College Football: 10 Programs with the Most Shocking Coaching Scandals
As we all know, the Jim Tressel situation has been battered about hundreds of times since the announcement was made on March 8 that he would be suspended for covering up information about "Tattoogate," as it is being referred to by some Buckeye fans.
But as far as severity of coaching scandals, this is not as severe of a situation as we have seen in the past.
In fact, this may not even be the biggest scandal ever to happen to a coach at the Ohio State University.
Here is a perspective look at 10 different schools in no particular order that have had the most bizarre and shocking coaching scandals in the country.
1. Ohio State
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Jim Tressel's situation with the tattoo scandal involving Terrelle Pryor and four other players is a major situation that could cause problems for the football program in the years to come.
But the coach who is most revered to Buckeye fans, Woody Hayes, had his career end in a shocking way in a scandal far greater than Tressel's.
In the 1978 Gator Bowl, after Clemson LB Charlie Bauman intercepted a pass from Art Schlichter, Hayes struck Bauman with a punch in the neck.
The incident led to the immediate termination of Hayes, who would never coach again in college football.
No matter what most coaches do, it is utterly unacceptable to hit a player, ever.
2. Kansas
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Speaking of threatening players, that exactly is what Mark Mangino, who led Kansas to their only BCS bowl in 2008, did, and it cost him his job.
Mangino's approach was volatile at times, especially in 2009 where he reportedly told one player that he would send him home to "get shot with his homies."
He also reportedly had to deal with accusations of physical abuse, as well as the verbal attacks, such as poking a player in the chest and of being absolutely brutal to his assistants during his tenure.
After his firing after the 2009 season, one KU assistant said he was shocked that it took the university so long to fire him.
3. Alabama
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The history of Alabama football has had to deal with a few scandals littered in between the great tenures of coaches like Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban.
It all started with Stallings, who had the 1993 season vacated after it was discovered that DB Antonio Langham had signed with an agent.
But a more bizarre moment happened in 2002 when Alabama hired then-Washington State head coach Mike Price.
His tenure in replacing Dennis Franchione lasted a whole five months when it was discovered that Price had been at a strip club and brought an exotic dancer to a hotel room.
He has been at UTEP since 2004, but this has to be one of the more bizarre, shocking scandals in the modern era.
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4. Boston College
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The situation of Jeff Jagodzinski in 2008 isn't necessarily an individual scandal, but a shocking series of events that leaves him currently unemployed.
After leading the Boston College Eagles to back-to-back ACC Championships, Jagodzinski had an interview with the New York Jets for an open head coaching vacancy.
And after the school threatened to fire him for having an interview with anyone, the school followed through on their threat and fired Jagodzinski just two seasons into his coaching career.
His departure was very shocking considering his track record at BC, and his coaching career in the NFL was even shorter, as he was fired as the offensive coordinator at Tampa Bay just over seven months after being hired in 2009.
5. Colorado
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The success and career of coach Gary Barnett took a strange, dark turn in 2003 after it was reported that Colorado had been trying to lure recruits to Boulder with sex and alcohol.
But it was what followed, where Barnett made sexist comments about kicker Katie Hnida, who claimed that she was raped by a teammate, that drew the fire over the feet of the head coach.
Barnett resigned from CU in 2005 and received a $3 million settlement after reportedly being investigated for lying about recruiting violations and other improprieties, including warning players in advance about random drug tests.
Despite his occasional success, Barnett's career went down because of what he did off the field, and he is unemployed to this day.
6. Notre Dame
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Notre Dame has not been a hotbed of NCAA controversy through most of its history, except for a coaching hire that may leave some still scratching their heads.
On Dec. 9, 2001, George O'Leary was hired to replace Bob Davie as the head coach of the Fighting Irish.
Five days later, O'Leary resigned after it was found out that he lied on his resume, including listing that he got a master's degree from "NYU-Stony Brook University," which doesn't exist, but rather are two separate institutions.
Tyrone Willingham was hired next, and the rest is history for the Irish.
O'Leary, however, has found good success at UCF, including two Conference USA championships in his seven seasons as the coach of the Knights.
7. Washington
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After committing 53 rules violations at Colorado before moving onto Washington, Rick Neuheisel burst onto the scene by leading the Huskies to a Rose Bowl win in 2001 over Purdue.
But his career at Washington started on the wrong foot when he was cited for recruiting prospects before the date approved by the NCAA.
What cost him his career at Washington was in 2003 when he put money into a pool for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and lied about it to the NCAA and to the school.
He was fired on June 11, 2003, but successfully sued the university and NCAA for a $4.5 million settlement for the improper investigation conducted by the NCAA.
Neuheisel has had a disappointing tenure at UCLA since being hired after the 2007 season, and may need a big season in 2011 to keep his job.
8. Florida
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Florida football has had to deal with a lot of coaching issues, but most of them have nothing to do with Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook or Urban Meyer.
Instead, the man who takes the cake in Gainesville has to be Charley Pell, whose tenure as Gators coach lasted from 1979-84.
Pell's career record was 33-26-3, but he was alleged to have committed an astonishing 107 NCAA violations, although only 59 of the 107 were proven accurate.
The Gators had their 1984 SEC title vacated and were put on two years' probation for the violations, which included reports of slush funds and spying on the practices of opponents.
9. Texas Tech
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The man who brought the high-powered Air-Raid offense to Texas Tech saw his career end much quicker than the rise of the Red Raiders into prosperity.
Leach, who won eight games in each of his last eight seasons, led probably the most exciting offense in college football and probably changed the concept of offense in college football.
But what led to his end was the treatment of WR Adam James, son of former SMU and NFL back Craig James. Adam suffered a concussion late in the 2009 season.
Leach locked James in a storage closet and refused to apologize to the university, which led to his departure 12 days later.
Leach is still in a legal battle with the university, as he is appealing his case to the Supreme Court of Texas.
10. USC
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There is almost no question that USC football in the 2000s was a dynasty in West Coast college football.
With seven Pac-10 titles and six (non-vacated) BCS bowl victories, Carroll's bunch was probably the most entertaining team on offense and defense in the decade.
But Pete Carroll suddenly left USC in January 2010 and took the coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks, who became the only team in NFL history to win its division and a playoff game with a losing record.
It turned out that he got off a sinking ship at the right time, as the Trojans were placed on a two-year bowl ban and forfeited 30 scholarships, among other punishments, for giving star RB Reggie Bush illegal benefits.
Carroll's role in the scandal remains undefined, but there is little doubt that he played some major role in this scandal that could set USC football back for several more years.
But even more than that, what it did was tarnish one of the greatest college dynasties in the last 25 years.
For more college football news and updates, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
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