'Tis The Season

Texas A&M's Mike Sherman received word that he had
been terminated while in the driveway of a recruit's
home. Understandably, Sherman was perplexed by this
move by the Aggie athletic department.

As college football's regular season winds down,  the game of Musical Chairs: Coaches Edition begins. Some, like Washington State's Mike Leach or Ohio State's Urban Meyer, use this time to return to coaching, while others are just hoping to have a job next season.

Like every other upper management job across the country, athletic directors are stressed beyond belief right now. Nobody likes to fire a coach, but sometimes changes need to be made.

There is a right and wrong time to do it, however.

Kansas coach Turner Gill said he knew before he played Missouri his time was up. He was still heartbroken, but when athletic director Sheahon Zenger called Gill into his office, he knew what was coming. The same can be said for Memphis coach Larry Porter, after going an abysmal 3-21 in two seasons.

Then there's the case of Texas A&M's Mike Sherman and UCLA's Rick Neuheisel.

Sherman was actually on a recruiting trip in the driveway of a prospective athlete's home when athletic director Bill Byrne called and told him he was relieved of his duties. Ironically, the student-athlete had already heard rumors about Sherman's firing.

In reality, Sherman deserved to get fired. The Aggies were arguably the worst second-half team in college football, resulting in a 6-6 record. But to be notified over the phone without so much as a warning? That's just classless, Texas A&M.

But while Sherman's dismissal came as a slight shock, Neuheisel's firing was even more of a shocker. Of course, Neuheisel is no stranger to being canned — just ask people at Washington and Colorado — and when you coach in Los Angeles, people expect immediate results.

The news that Neuheisel had been fired came less than a week before his Bruins were to play in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game. True, UCLA only got into the game because USC is on probation,  but had UCLA upset Oregon Neuheisel still would have been terminated.

As with any job, results are expected. If you don't produce, your boss will find someone who can do the job better. At the same time, there are right and wrong ways to let a coach go — and UCLA and Texas A&M could use a couple of classes on how and when to fire a coach.