Akron Head Coach fired over the phone while driving to mother's funeral?

• cats gone wild

  https://twitter.com/#!/petethamelnyt/status/140587362580312065
  
  If this is true, then that's sick.
• gerb131

  

  Akron Football is serious.
• enigmaax

  Another brilliant O-Trap marketing ploy.
• Pick6

  

  Not true
• Pick6

  

  He was going to be fired earlier in the week, but upon hearing of his mother's death, Akron decided to wait and let him coach the last game. Ianello knew, everybody knew, it just became official today.
  
  2-22 in 2 years as a coach. 1 win against a FBS team. 1-1 against FCS teams. Shouldnt have been around this long.
  By the effort the team gave Saturday, Ianello didnt really give a shit.
  
  
  Rumor right now is Fickell is the #1 target. I think he is staying at OSU though. Tressel has been brought up, but thats wishful thinkng. I think Paul Winters ends up being the guy.
• cats gone wild

  Thanks for clearing it up, but still sounds bad. Why didnt they do it in person or wait till he got back from NY (if it was done over the phone on his way to the funeral)? Or why didnt they do it the Houston Nutt way?
• Pick6

  

  cats gone wild;988654 wrote:Thanks for clearing it up, but still sounds bad. Why didnt they do it in person or wait till he got back from NY (if it was done over the phone on his way to the funeral)? Or why didnt they do it the Houston Nutt way?

  Dont know what the Houston Nutt way is, or even if its a fact that he was officially notified on his way to New York. I think I seen some OSU fans say that some big recruiting date is coming up, so they would have needed to do it quick. Either way, I agree bad timing, but nothing you can do about it.
• bo shemmy3337

  I think fickle would be a great choice.
• jordo212000

  

  Hopefully this isn't true, but the guy definitely needed fired. Akron's product was atrocious this year. It's been a while since I saw a D-I team look as bad as they did this past year.
• Mulva

  

  bo shemmy3337;988671 wrote:I think fickle would be a great choice.

  I'm not sure they could afford him.
• FairwoodKing

  bo shemmy3337;988671 wrote:I think fickle would be a great choice.

  Why not? Akron hired Gerry Faust the day after he was fired from Notre Dame. Nothing Akron does surprises me.
• believer

  

  Mulva;988818 wrote:I'm not sure they could afford him.

  If Fickle is serious about maintaining a head coaching career, I don't think he can afford NOT to take the job.
• Pick6

  

  FairwoodKing;988830 wrote:Why not? Akron hired Gerry Faust the day after he was fired from Notre Dame. Nothing Akron does surprises me.

  Yep. Everything I have seen from Akron is that they have the money. However, I'm uncertain on whether or not they had to buyout Ianello's remaining 3 years or there was some sort of failure to perform clause he didnt meet in his contract.
• Pick6

  

  So Im hearing Akron is targeting Tressel.
  
  You guys think there is any chance of that happening? I personally think Tressel will feel that he is too big for a school like Akron, but who knows how bad he wants to get back into head coaching..
• bigkahuna

  Granted I have no knowledge of the situation, but I have a very HARD time thinking that Tressel would even consider walking into Akron's locker room let alone the head coaching office.
  
  If that's the case, OSU might not want to schedule Akron anymore
• Pick6

  

  bigkahuna;988985 wrote:Granted I have no knowledge of the situation, but I have a very HARD time thinking that Tressel would even consider walking into Akron's locker room let alone the head coaching office.

  Same. But then again, If Akron ever had the chance to get a big name guy, it would be him.
  Here's the source saying that Akron is targeting him: http://www.footballscoop.com/the-scoop
  
  Its also the same source that called Ianello's hiring 2 years ago (over Fickell) and his firing last Tuesday.
• gerb131

  

  Tress' days of coaching are far from over and I'd think he'd stay in Ohio but Akron is a stretch.
• ts1227

  

  Pick6;988921 wrote:So Im hearing Akron is targeting Tressel.
  
  You guys think there is any chance of that happening? I personally think Tressel will feel that he is too big for a school like Akron, but who knows how bad he wants to get back into head coaching..

  I could see him going the Solich route. Tressel will be 60 next year, has more than enough money, and may just want to take a lower stress job near home to ride off into the sunset for the next 10 years or so.
• Little Danny

  

  Tress willlikely get tagged with the Show Cause penalty. That will cost the hiring schools a handful of schollys a year. Can Akron afford that?
• ts1227

  

  Little Danny;989101 wrote:Tress will likely get tagged with the Show Cause penalty. That will cost the hiring schools a handful of schollys a year. Can Akron afford that?

  How does that work if Akron hurries up and hires him before the NCAA hands down any decision, since they're dicking around with determing/announcing the sanctions?
  
  I know a show cause hurts you if you hire him AFTER the announcement (you have to petition NCAA to hire him, there's penalties, etc), but if they beat the NCAA to the punch, I don't know if it changes anything.
• bigkahuna

  Little Danny;989101 wrote:Tress willlikely get tagged with the Show Cause penalty. That will cost the hiring schools a handful of schollys a year. Can Akron afford that?

  I think the bigger question is are the willing to take the risk/reward for it. Are 5 scholly's a year for 3 years worth Jim Tressel?
• bigkahuna

  gerb131;988995 wrote:Tress' days of coaching are far from over and I'd think he'd stay in Ohio but Akron is a stretch.

  The only other schools the are I-A
  BGSU
  Toledo
  Kent St.
  Miami
  Cincinnati
  Ohio
  
  Besides Cincinnati's AQ status, I would consider these a wash in attractiveness. Maybe he goes back to Youngstown?
• GoPens

  

  Here we go with more like "I've heard Urban Meyer has bought a house in Upper Arlington" and "Bill Cowher bought a house in Strongsville" stuff.
• Pick6

  

  GoPens;989830 wrote:Here we go with more like "I've heard Urban Meyer has bought a house in Upper Arlington" and "Bill Cowher bought a house in Strongsville" stuff.

  what you mean?
  
  
  Akron is located in NE Ohio, where Tressel is from. They have the best football facilities in the MAC. He has been at numerous athletic events at Akron this year. Including the mens basketball game vs Detroit, where he was seen talking to donors.....Like I said, I think its unlikely, but he is at least listening to what Akron has to say.
• Pick6

  

  Oh yea GoPens, your wish has came true. I'm hearing that Tressel is buying a house in Hudson. This is from a source that works for the football program and told me about Ianello firing before that link I posted knew about it.