Pasquel
2016-11-26 20:29:40 UTC
Charlie Strong's time in charge of the Texas Longhorns is over
after three seasons. The program announced its decision to fire
Strong on Saturday.
Texas provided a statement from men's athletics director Mike
Perrin:
Decisions like this are tough to make. The responsibility is not
taken lightly. I became friends with Charlie Strong before
becoming Athletics Director. I have the utmost personal respect
for him. His impact on college athletics and student-athletes
should be celebrated. Coach Strong represented The University of
Texas with class and dignity, and he demanded our student-
athletes do the same by adhering to his system of core values.
However, after thorough evaluation, the body of work over three
seasons has not shown the improvement we were hoping for. This
was an important year for our program to take the next step, and
the results simply aren't there, so we've decided to make a
change. We appreciate Coach Strong so much, are grateful for all
he has done with our program and wish him the best in the future.
Strong also gave a statement:
It's a very difficult day for me, my family and all of the
people affected by this decision. I'm most disappointed for
these kids and our staff who have poured so much of their lives
into this program for the last three years. I do understand that
it comes down to wins and losses, and we have not done our job
in that area yet. I accept full responsibility for that, but
know in my heart that we accomplished our primary goal, which is
the development of young men. We have had a positive impact on
our campus and the community, and I'm proud of how our team is
focused on earning their degrees. We were developing something
really special. This program has a championship foundation built
on great young men with tremendous character. There are very
bright days ahead, and I'll be pulling for these kids no matter
where I am. I want to thank everyone who supported me and this
program for the last three years. I don't regret coming to
Texas. I learned a great deal and grew as a person in my time
here. I'll miss the opportunity to lead this program going
forward, but I'm ready to accept my next challenge.
Chip Brown of HornsDigest.com and Sports Illustrated's Pete
Thamel first reported Friday night that Strong would be fired
Saturday morning.
The 56-year-old entered the 2016 season on the hot seat. A 50-47
overtime win against the then-No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
and a 2-0 start seemed to buy him some time and job security,
but the Longhorns lost four of their next five games.
After Texas fell to Oklahoma State 49-31 on Oct. 1, Perrin cast
doubt on Strong's future.
"We need to evaluate what happened here," he said, according to
OrangeBloods.com's Anwar Richardson.
Perrin attempted to control the damage, saying he was
"evaluating everything" and not Strong specifically, per
ESPN.com's Jake Trotter, but the writing was on the wall.
On Oct. 3, Thamel spoke to a high-ranking Longhorns official who
said Strong was "very close" to being fired at the end of the
season.
If any hope remained of Strong holding on to his job at that
point, it evaporated once Texas lost to Kansas—which was 1-
9—last week for the first time since 1938. Yahoo Sports' Pat
Forde thought that was the final nail in Strong's coffin:
Pat Forde ? @YahooForde
Kansas wins. No joy in saying this, but Charlie Strong is a
goner.
4:21 PM - 19 Nov 2016
96 96 Retweets 141 141 likes
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2667326-charlie-strong-
reportedly-to-be-fired-by-texas-details-comments-and-reaction
--
Bad choices get bad results. Should have never tried to kiss
Obama's ass with that hire.
after three seasons. The program announced its decision to fire
Strong on Saturday.
Texas provided a statement from men's athletics director Mike
Perrin:
Decisions like this are tough to make. The responsibility is not
taken lightly. I became friends with Charlie Strong before
becoming Athletics Director. I have the utmost personal respect
for him. His impact on college athletics and student-athletes
should be celebrated. Coach Strong represented The University of
Texas with class and dignity, and he demanded our student-
athletes do the same by adhering to his system of core values.
However, after thorough evaluation, the body of work over three
seasons has not shown the improvement we were hoping for. This
was an important year for our program to take the next step, and
the results simply aren't there, so we've decided to make a
change. We appreciate Coach Strong so much, are grateful for all
he has done with our program and wish him the best in the future.
Strong also gave a statement:
It's a very difficult day for me, my family and all of the
people affected by this decision. I'm most disappointed for
these kids and our staff who have poured so much of their lives
into this program for the last three years. I do understand that
it comes down to wins and losses, and we have not done our job
in that area yet. I accept full responsibility for that, but
know in my heart that we accomplished our primary goal, which is
the development of young men. We have had a positive impact on
our campus and the community, and I'm proud of how our team is
focused on earning their degrees. We were developing something
really special. This program has a championship foundation built
on great young men with tremendous character. There are very
bright days ahead, and I'll be pulling for these kids no matter
where I am. I want to thank everyone who supported me and this
program for the last three years. I don't regret coming to
Texas. I learned a great deal and grew as a person in my time
here. I'll miss the opportunity to lead this program going
forward, but I'm ready to accept my next challenge.
Chip Brown of HornsDigest.com and Sports Illustrated's Pete
Thamel first reported Friday night that Strong would be fired
Saturday morning.
The 56-year-old entered the 2016 season on the hot seat. A 50-47
overtime win against the then-No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
and a 2-0 start seemed to buy him some time and job security,
but the Longhorns lost four of their next five games.
After Texas fell to Oklahoma State 49-31 on Oct. 1, Perrin cast
doubt on Strong's future.
"We need to evaluate what happened here," he said, according to
OrangeBloods.com's Anwar Richardson.
Perrin attempted to control the damage, saying he was
"evaluating everything" and not Strong specifically, per
ESPN.com's Jake Trotter, but the writing was on the wall.
On Oct. 3, Thamel spoke to a high-ranking Longhorns official who
said Strong was "very close" to being fired at the end of the
season.
If any hope remained of Strong holding on to his job at that
point, it evaporated once Texas lost to Kansas—which was 1-
9—last week for the first time since 1938. Yahoo Sports' Pat
Forde thought that was the final nail in Strong's coffin:
Pat Forde ? @YahooForde
Kansas wins. No joy in saying this, but Charlie Strong is a
goner.
4:21 PM - 19 Nov 2016
96 96 Retweets 141 141 likes
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2667326-charlie-strong-
reportedly-to-be-fired-by-texas-details-comments-and-reaction
--
Bad choices get bad results. Should have never tried to kiss
Obama's ass with that hire.