Texas Tech basketball coach Billy Gillispie has officially submitted his resignation, the school announced Thursday.
Gillispie, who coached one year at Texas Tech, finishing the 2011-12 season with an 8-23 record, cited “health problems” as the reason for his departure.
“Billy has decided to focus on his health, and we wish him a full recovery,” athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a news release. “We are proud of the young men that he has brought to this campus. Billy’s decision allows him to concentrate on his well-being and allows us to turn our attention to preparations for the upcoming season.”
Prior to his exit, the 52-year-old coach had been on indefinite medical leave since September 10. USA Today notes that Gillispie traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota last week to deal with high blood pressure.
According to ESPN , Gillispie will be paid the remainder of this contract year, about seven-months’ worth, or about $467,000.
Chris Walker, who took over day-to-day operations, will remain in that position until an interim head coach is chosen.
The Sporting News reports that Gillispie’s decision to retire comes less than a month after Texas Tech announced it was looking into allegations of player mistreatment by the coach.
While Gillispie was accused by some Red Raiders players of pushing them “beyond reasonable limits” and perhaps beyond the NCAA-mandated limits for allowable practice time, SN notes he also was defended by several Tech players including some who went through the same practices sessions.
Prior to his one-year stint at Texas Tech, Gillispie coached at UTEP and Texas A&M before a rocky two-year stay at Kentucky from 2007-09.
ESPN’s Dana O’Neil shares her thoughts on Billy Gillispie’s retirement in the video below:
