The Indiana Hoosiers fire Bill Lynch
On Sunday 28 November, the Indiana Hoosiers relieved their head football coach, Bill Lynch, of his duties, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The decision came just a day after the Hoosiers defeated the Purdue Boilermakers in overtime, 34-31, marking the first time since 1996 that Indiana left West Lafayette victorious. However, that win was also just the first in-conference victory for the Hoosiers
on the year, as they finished a meagre 1-7 in the Big Ten this season. Although Lynch had a year left on his contract, the university’s athletic director, Fred Glass, asserted that it was impractical to bring the head coach back for another season.
“My view was that, given the circumstances of the last three seasons, that extending the contract was not a viable option,” Glass said, according to the report. “It would send the wrong signal of what merited an extension at Indiana University.”
During his four-year tenure with the school, Lynch-helmed teams had gone 19-30, accumulating just three Big Ten victories over the past three seasons. Furthermore, Lynch had not guided the Hoosiers to a bowl appearance since the 2007 campaign, and his job security
had been in question for quite some time.
Although Glass offered his support as recently as three months ago and was vocal about letting Lynch’s tenure run its course in the proper manner, another miserable season left the athletic director with little choice but to move on.
“My experience is that a lot of things, the right thing to do is often times the hardest thing to do,” Glass said. “Unfortunately, this is one of those times.”
Glass stated that although he expects the players to be disappointed with the decision, it was one that he made weeks back.
“I’m confident that they are unhappy,” Glass said of the team, who he is expected to meet with on Monday 29 November. “They’re Bill Lynch guys. They believe in him. They wanted to win for him.”
Mike Leach (formerly of Texas Tech) and Brady Hoke (currently of San Diego State) have been named as potential replacements.
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