nebraska fires football coach

[orange tiger]

Solich is fired

BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU


LINCOLN - Frank Solich's six-year run as head football coach at Nebraska ended Saturday night after a five-minute meeting with Athletic Director Steve Pederson.

Assistant Coach Marvin Sanders said Solich called staff members and told them that his termination would be immediate. The staff will coach the Huskers through the bowl game.

"Frank said (Pederson) shook his hand and said he wanted to go a different direction," Sanders said. "Frank asked about the assistant coaches, how the assistants were going to be taken care of, and Steve only said he wanted them to coach through the bowl game."

Nebraska completed its regular season at 9-3 after winning 31-22 at Colorado on Friday. The Huskers are awaiting their bowl assignment, with the Dec. 30 Holiday Bowl in San Diego being the likely destination.

The news capped a tumultuous week in which rumors circulated about Solich's job status.

While Sanders knew Solich's termination was possible, he said he was still shocked Saturday night after talking with the head coach.

"I didn't know Steve's line of thinking, and I don't understand it still," Sanders said. "But whatever his agenda was, he had to go with it."

Neither Solich nor Pederson could immediately be reached Saturday night. Pederson was at the NU-CU game Friday, but was not around the locker room after the game.

Sanders said it was his understanding that Pederson gave Solich the option to resign. He believed that Solich, as he indicated previously, refused to do so.

Solich, who took over for Tom Osborne after the 1997 national championship season, compiled a 58-19 record. But he took the Huskers to just one Big 12 championship game, and Nebraska was just 16-12 in his last 28 games.

 

[Fiyah]

Solich fired as coach of Nebraska football team

November 30, 2003
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska football coach Frank Solich was fired Saturday night after winning more than 75 percent of his games over six seasons but failing to keep the Cornhuskers as the national powerhouse they were under Tom Osborne.

The firing by athletic director Steve Pederson was first reported by the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star.

``He's pretty strong, but he's disappointed tonight,'' Solich's son-in-law, Jon Dalton, told The Associated Press.


``I don't know the reason behind it,'' Dalton said. ``Get Steve to tell you. This is a sad day for the state of Nebraska.''

Solich and Pederson could not be reached for comment. Nebraska spokespeople Chris Anderson and Keith Mann did not immediately return telephone messages left by The Associated Press late Saturday.

Solich had just finished a 9-3 regular season with Friday's 31-22 victory at Colorado. He was 58-19 in six seasons.

Pinnacle Sports Network, the rights holder for Nebraska radio broadcasts, reported that first-year defensive coordinator Bo Pelini would be the interim head coach.

The current group of assistants will coach the in Nebraska's upcoming bowl game. It was unknown whether any of the assistants will be retained after the bowl.

``Frank just said it was over, and that Steve (Pederson) would be contacting us,'' offensive coordinator Barney Cotton told the Lincoln Journal Star.

Solich took over after Osborne retired after the 1997 season. The Cornhuskers won at least a share of the national title in three of Osborne's final four seasons.

Solich was 42-9 in his first four seasons. He was Big 12 coach of the year in 1999 and 2001, won the '99 conference title and his team played for the national championship after the '01 season.

But Solich's success was downplayed because critics said he won with players recruited by Osborne.

The Cornhuskers went 7-7 in 2002 -- the team's worst season since 1961 -- and struggled against quality opponents this season.

Their three losses all were by more than 17 points, capped by a 38-9 loss to Kansas State -- Nebraska's worst at home since 1958 -- in the final home game of the season.

Solich's record for his six seasons was 58-19.

The last Nebraska head football coach to be fired was Bill Jennings, who was removed and replaced by Bob Devaney in 1962.

Solich played fullback for Nebraska from 1963-65. He was assistant to Osborne for 19 years beginning in 1979.

 

[Donald K. Willi]

I wonder what his graduation rate was during his tenure? He must have graduated too many.....?

 

[Taylor-Made'90]

I think Nebraska's making a mistake firing Solich... Unless they've got a solid, proven winner waiting in the 'wings', then they're making a colossal mistake firing a man who's been with the program for decades..... Remember, Solich was Tom Osbourne's Asst. Coach for 20+ years before he got the Head Job.......

:smh:

Or will somebody from the Nebraska camp whisper 'Sylvester Croom' and put the pressure on Mississippi State and the SEC to hire him.....

 

[thegooddoctor]

The man was 9-3 and got the axe

Damn JSU fired Hughes for being 7-4 and nebraska cans the dude with a 9-3 record.

Maybe PVU will give him a shot?

Think Cole will apply for the NEBRASKA JOB?

 

[Tigerpride]

Re: The man was 9-3 and got the axe

Originally posted by thegooddoctor
Damn JSU fired Hughes for being 7-4 and nebraska cans the dude with a 9-3 record.

Maybe PVU will give him a shot?

Think Cole will apply for the NEBRASKA JOB?

You just have to see what fans see. Obviously those fans saw a decay in their program as we did in Jackson. 9-3 may not have been bad to them but maybe they way they lost and if those 9 wins were really quality. In Hughes case, his seven wins were never impressive. For instance, out of the seven wins Hughes had in 2002, only TWO of those teams had winning records (6-5 Alcorn and 7-5 (I think) AAMU). And recall Alcorn lost like 5 of their last 6 games. In 2001, only TWO of Hughes 7 wins came against teams with winning records (6-5 Alcorn and a 3 point win over 7-4 Southern). In 2000, he beat three teams with winning records (New Haven by 1, SU by 3, and AAMU in OT. ) So his record against quality competition in his last three years was 7-11...and I don't know how to even figure in the loss to 4-8 A&T (maybe that record should be 7-12) and that 7 (as shown above) was hanging by a string.