turner Gill Fired

 

On Sunday evening, the University of Kansas fired Turner Gill after two losing seasons and three years remaining in his $10 million contract.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about this man’s character in the past two years, but his firing is cold hard evidence that in order to keep a head coaching job at a BCS school, you must produce results.  

Although I never met Turner, players and coaches raved about his desire to help young men succeed.  In a statement, athletic director Sheahon Zenger reinforced this sentiment, regarding Gill a “quality individual who wants only the best for the young men he coaches.”
 

The Jayhawk faithful never want to be reminded of the embarrassment that was the KU football team over the past two years.  In 2011, out of 120 BCS teams, KU ranked dead last in points allowed (43.8) and 95th in points scored (22.3).  After a wild shootout victory against Northern Illinois on September 10, the Jayhawks lost their next 10 games by an average margin of 20 points.  Those defeats include a 59-21 drubbing at the hands of in-state rival Kansas State and a 70-28 blowout courtesy of Oklahoma State.  In a 43-0 loss at Texas, the KU offense mustered up a grand total of 46 yards.  In two seasons as head coach, Turner’s only Big 12 win came against a struggling Colorado team that promptly fired its coach after the loss.  The offense, special teams, and defense never played a complete game.  Opportunities were missed and the Jayhawks looked worse in the final games of the season that in the beginning. 
 

If Gill was expected to build the KU football team from scratch, the athletic department probably would have been more patient with him.  However, KU’s 2009 recruiting class was ranked 4th by Rivals.  In addition, KU football had established itself as a bowl game regular prior to his hiring in 2010:
2008- Defeated Minnesota in Insight Bowl
2007- Defeated Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl
2005- Defeated Houston in Fort Worth Bowl
 

The burden now lies on the athletic department to hire a suitable replacement.  Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach would be a sensible candidate given his track record and longstanding relationship with Sheahon Zenger.  In 1993, Zenger started a magazine called American Football Quarterly.  Through interviews and staying in touch, Leach and Zenger developed a friendship.   Considering the dire circumstances, Zenger needs to make an intelligent hire to turn the football program around, and it needs to happen quickly.  Other BCS schools--North Carolina, Mississippi, Illinois, Penn State, Washington State, and Arizona-- have openings and there are only so many top-tier coaches to go around.  KU fans demonstrated in the Mangino era they are willing to attend games when the Jayhawks are competitive, a fact which will justify calling a big name.