ESPN REPORT: The head coach of the Clemson Tigers football is fired because of his…
Four days after the Tigers, who were favored to win the ACC title, lost to Wake Forest and dropped to 3-3, Clemson fired football coach Tommy Bowden.
On Monday morning, Bowden told his assistant coaches that he was fired. For the final six regular-season games and any potential bowl game, Dabo Swinney, the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach, will serve as the interim head coach. According to a person familiar with the matter, Rob Spence, the offensive coordinator for Clemson, has also been fired.
Terry Don Phillips, the athletic director, stated on Monday morning that he wanted to speak openly and honestly with Bowden regarding the football team. However, Phillips stated that Bowden’s suggestion to step down astonished him.
Phillips stated, “There wasn’t a gun to his head.”
Phillips stated, “He brought it up for the benefit of the program.” “I agreed.”
Following the season, Bowden will get his salary; but, as part of the contract extension that the two parties reached in December 2007, he will also receive a buyout of $3.5 million.
In McFadden Auditorium, where Phillips has hosted meetings and press conferences for the last ten seasons, Bowden was seated next to him. He expressed gratitude to the administration, the school, and his new team of athletes.
“I will be their biggest fan on Saturday against Georgia Tech, and I wish them nothing but success,” Bowden remarked.
After that, Bowden exited the platform without answering any questions, entered his office, and closed the door as Phillips described the exciting events of the previous day.
“Terry Don Phillips approached me this morning and we agreed that this is the best solution for the direction of the program,” Bowden stated in a previous statement. I’ve had nothing but the best from Clemson and my family. Our two kids are both Clemson alumni.
“I value the chance I was given to attend Clemson University and the administration’s assistance while I was here. In addition, I would want to thank all of the coaches and players who have dedicated ten years of their lives to this program. I hope the future holds nothing but the best for Clemson University.”
A 24-point setback to then-No. 24 Alabama kicked off Clemson’s season with a bang, as senior quarterback Cullen Harper put it, “really hurt our confidence.”
After the Tigers’ defeat at Wake Forest, Harper was benched and was replaced by highly rated sophomore Willy Korn. Harper stated that the program had to sever its connection with Bowden.
“It’s what he deserved,” Harper declared. “Dabo Swinney is a fine man and will do an excellent job.”
Harper elaborated on his remarks later on Monday, saying that Bowden “tried to motivate us, but guys were off the bandwagon.” There were some points on which my teammates and I couldn’t agree. When he would make bizarre comments about me to the press, I didn’t like it. One thing I suppose I can say is that he offered me the chance to play at Clemson.”
This season, Harper found it difficult to play behind an inexperienced offensive line. Bowden’s firing was appropriate, according to his father Jeff Harper, an offensive lineman for Georgia’s 1980 national championship squad.
He answered, “I’d call it karma.” “I believed it was necessary to do it. They lose respect for the team, in my opinion, anytime a head coach or other person in a position of authority begins to throw blame on his coaches and players. His prior experiences demonstrate that he has done so.”
Two highly anticipated recruits have removed Clemson off their lists following Bowden’s dismissal, according to JC Shurburtt, an ESPN.com recruiting analyst for the Southeast. Security Both Devonte Hollomon of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Craig Loston of Aldine, Texas, have stated that they are searching elsewhere. Hollomon is ranked third among safeties and twenty-first overall, while Loston is ranked first among safeties on the ESPN150 list and eighth overall.
In Bowden’s tenth season as coach, the Tigers were expected to win their first ACC championship, as they were ranked No. 9 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. But now—number two After Alabama’s 34-10 thumping of the Tigers in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on August 30, Clemson dropped to 1-2 in ACC play after losing at home to Maryland and once more to Wake Forest.
After the 2007 season, Bowden took a look at coaching at Arkansas and was offered a hefty contract extension by Clemson. At Clemson, Tommy Bowden, the son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, finished 72-45 and made eight appearances in bowl games.
In a statement released on Monday, Bobby Bowden said that his son “felt like it was inevitable; he felt like it was fixin’ to happen.”
