Davie Fired
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Associate Sports Editor
When Bob Davie was named the head football coach at Notre Dame five years ago, he received some advice from a man who had been in his position before.
"I think back to the thing Ara Parseghian told me when I first took the job," Davie said. "Win."
He didn't win nearly enough. Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White fired Davie Sunday morning after Notre Dame's second losing season in three years.
"I felt we were in a place that I could no longer say that we could actually stand up and say that we were putting together a program in place that could contend, if not win, the national championship," White said. "I really believe we need to restart this thing."
Davie's 35-25 record is the third-worst winning percentage in Notre Dame history. Under Davie's tenure, the Irish produced only one first-round draft pick and zero first-team All-Americans. The NCAA also sanctioned the football program for the first time in school history during Davie's third year when Irish players were found to be having inappropriate relations with athletic booster Kim Dunbar during Lou Holtz's tenure.
Davie, who spoke for nearly a half-hour in a calm and composed voice, said that while he was disappointed with the decision, he was not bitter toward White, the athletic department or Notre Dame. He thanked his wife Joanne and his two children, Audra and Clay, for the support they have given him this season.
"One thing I'm not is a phony," Davie said. "It is hard for me to hide my disappointment that I won't be back as the head football coach of Notre Dame. But with that said, I accept the decision."
The stage was set for a dramatic showdown between White and Davie when the season ended. Three weeks ago, Davie said that he could not envision resigning his position under any circumstances, a stance he reiterated last week and again after Notre Dame's 24-18 win against Purdue Saturday night. And last week, Davie said that the only way he would leave was if Notre Dame fired him.
But when Davie spoke, there was no animosity toward White, only a calm understanding of White's responsibility and the difficulty of the decision he had to make.
"I want to do whatever gives this football team the best chance to win next year," he said. "If Notre Dame thinks that they can hire someone who can come in here and do a better job of winning games than I can, that's certainly their prerogative to do that. I accept that and wish them well."
"Bob conducted himself with class and distinction through this entire football season," said White, who did not ask Davie to resign. "This has been a very, very painful year for Bob and his family."
Davie praised the quality of Notre Dame's players by saying this year's team was his favorite team and that he wished them well in the future. Sunday, he said he would stand completely behind the new coach and that he would tape all Irish games next year.
"Don't ever, ever, ever take these players for granted," he said. "Trust me when I tell you these are unique, unique young people in this program and I could not be more proud of the players we have brought into this program and of the way they represented themselves."
The search for a new head coach only began after Davie was told he was fired, White said. Any contacts made before Sunday were made without White's authorization. And while White said he had a list of potential candidates for the head coaching job, he would not discuss who was on the list nor the criteria he would use to select the next coach.
"I do not expect to comment on any contacts that we will make during the course of the search," he said. "I appreciate the appetite for news and information about a search of this kind, but you don't hire good people by negotiating through the media."
All nine Notre Dame assistant coaches are still considered Notre Dame employees, but White said he made it clear to them that the new head coach would be able to select his own staff.
The decision to fire Davie comes just one year after he signed a five-year contract extension. While White did not go into specifics about the nature or the amount of Davie's contract, he did say that Notre Dame would fulfill all financial obligations.
Earlier in the week, Davie argued that he had not changed as a coach or a person when Notre Dame gave him a contract a year ago. But on Sunday, White said that giving Davie the contract extension was a mistake.
"Coming off of the regular season last year, I really felt we were moving in the right direction, and I have to take full responsibility," he said. "It was, in my view, a misread on my part."
Davie is the first Notre Dame head football coach to be publicly fired. All other former football coaches have resigned. In addition, Davie continues the string of Notre Dame coaches to be fired or resign by their fifth year if they did not win a national championship in their third year, a streak that includes Terry Brennan, Joe Kuharich, Gerry Faust and Davie.
Davie said White first approached him with the possibility that he could be fired after the Irish lost 24-3 at Texas A&M to drop their record to 0-3, the worst start in school history. Initially, White said a decision about Davie's future would be made around the Nov. 10 open date.
But the next day, White changed his stance and said he would evaluate Davie at the end of the season. Throughout the season, White said the two talked twice a week about "all of the potential scenarios."
White said he did not make the official recommendation to University President Father Edward Malloy, who had the final authority over Davie's future, to fire Davie until 8 a.m. Sunday morning. He met with Davie at 9 a.m. to inform him of his recommendation. When Davie asked why he was being fired, White said it was because the program had lost credibility.
"I'd have to say I have evaluated the football program almost each and every day since I've been here," White said. "It's so critical to the entire University of Notre Dame, such an important aspect of the University. I can't tell you when it really dawned on me that I thought we were heading in the wrong direction. I don't know that I can pinpoint that for you, but I can tell you that I did not contact Father Malloy to make that recommendation formally until about 8 a.m. this morning."
Davie then met in with the assistant coaches at 10:30 a.m. and the players at 1:30 p.m. in meeting rooms at Notre Dame Stadium to inform them of the decision. The players met with White at 2:15 at the Eck Center, where White said the decision was a difficult one to make and that he had the players' best interests at heart.
"Bob Davie has brought good students and good people to Notre Dame," White said. "He has supported and had taken an active interest in the academic progress of the players. He has encouraged good citizenship. I am proud to be associated with our football team. These are expectations that we have of all of our coaches in all of our sports."
Davie had always praised the academic accomplishes of his football teams. Last year, the football grade point average reached its two highest semester averages last year, and Notre Dame won the AFCA Academic Achievement Award for graduating 100 percent of its players, the first time the Irish reached the 100 percent mark since 1988.
"However," White said. "We also expect and intend to excel on the field, and there, unfortunately, our results and progress have been disappointing."
"I've talked to our football team every single day, and it's not the bad things that happen to you that's important, it's how you handle them," Davie said. "And I am in no way bitter. No way will I have a chip on my shoulder as I leave Notre Dame. I am not the least bit embarrassed. I'm going to walk out of here with my head held high and am really proud of what we have done."
All News Stories for Monday, December 3, 2001
