In his first season at Ole Miss, Cutcliffe recruited Eli Manning, who would eventually guide the New York Giants to a Super Bowl win in 2008. From 1999 to 2004, Cutcliffe had records of 8-4, 7-4, 7-5, 7-6, 10-3, and 4-7, winning three Independence Bowls and a Cotton Bowl (finishing No. 13 in the Nation after the Cotton Bowl win). In only one of his six years did his team not qualify for a postseason bowl.
In his final year in 2004, he was fired after posting a 4-7 record (tied for third in the SEC West). His 44-19 record, five straight winning seasons, and first 10-game winning season in over thirty years in Oxford, apparently was not good enough.
Guy Morriss, Baylor Bears
Well, it's not like Morriss was walking into a winning program. The Baylor Bears had posted one conference win in thirty-seven Big 12 games when Morriss took over the program, in 2003. While he did post a dismal 3-9 season, he did upset the Colorado Buffaloes, who were favored by almost three touchdowns.
The next season he again coached the Bears to only one conference win in the Big 12—but what a win it was.
In an overtime victory against the No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies, Morriss decided to go for two, instead of settling for a PAT and sending the game into a second OT. It was their first win against the Aggies since 1995, and all of a sudden, the Bears' faithful were believers.
2005 saw a lot of progress, with the Bears going 5-6 (best record since '95) and a first—a conference road win against Iowa State. 2006 was more typical of Baylor Bears football, with injuries decimating their offense and ending in a 4-8 record.
In 2007, after losing a lot of seniors and their highly-touted quarterback, Shawn Bell, the Bears posted a 3-9 record and Morriss was fired at the end of the season.
Looking at his predecessors' records, Morriss was actually making progress at Baylor. Dave Roberts (4-18) in '97-98 and Kevin Steele (9-36) '99-02 both had inferior records compared to Morriss, who finished with a 18-40 record at Baylor. Yet the Bears fired him.
Did these coaches deserve to be fired, or was it just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? I believe the terminations were all unjustified. What say you, college football fans?
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