Bloody Sunday Claims The Jobs Of Three College Football Coaches
Three college football head coaches lost their jobs today as programs sought to position themselves for new hires prior to the upcoming recruiting season. Mike MacIntyre of Colorado, Everett Withers of Texas State, and Charlotte’s Brad Lambert were all released today as their seasons near the end.
MacIntyre was fired after seeing his team lose its sixth straight game this weekend and leaves with a 30-44 record at Colorado, according to ESPN. McIntyre led the Buffaloes to the 2016 Pac-12 Championship Game and was named AP College Football Coach of the Year that season. MacIntyre leaves with $10.3 million remaining on his contract.
“I want to thank Mike for six seasons of hard work and dedication to the program, both on and off the field,” athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “There’s no doubt that the 2016 season was magical, and it appeared we were headed back to taking our place among the nation’s elite. However, analyzing the direction of the program over the last two years, I felt this is the necessary time to make a change.”
Everett Withers was fired at Texas State after compiling a 7-28 record over three seasons, according to The Athletic. Withers was hired from James Madison University in 2016 to replace Dennis Franchione, but was unable to find success at Texas State. His son is currently a defensive back for the Bobcats.
#Colorado fired Mike MacIntyre. Here are nine names to watch as the #CU coaching search heats up: https://t.co/K6GFOcBSXd
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 19, 2018
Brad Lambert, the only coach in the six-year history of the Charlotte program, was also let go today. Lambert first came to Charlotte in 2011 after a stint as the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, and spent two years laying the foundation for Charlotte’s new football program before the team began play in 2013 in the Football Championship Subdivision. After two years in the lower division, Charlotte moved up to FBS play in 2015. Lambert survived speculation that he would be fired following a 1-11 season last year, and had Charlotte in contention for a bowl bid through eight games this season with a 4-4 record. However, the wheels came off and Charlotte lost three straight before the university decided to let Lambert go.
“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to coach Lambert for the foundation he established, the culture that he built and the student-athletes he brought into our program,” 49ers Athletic Director Mike Hill said. “Like many of his players, he took a tremendous leap of faith when he took on the challenge of building our program.
“Our program is on solid ground thanks, in large part, to the love and effort he consistently put into developing our student-athletes.”
