Marshall fires Doc Holliday

[MustangStealth]

11 seasons
85-54 overall
8 bowl games
1 conference championship
3 division championship
2 time conference coach of the year (including this year)
Started 7-0 and reached 15th in rankings this year

I don't really understand this one. Is Marshall going to spend big money to try and get someone they think can get them invited to the AAC? Otherwise how are they improving with this move?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

It's refreshing to see a school send a message starting 7-0 and finishing 7-3 is unacceptable.

[tristatecoog]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/c ... story.html

West Virginia governor, Jim Justice, has been pressuring officials at Marshall University for months to fire football coach Doc Holliday and replace him with Bob Pruett, the former Thundering Herd coach who also happens to be a close friend of the governor.

Justice, who was voted into office in November after amassing billions as a businessman, has summoned both Marshall President Jerome Gilbert and five members of the school's Board of Governors to his office on separate occasions to demand that the school get rid of Holliday and hire Pruett, who is 73 and last was a head coach in 2004. Blessed with the good fortune to inherit Randy Moss from his predecessor, Pruett led the Herd to an undefeated season and the Division I-AA title in 1996. Marshall moved up to college football's top level the next season, and the winning continued: Pruett amassed a 94-23 record in nine seasons.

After going 11-2 in 2002, Marshall was 8-4 in 2003 and 6-6 in 2004, Pruett's last year as head coach. In 2008, Pruett came out of retirement to become the defensive coordinator for Virginia. After the 2008 season, Pruett retired again.

[mtrout]

This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Is it April fools?

[mustangxc]

The stupidity in college athletics is astounding. Marshall was terrible prior to Doc's arrival and he immediately upgraded the talent in that program with some 4 star recruits. He consistently led them to bowl games. I really don't understand what more Marshall expects from its coach.

I was disappointed the way the season ended for SMU and have been disappointed in our collapse the last 3 seasons under Sonny Dykes. Nonetheless, I am very grateful for our performance each of the last 3 seasons as Dykes has upgraded our talent and while we are still looking for a special season ending in a NY6 Bowl at least we have become consistent winners. We as alumni and fans should never lose that perspective. You can strive for more without being obnoxious.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

tristatecoog....thanks for the background on this ridiculous move.....

fire a good coach for a 73 old coach that has not been a head coach in 16 years?

if the new guy is so great why hasn't some school hired him the last 16 years?

imo you generally don't fire a coach that is winning 7-10 games a year

unless you are an elite type program

[Webmaster]

Remember when the Pony Nation had to collectively hold our breaths to get that elusive 6th win and a possible bowl bid? The only doubt about making a bowl the last few years hinged on dodging viruses.

[Charleston Pony]

Seems pretty crazy if the idea is actually to bring Pruett back. He's now 77 yrs old and will turn 78 before the start of the 2021 season. He was a Marshall guy through and through having played there before doing a stint as an assistant and once he got the HC job his teams were immediately dominant. I lived in Charleston when Marshall was a member of the SoCon and watched them whip our local team (Citadel) when they had Randy Moss. They won the I-AA (now FCS) National Championship in Pruett's 1st year. The very next year they stepped up to D-I/FBS and pretty much owned the MAC during his tenure. His 1999 team with QB Byron Leftwich went undefeated and finished ranked # 10 so I can understand why Marshall supporters want to bring those days back but it seems pretty far fetched and appears to be wishful thinking at this point. Pruett set the bar high, that's for sure.

[ALEX LIFESON]

tristatecoog....thanks for the background on this ridiculous move.....

fire a good coach for a 73 old coach that has not been a head coach in 16 years?

if the new guy is so great why hasn't some school hired him the last 16 years?

imo you generally don't fire a coach that is winning 7-10 games a year

unless you are an elite type program

Maybe he's refreshed.

[Charleston Pony]

Didn't Bobby Bowden coach until he was 80? Anything is possible!

[mustangxc]

Apples and oranges as Bowden wasn't restarting a program. Pruett would need to hire a staff and bring in his players for his system.

[Charleston Pony]

Apples and oranges as Bowden wasn't restarting a program. Pruett would need to hire a staff and bring in his players for his system.

I tend to agree it would be highly unlikely for Pruett to come in and Marshall not to take a step back, but I also watched him win a National Championship in his 1st year as Marshall's HC so who knows?

[Vitale]

11 seasons
85-54 overall
8 bowl games
1 conference championship
3 division championship
2 time conference coach of the year (including this year)
Started 7-0 and reached 15th in rankings this year

I don't really understand this one. Is Marshall going to spend big money to try and get someone they think can get them invited to the AAC? Otherwise how are they improving with this move?

Hard to believe that record gets you fired at a school like Marshall. It's not like Urban Meyer is waiting for their call...

[Charleston Pony]

Not Pruett after all

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... -holliday/

[EastStang]

Heard the State of West Virginia has given out the most COVID shots of any state in the Union per capita. Guess they put up a sign, free shots, and people flocked to their local health department. Living in Virginia, we make fun of West Virginians like Texans make fun of Aggies.