After suffering a 49-3 loss to instate rival Michigan, the Michigan State Spartans have elected to release their head coach, Bobby Williams. In a press conference, their athletic director pointed to a comment made by Williams after the game. The question was whether or not he still had control of the team. His answer? "I'm not sure." That's not good.
First of all, the obvious problem exists: A team with some great talent on it, including soon-to-be first round draft pick Charles Rogers, is without a coach. A lot of optimists are suggesting that perhaps San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci would be the man to get ahold of. I disagree. There are three people that, in my mind, should be seriously considered for the job: Art Shell, Dean Pees, and George O'Leary. Shell is known mostly for being the first black head coach in the NFL. After serving admirably with the Raiders before being forced out by the always-egomaniacal Al Davis, Shell posted some amazing seasons with some not-so-amazing teams, but he has yet to return to a head coaching position. O'Leary is known largely for his hiring and firing for the head coaching position at Notre Dame before this season. He was signed by the Irish, but dropped quickly when it was found that he had lied about his educational and playing experience. At Notre Dame that may have been a big deal, but the man coached magnificently at Georgia Tech and could do the same at Michigan State. Dean Pees, formerly the MSU defensive coordinator, is on the verge of turning around one of the worst teams in the nation, Kent State.
The second issue that raises its head is this: People are asking if the firing of Williams (one of only 4 black head coaches in college football) will affect the likelihood of other black head coaches being hired. If this is even a factor (and I don't doubt that it will be in some places,) then this points out that the hiring situation for head coaches is in even more dire straits than anyone even suspected. It would be ridiculous to judge one person's merits because of the success or failure of a completely different person, unrelated in every way except skin color to the first person. That this is even being discussed disgusts me.
