Opinion Article: Wadsworth Must Go
By: John Romanelli '91
September 28, 1999
With ND a disappointing 1-3, and with games against
Oklahoma, Arizona State, USC, and Tennessee remaining, ND fans must own up to the fact
that this is another bad season. I know many alumni and fans alike are calling for
Bob Davie's head, but I differ. Call me crazy, but firing Davie will do more harm
than good.
First off, who would coach ND? Gerry DiNardo (about to be
fired by LSU)? Barry Alvarez (why would he leave his lifetime contract at UW)?
Greg Mattison? It is not like there is someone waiting in the wings to take
the reins. If you want to say that ND made a mistake by hiring a coach with no head
coaching experience, fine. But face it, folks, Davie is here to stay.
Besides, what do you think firing Davie would do to recruiting?
I feel that recruiting had suffered the last two years under Holtz. I think
Davie has improved recruiting significantly. (Don't believe me? How many sophomores
played in the MSU game?) But what blue-chip recruit would come to ND if he sees a
coach in trouble/getting fired after starting 1-3? None. That's the bottom
line. The program needs stability, not upheaval, as far as recruiting goes.
Not that I think Davie has done a good job, by any means.
Jarious Jackson has gone backwards; clock mismanagement defies description;
"special" teams seem awful ordinary, we have not established the run, etc.
But I don't think firing him is the answer.
But let us review the track record of Bob Davie's boss, AD
Michael Wadsworth. In his tenure so far:
1) Lou Holtz was forced out. When Lou kept quoting, "I just feel it's the right thing to do", while the media kept looking for answers, where was Wadsworth? Simple. In the background, so ND fans wouldn't turn on him for forcing Holtz out. The bottom line is, when Lou asked to leave, Wadsworth held the door open for him.
2) The Gary Barnett fiasco. ND never offered Barnett the job - his contract at NW would have forced a buy out - which ND will not do. But it leaked to the media that ND was interested in Barnett, so to save face, Barnett asked the administration to allow him to say he was not interested in the job. So ND looks like idiots for not being able to lure away the NW coach. Give me a break! Why didn't Wadsworth come out and say that Barnett's contract would not ND to talk to him?
3) The Kimberly Dunbar mess. Let's face it - we are being railroaded. Dunbar was not a booster - the Quarterback Club was open to anyone who wanted to pay the $25 fee - and the money was donated to charity, not the athletic program. But nonetheless, what is the athletic department (and I blame everyone, including Holtz, Davie, Wadsworth, etc.) doing when its players are flying to Las Vegas to see boxing matches? They didn't earn that money by working at the Huddle!
4) The Rick Majerus fiasco. Let's face it - Majerus wanted the ND job. Badly. And we screwed it up. Now, you notice that it was Frs. Malloy and Beauchamp making comments in the papers? Where was Wadsworth? If they will not allow him to hire the basketball coach, then what it his job? If they emasculated him publicly, they should fire him. If not, then I blame him for this. And her hired another head coach without head coaching experience. I understand it is a different sport, but we see the outstanding results on the football field...
5) The new alleged NCAA violations. Ticket selling? That alone could land us on probation. That could mean no bowls (not that we will be playing after Thanksgiving this year anyway), loss of scholarships, TV, etc. This could be the ultimate disaster.
And what were Wadsworth's qualifications for the position? Canadian Ambassador to Ireland? Please! We need an AD with an understanding of collegiate athletics. Mike Wadsworth has inspired no faith in me. If you want to fix ND athletics, start at the top. Then look to fix what's wrong on the field.
John Romanelli, '91
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