In the grand scheme of jobs and career paths, being a fired college coach is a welcome profession to many an average Joe or Josephine. Getting paid to leave a place sounds like a dynamite circumstance for a shotcaller when considering how much money is at hand. But amid recent events, maybe it’s time to examine the human element in these job terminations.
Maybe it’s not all about the money. Maybe the emotional investment and family uprooting are bigger than the checks athletic directors are writing. Maybe not every coach that says goodbye to their old position smiles at their bank account. Instead, maybe they shed a tear at what could have been.
The world of college football is a polarizing environment, summed up simply by disappointments on one side and expectations on the other — and it seems the former is highlighted far more than the latter. With that in mind, a head coaching position at a prominent program demands not only success, but a coach who fits within the school.
This idea of a personal fit is more essential than some may think, as certain personalities don’t mesh well when thrown into the wrong environment. A perfect example can be seen in coach Brian Kelly at LSU. In what world does a Boston guy develop a Bayou-braised accent when it was surely his first time south of the Mason-Dixon Line?
The experiment was destined to fail because Kelly didn’t seem interested in embracing the culture that is Tiger football — an entity that the whole state of Louisiana rallies behind. His brisk firing of staffers from the previous regime may have been part of his undoing as well, since former LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt assumed the same role for Texas A&M and, frankly, beat the fake-Cajun out of him.
The Tigers’ collapse made sense and was even warranted considering Kelly’s past incidents at Notre Dame. Fans can easily see him as a man they wouldn’t share a beer with, to put it plainly. There’s a human element to understanding who a person is outside of coaching college football. Too much baggage and a lack of understanding will kill a coaching hire, and ironically enough, most college relationships.
On that note, relationships can also end mutually, with one side reminiscing about where it all went wrong, with a willingness to try again. Take the recent outing of former Florida coach Billy Napier from his position as the head of Gator football.
No controversy surrounded the former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns coach, as he was granted an opportunity to lead a Southeastern Conference team into contention on the national stage, but ultimately fell short. It’s easier to look at the situation with a more sympathetic heart, as being told “you’re not good enough” must surely hurt, despite the number of dollars you can withdraw.
Napier led a team that fought for him till the very end, he didn’t throw anyone under the bus but rather kept rallying his troops to hopefully win the day. However, time and again, the Gators rallying fell flat on their noses. At a certain point, business decisions have to be made, but that doesn’t mean a coach shouldn’t get sympathy just because he can go out and buy a yacht now.
These coaches invest years of their lives, and their families’ lives, to be committed to one destination, and a move from California to Arkansas, or Mississippi to Virginia rarely has any consolation despite the buyout.
All of that to say that while football is just a game to some, many across the country would consider it a livelihood. Developing and molding young men into the stars of tomorrow becomes woven into the fabric of 136 FBS coaches every season, with countless other coaches doing the same in other divisions of college football.
Next time a coach is let go, perhaps it would be wise to look at the makeup of his character before rash comments are thrown here and there. While a coach is simply his title to those on the outside looking in, maybe take time to consider the ones who are trying to be upstanding fathers, husbands and leaders within the community.
