Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Huskies


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 12:00 AM

E-mail article     Print view

Washington AD backs Willingham

Washington athletic director Todd Turner expressed nothing but sympathy Monday over the fate of Washington State football coach Bill Doba...

Seattle Times staff reporter

Washington athletic director Todd Turner expressed nothing but sympathy Monday over the fate of Washington State football coach Bill Doba.

"I'm sorry about that — he's such a good guy," Turner said of Doba, who was fired Monday, two days after leading the Cougars to a win in the Apple Cup.

But the loser of that game, UW's Tyrone Willingham, is apparently in no similar danger of losing his job.

Asked whether there was any doubt that Willingham would return next season, Turner said: "Not in my mind."

Willingham is 11-24 in three seasons at Washington (Doba was 30-29 in five at WSU) and 6-20 in Pac-10 games with the Huskies heading to a game Saturday at Hawaii, which is 11-0.

Washington appeared to be making progress by winning two of its three games before the Apple Cup.

But that loss now has UW facing the possibility of losing nine games in two of Willingham's three seasons — the Huskies had lost that many only three times previously: in 1969 (1-9), 1973 (2-9) and 2004 (1-10). The first two were Jim Owens teams and the latter was coached by Keith Gilbertson.

Willingham is also the first UW coach to have three consecutive losing seasons and is assured of finishing in last place (if not a tie for last) in the Pac-10 this season.

Turner said he and Willingham will meet early next week to assess the season and where the program goes from here. But he said the meeting is nothing different from the kind the two hold after every season. Asked whether there would be any more urgency this season, Turner said no because "there's always a sense of urgency."

Asked about the possibility of Willingham making staff changes, Turner said, "It would not be appropriate to talk about that."

Willingham has said he will not discuss the future of his assistants publicly. However, during his radio show Monday night, he gave a hint that some changes could be afoot. When asked about the defense, which has struggled under coordinator Kent Baer, Willingham said, "My first commitment is to the football team. I will make all the right decisions that I think will put this football team in a position to win."

After the Huskies lost to Arizona State in mid-October to fall to 2-4, Turner launched into a hearty defense of Willingham that ruffled some UW fans when he cited Oregon as a team that Washington needed to aspire to be resemble.

advertising

The week after the Arizona game, UW president Mark Emmert said he would join in the postseason evaluation of the program.

Willingham is in the third-year of a five-year contract that has a favorable buyout clause — he would be owed a lump-sum payment of $3 million were he to be fired before Jan. 3, 2008. It decreases to $1 million for each remaining year on the contract after that date. He makes a guaranteed $1.4 million per season.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

Huskies can at least share Pac-10 volleyball title with two victories

Huskies finish third at NCAA cross-country championships

Huskies tight end Kavario Middleton says UW will score 50 against Cougars in Apple Cup

Huskies get commitment from 6-foot-10 Turkish star Enes Kanter

NW Briefs: Golf: UW's Nick Taylor is in fourth place after 36 holes of Texas golf meet

Advertising

Video

New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
Coming in this Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine: Pastor Braxton's mission is to preach a message that appeals to everyone.

PNW Magazine | Easy As Pie
Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Raw Video | Real Salt Lake fans celebrate
Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Raw Video | MLS Cup Opening Ceremony
Real Salt Lake fans enter Qwest Field
LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman
MLS trophy arrives in Seattle

Marketplace

Open Houses

Find this weekend's open house listings.
Or search by location:

nwautos

Less is more: Group rides, good gas mileage have led to a scooter swarm in Seattlenew
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising