Football News - Ty's Time Comes to an End in South Bend




Coach Tyrone Willingham was fired by Notre Dame on Tuesday after three seasons in which he failed to return one of the nation's most prestigious football programs to the promise land.

Willingham finished 21-15 in three years at Notre Dame. The Irish finished 6-5 this season and on Sunday accepted an invitation to play in the Dec. 28 Insight Bowl. However, Willingham will not be on the sidelines for the game.
Players are considering not playing in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 28, and White said he didn't know who would coach the game.

Willingham's firing comes after a season in which the Irish pulled off upset victories over Michigan and Tennessee but also were defeated big by USC and Purdue. Willingham faced criticism from fans much of the season.

"From Sunday through Friday our football program has exceeded all expectations, in every way," said athletic director Kevin White . "But on Saturday, we've struggled. We've been up and down and sideways a little bit."

In his first season, Willingham had many fans recalling Notre Dame's glory days, taking over a losing squad and turning things around right from the get-go. The Irish won eight straight games to start the season before finishing 10-3 and going to the Gator Bowl.

However, during his second year, the Irish fell to 5-7, with four of their losses coming by 26 points or more. It was Notre Dame's third losing record in five seasons, the team's worst stretch in 115 years of football.

The leading candidate to take over for Willingham is Utah's Urban Meyer, who was an Irish assistant from 1996-2000. Currently, The Utes are 11-0 and ranked No. 5 in their second year under Meyer.




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