Feel Free To Root For UDub
The media continues to portray the firing of Tyrone Willingham as a misguided move by Notre Dame. The ND-haters continue to pile on attempting to make the college football world think that Notre Dame was wrong when it kicked Ty to the curb. And Irish fans are livid about it.
Recent posts on the ND message boards are filled with Ty references and justifications of his firing.
Relax, Irish fans. Let Washington do their thing.
Willingham failed at Notre Dame, plain and simple. Nothing that he does now will ever change that.
All the arguments that led to his sacking are still valid:
- No work ethic
- Blowout losses
- Lack of adjustments in-game and in-season
- Ill-advised loyalty towards mediocre assistants
- No personal coordinator experience
- Overall record
- Piss-poor recruiting
- Dislike of South Bend
- Didn’t “get it”
- Lobbied for Washington job before his departure
The list goes on…
Now Willingham is experiencing some short-lived success and the Ty-bashers are out in full force. They are conjuring up all of the old reasons ND fired him in the first place(I just did it myself.) justifying ND’s position to the outside world.
ND Fans, we don’t need to say anything. We made the right decision and now we have the right man for the job. Nothing Willingham does from here on out will change that. He failed. He failed miserably. If he has success at UDub, good for him. That won’t change the fact that he failed at Notre Dame.
So relax, grab a beer, sit back, and watch Washington football. Their success/failure has no impact on the future of Notre Dame football.
No matter how successful Washington is, Notre Dame still made the right decision. I know it, you know it, and those who don’t know it, don’t matter.
October 4th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
I like this post – being out in Seattle, I’ve had the “why did ND fire Ty” conversation with way too many uDub people. I cite all the stats and blowout losses, but always come back to the bullet listed above of “Didn’t get it”.
Lou had his losses, Parseghian had his losses, Leahy lost some – sure, these guys didn’t retire with 1.000 winning percentages, but they “got it”. They understood what is was to not only coach at Notre Dame, but to be a part of that community and one of the highest profile ambassadors of the University. Lou would often cite the honor his team should carry with them onto the field for no other reason than their helmets were a symbol of the golden dome and the Blessed Virgin that resides on top of it.
Ty never understood what it meant to be a part of the ND community. He may know X’s and O’s when it comes to the game of football, but he never understood his role at ND. What’s been interesting to me is hearing some of the same complaints from uDub fans – it may be a totally different school, but they have their tradition and customs. Once again, there is fear among the faithful that Ty doesn’t get Husky football. Don James is a friggin religous figure out here, yet Ty doesn’t seem to fully embrace the legacy of those teams.
I think Ty’s biggest game isn’t this weekend – it’s on November 18th. That’s when uDub goes to Washington State for the annual “Apple Cup” game. Almost every uDub fan knows they’re not beating USC this weekend. However, if Ty really “gets” Husky football, he’ll get this team up for the one game that matters each and every year no matter who has what record. That’s when we’ll see if he “gets” what it means to embrace the local football tradition.
October 4th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
Chadrock,
Do any of the people that think Ty was wronged by Notre Dame truly “get it?” Only those that do not understand, Ty included, feel he was let go prematurely.
I hope he does well against WSU. I was at the Left Coast Gate in Seattle when the Irish took on Washington last year. Husky fans seem pretty cool. They deserve to win some games. So does Willingham.
October 4th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
JVH -
Totally agree – I would love to see the uDub program pick itself back up. There are some great college football fans out here and I’d love to see them with a successful program again. The guys I’ve talked to who are second or third generation Husky fans understand why ND got rid of Ty and are hoping that he’ll come around on their traditions. They don’t generally think Ty was “wronged” in any way – they’re more worried about Ty repeating the process out here. These are the guys I want Ty to succeed for.
The people who kill me are the ignorant politically correct #$%&s who play some of the other “wronging” cards. These are the ones who you can’t have a football conversation with – they only want Ty to do well to justify former female ND employees who shaved their heads.
At the end of the day, I’d really like to see Ty succeed out here. These are the kinds of fans that would be ok with 7-4, 7-4, 8-3, 9-2 (Rose Bowl?) with no NC’s and a coach who CARES. He has to step up the “I’m a Husky” routine – I’d love to see him get behind the fans and turn this program around. It would be great for everyone.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
[...] Ty is a terrible coach. Absolutely the worst. Nothing that happens this weekend will change that. [...]