Another Disgrace at Ol' Notre Dame

If you don't know my feelings about Notre Dame football, read this post.

Now, as to the firing of Tyrone Willingham... it's disgraceful.

Look, I can actually understand that ND has alumni and students up in arms about the school's inability to compete for a national title in recent years. But Willingham apparently fulfilled every aspect of his contract and of his job -- except for the absurd requirement that he win ten games a year. Supposedly, at Notre Dame, it's important that the players actaully are upstanding citizens and graduate and all that.

Earth to the subway alumni: you won't compete for a national title every year. It's not a terrible sin to end up in some Podunk Bowl most years. If you think it is, lower your academic standards -- at which point you're no different from other football factories which double as institutions of higher learning.

The worst part of all this is that there will be allegations of racism. And while I doubt the ND folks are racist in any way, it's mystifying why Willingham gets only three years compared to Bob Davie's five and Gerry Faust's five... until we consider Urban Meyer's status as the hottest coach around.

In the meantime, one piece of good news. I always liked Willingham, and having him coach at ND strained my ability to hate Notre Dame freely. No problems now.