Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (moving vans sold separately in Los Angeles and Storrs): HIRES THAT LIVE IN INFAMY The first firings of 2013 came in a one-two punch Sunday and Monday: first Lane Kiffin at USC, then Paul Pasqualoni at Connecticut. Neither should ever have been hired, and that’s not hindsight talking. The Dash knew those were bad decisions at the time, and The Dash wasn’t alone in that sentiment. Kiffin was in over his head. Pasqualoni was past his prime. Somehow, the hiring athletic directors failed to notice. Then the schools failed to act in a timely manner after it became clear that neither man was going to work out. Both Kiffin and Pasqualoni should have been canned after last year – Kiffin’s third at USC and Pasqualoni’s second at UConn. Ideally you’d like to give a coach more time than that, but the body of evidence didn’t support it. Now the schools have been forced to admit their mistakes in mid-season. The bloodletting got The Dash thinking about the worst hiring decisions of the 21st century. The question was posed via Twitter on Monday morning, and the feedback was voluminous: 366 votes over the course of the next 100 minutes. Rich Rodriguez. (Credit: Getty) Here was the Twitter bottom five: Rich Rodriguez (1) at Michigan. When: 2008-10. Why: Horrible fit of successful coach and successful program. Was it an obvious mistake beforehand: No. Rodriguez won before Michigan at West Virginia and is winning after Michigan at Arizona. With the Wolverines, he was 15-22, plus an NCAA probation and three losses to Ohio State. Steve Kragthorpe (2) at Louisville. When: 2007-09. Why: Another disastrous fit. Was it an obvious mistake beforehand: No. He is the only significantly flawed hire in athletic director Tom Jurich’s 16 years at Louisville. The Cardinals had been to nine straight bowls, including the Orange Bowl, before hiring Kragthorpe from Tulsa. They went to zero in his three seasons on the job. Since firing him: three straight bowls, including the Sugar Bowl last season. Lane Kiffin (3) at both Tennessee and USC. When: 2009 at Tennessee, 2010-Sunday at USC…
Continue Reading: Forde-Yard Dash: Judging Lane Kiffin, Paul Pasqualoni and other awful college football coaching hires (Yahoo Sports)
