Rich Rodriguez and the 15 Weirdest Coach Firings Ever

Rich Rodriguez has officially been fired by the University of Michigan.

This has been a long and drawn-out process that has been in the works for some time now. The media has been speculating about Rodriguez's replacement and his potential position following his firing from Michigan for weeks.

Coaching turnover is a regular occurrence in sports, and most of the time coaches are given the pink slip for losing.

However, there are also rare occasions when something out of the ordinary forces a coach to be fired from his position—not to mention very odd circumstances surrounding the termination.

15. Marty Schottenheimer

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SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Marty Schottenheimer of the San Diego Chargers looks on against the Arizona Cardinals at Qualcomm Stadium on December 31, 2006 in San Diego, California. The Chargers won 27-20. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Marty Schottenheimer coached the San Diego Chargers to a 14-2 record during the 2006-07 NFL season. LaDainian Tomlinson had a record-breaking season that year, amassing 2,323 all-purpose yards and 31 total touchdowns.

But Schottenheimer managed to get through the regular season without a contract extension.

The season ended with the Chargers getting ousted in the playoffs by the New England Patriots and Schottenheimer eventually being let go.

Yet for some reason, Norv Turner continues to be retained as head coach when the Chargers manage to disappoint under his tenure on a consistent basis.

14. Billy Martin

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Billy Martin of the New York Yankees looks on during a game.

Billy Martin had a legendary temper that contributed to a number of pink slips throughout his career in baseball.

Martin is infamous for his altercations—countless ones during his time as a player—with a number occurring during his time managing various teams.

It's hard to focus on one such firing because he was fired about six times as a coach, four of which were with the New York Yankees. George Steinbrenner had a love/hate affair with Martin, and they made for one of the oddest couples in all of sports.

The weirdest incident that led to one of his firings would perhaps be after the 1979 season. Martin got into a fight with Joseph Cooper in a Minneapolis hotel. Cooper was a marshmallow salesman.

13. Rich Rodriguez

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COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 27: Head Coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines watches one of his assistants send in a play against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Rich Rodriguez has been marked for termination by the media for weeks. His poor record seemed to spell doom for his tenure in a high-profile job like Michigan.

There have been some odd developments over the last couple of weeks, namely a desperate attempt in early December of 2010 by Rodriguez to save his job.

At the Football Bust, hosted by the Michigan Club of Greater Detroit, Rodriguez broke out in tears, quoted the Bible and read lyrics by singer Josh Groban in what seemed like a frantic ploy to keep his position.

Sadly, even the sweet lyrics of Groban were not enough to save Rodriguez from getting the axe.

12. Mike Price

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 1: Head coach Mike Price of the Washington State University Cougars during the 89th Rose Bowl against the University of Oklahoma Sooners on January 1, 2003 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Price moved on to coach for Ala

Mike Price never had an opportunity to actually coach at the University of Alabama, but he was fired from the position nonetheless.

In 2002, Price was hired in principle to take over for Dennis Franchione. However, he never had a formal contract in place with the school.

He did participate in spring practice in 2003, but that's about as far as he would get with the Crimson Tide.

Price was seen at a strip club during a trip to Pensacola, Florida for a golf tournament. He allegedly checked into a hotel with at least one stripper from the club while intoxicated.

While there's no evidence as to what actually happened in the hotel, let's just say that they weren't going over film.

Alabama rescinded the contract after the incident.

11. Tim Johnson

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12 Jul 1998: Manager Tim Johnson of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The Blue Jays defeated the Tigers 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport

Tim Johnson managed the Blue Jays in 1998 for one season.

Johnson had a penchant for lying, but at least he had a somewhat admirable end game. He was trying to motivate his players or convince them to make a sacrifice for the team.

For years he claimed that he was an All-American high school basketball player, but that was a lie.

However, his lies about fighting in the Vietnam War were what stirred controversy. In reality, Johnson was only in the Marine Corps reserves and remained at Camp Pendleton during his term.

The team initially stood by Johnson, but he was eventually fired for being a distraction.

10. George O'Leary

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MEMPHIS, TN - DECEMBER 29: George O'Leary, head coach of the UCF Knights reacts after holding the Mississippi State Bulldogs to a field goal during the 49th Annual Autozone Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium December 29, 2007 in Memphis, Tennes

George O'Leary came over from Georgia Tech in 2001 to take over the head coach position at Notre Dame.

Soon after he was hired, inaccuracies were discovered on his résumé.

First, he claimed he earned a master's degree from NYU-Stony Brook University—which is impossible considering those are two separate schools. Not to mention he only took two courses at NYU and never graduated.

Then, he asserted that he earned three letters in football at the University of New Hampshire when he never even played in a single game.

Finally, upon further investigation, it was discovered that he—surprise, surprise—lied about his academic credentials, which was the final straw for the school.

Notre Dame asked for his resignation in late December of 2001.

9. Roger Neilson

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OTTAWA, CAN - SEPTEMBER 1: Assistant Coach Roger Neilson of the Ottawa Senators poses for a portrait on September 1, 2002 at the Corel Centre in Ottawa, Canada. (Getty Images/NHLI)

Roger Neilson began his stint as head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977.

In 1979, Neilson was fired by Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard after a game in Montreal. However, since it was not publicly announced, Neilson had to inform the press after he went to clear out his office.

The players, media and fans were so furious over the firing that Ballard yielded and recanted the move. However, he wanted Neilson to enter the following game with a paper bag over his head, which Neilson promptly ignored.

Neilson finished his career in Toronto following the incident.

8. Carlie Beck

Playboy

Carlie Beck was a cheerleading coach for Casa Roble High School.

She posed for Playboy under the name Carlie Christine and was Cyber Girl of the Week in February 2009.

Adelle Geniella—a student that was banned from tryouts—found the images and went to the school with them.

While the principal had no problem retaining her—after all, who wouldn't want to keep her around?—the school board interjected and terminated her.

Cue the Google search for her in 3, 2, 1...

7. Butch Carter

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23 Apr 2000: Head Coach Butch Carter of the Toronto Raptors yells from the sidelines during the NBA Eastern Conference Round One Game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York New York. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 92-88 . Mand

Butch Carter had a bizarre ending to his head coaching stint with the Toronto Raptors.

It began with Carter suing Marcus Camby for calling him a liar prior to the start of the playoffs. While he eventually withdrew the lawsuit, things only got worse from there.

In the offseason, Carter asked for Raptors GM Glen Grunwald's job while in his presence.

Carter was eventually fired in 2000.

6. Mike Leach

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LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Mike Leach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during play against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 8, 2008 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Mike Leach was first suspended indefinitely by Texas Tech in late December of 2009. He was accused of inappropriate treatment of a Texas Tech player, Adam James.

James suffered a concussion and was told not to practice that afternoon. According to a James family source, he was ordered by Leach to stand in a darkened garage near the team facility.

Leach claimed to have been unwary of the situation and that he only ordered James to be taken "out of the light."

The school demanded that Leach write an apology to James, but after refusing to do so, Leach was fired from the school.

5. Jim Leavitt

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RALEIGH, NC - SEPTEMBER 27: Head coach Jim Leavitt of the South Florida Bulls signals to his team in the fourth quarter of the college football game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on September 27, 2008 in Raleigh, Nort

Jim Leavitt, the then-head coach of South Florida, was fired after a report concluded that he physically reprimanded a player.

During a game against Louisville, Leavitt grabbed one of his players, Paul Miller, by the throat and slapped him across the face twice.

After being fired, Leavitt claimed that he was trying to lift the spirits of a player who was "down" when he grabbed his shoulder pads.

4. Bobby Knight

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OKLAHOMA CITY - MARCH 09: Head coach Bob Knight of the Texas Tech Red Raiders yells from the bench during the quarterfinal game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship against the Kansas State Wildcats on March 9, 2007 at the Ford Center

Bobby Knight is known for his temper, but the end of his stint with Indiana came under odd circumstances.

Freshman Kent Harvey was the one to set Knight off. He allegedly said, "Hey, Knight, what's up?" Knight promptly grabbed Harvey's arm and berated him for not showing him proper respect.

Indiana University president Myles Brand asked Knight to resign, but he refused. Brand swiftly fired Knight afterwards.

Knight was already operating under a zero-tolerance policy for his past digressions, but getting fired for lecturing a player—something he probably did every day in practice—and not for choking a player in practice is unfathomable.

3. Mike Remillard

Mike Remillard or players not pictured

Mike Remillard coached the Levitt Area High School varsity boys basketball team.

During halftime of a game, Remillard told his players to reach into their pants and "check your manhood."

He also told them that “tonight’s game was about who had the biggest (male genitalia) in town.”

Well, at least the pep talk worked because the team did end up winning the game.

Remillard was shortly fired for the encouraged fondling.

(Remillard and players not pictured.)

2. Woody Hayes

Woody Hayes was well-respected and had a legendary career as a head coach in college football.

However, in 1978, during the Gator Bowl, he allowed his temper to get the better of him.

Ohio State was trailing by two with less than two minutes left in the game when Charlie Bauman intercepted Art Schlichter. Bauman was pushed out of bounds at the Ohio State sidelines.

Enraged that someone would dare intercept his quarterback, Hayes punched him in the throat. Mayhem ensued on the field afterwards.

Hayes was fired the following day.

1. Micah Grimes

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Micah Grimes coached a girls basketball team for Covenant School in Texas.

In a game against Dallas Academy, Covenant won 100-0.

Grimes was accused of purposefully running up the score, which resulted in the colossal point deficit and embarrassing loss for Dallas Academy.

The school apologized for the score, but Grimes refused to do the same. He posted this comment on a youth basketball website:

"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed'. We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy."

Grimes was subsequently fired for his remarks.