Not that anyone seems to have remembered or cared, but Pitt still has a bowl game in less than a week.
We will find out officially sometime around noon, but it now appears that Dave Wannstedt won’t coach a final game.
Pitt defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will be named interim head coach for the Panthers and coach them in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., against the University of Kentucky, according to a source.
Former Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt informed his staff this morning that he will not coach in the game, the source said. Wannstedt was forced to resign from his job Dec. 7, but remained with the university as an assistant to Athletic Director Steve Pederson.
Wannstedt scheduled a noon news conference today to discuss the coaching situation. The souce said Wannstedt has not informed Pederson or Chancellor Mark Nordenberg of his intentions as of this morning.
And by “coaching situation,” he means his own and who is coaching on the 8th. Not the programs. He is not planning to answer any questions about the mess that is finding his replacement.
I understand The Stache is pissed he got let go, but he should have informed the players he was not coaching w/in a week of his dimsissal or stuck with them and coached in Birmingham.
Dragging this out just to “stick it” to Pederson/Nordenberg was pathetic.
Wanny, the Pitt guy to the core, does anyone remember in 1978 what Wanny and Jimmy Johnson did to piss off Jackie Sherill at the Tangerine Bowl prior to their departure to OSU?
link to bleacherreport.com
Good luck to Phil Bennett trying to get these kids ready to play. He’s going to need it.
The way he and his staff were treated by Heywood and the athletic department is more than enough reason for him to ‘stick it to’ Nordy and SP, if he were really doing that. GIve the guy 2 f’ing weeks to make up his mind. He was FORCED OUT OF A JOB HE LOVED BY AN INSTITUTION HE CARES ABOUT. How would you react?
You should have kept your mouth shut and let him coach the game then fire him..
All along speaking with Bradley or whatever other coach you though that you were going to hire who isnt being sought after by anyone else.
After all most coaches do not want to discuss moving from a team while they are still playing in a bowl. Pederson tore apart two college prgrams. Miami Ohio and Pitt with one stupid move. Not to mention Haywoods poor girlfriend.
All of the coaches that they are speaking with would not have been seriously considered anywhere else.
Pederson is the ego maniac. Not DW.
And Lou- I think his loyalty to Pitt was tested enough when he was told to tell everyone that HE chose to resign and not forced to quit so that SP could save face.
Also- who, gives two craps about this bowl game at this point? What difference does it make if the players didn’t know who was going to coach them until today??
I assume SP has nothing to do with this selection.
I expect this hire will make us all happy because it will be an obvious choice rather than a cheap abstract choice, like the one already made.
I also expect that after Pederson assists the University to make this right he will be let go.
Even he would expect that.
Opinions?
What are you talking about? You just described “sour grapes”. Wannstedt just gave us an example of why he should not be the head coach at Pitt or anywhere else? Just because the guy they hired is an idiot doesn’t mean that Wannstedt deserved to keep his job.
Wannstedt is still getting paid? Do your job.
Your analogy brightened an otherwise depressing day.
Tell your friend to take the old lady shopping. Do it for the kids. Especially if he’s still getting “paid”.
What I am saying is that it’s ridiculous to say that he should be completely faulted for the way his “resigning” has been treated by the athletic department. He said he wasn’t going to make up his mind until after New Years. If the athletic department didn’t like that, couldn’t they have made up his mind for him???
Look- If you hire a guy to replace DW, who pretty much destroyed the program, and then expect DW to step in and help out again then you’re a fool. You reap what you sow.
I’m not Monday morning qb’ing, said it then, even more true as this past month has gone on, and even more clear today.
Again, Smug Smile Steve blew it. Not only should they have announced he wouldn’t be coaching, they should have got him an office under panther hollow. Again, nothing against him, but, if you’re gonna keep an ex-employee on, that was fired, then you are gonna have things like this happen. Is he there to help, or are you just holding him hostage because you owe him money???
He should have just been let go, and pay the piper. What good is having him around, what’s he gonna do??? Paperwork in the chancellors office?? Poorly handled as usual!!! What are you gonna get for your money having him around and paying him, just to say, we saved a little, he still works here????
Good point on the radio, the first face of this whole weekend debacle you see, is your fired Head Coach???
I said this before, don’t over estimate these people, in higher posistions, they are just humans. “oooh, oooh, he’s the A.D., he’s the chancellor, oh, he’s a congressmen or wow, he’s a senator” Don’t sell yourself short, these are just guys, that a lot of times, don’t know any better than you!!
Can you talk to RUSTY, though?
