REPORT: Tom O’Brien Fired; [Update]5pm Presser Notes and Video

Coaches Coaching Carousel Debbie Yow NCS Football Tom O'Brien101

[Update 5pm Presser]

Here’s some quick notes regarding the highlights (paraphrased) from what AD Debbie Yow had to say during today’s press conference (link to full video at bottom of notes)….

  • Differences in philosophy on recruiting definitely an issue with the decision for change.
  • All assistants are currently retained and depending upon new hire for HC, will have the opportunity to stay if appropriate (impression is that this will be up to new hire, of course).
  • Search committee was formed today, will meet for the first time tonite.
  • Disappointing results based on this year’s expectations definitely a major factor.
  • Ideal candidate will “not have a hint” of improprieties in their past and this will remove several prospective candidates.  Will also have passion and vision, and have a plan to make NC State a consistent top 25 football program.
  • Head coaching experience/proven track record would be a plus, but no HC experience is NOT necessarily a deal breaker for the right candidate. (Mentioned that she does not consider that Vandy coach James Franklin is a candidate at this point)
  • Player’s reactions were generally “respectful and quiet”.
  • Another factor in the decision is the loss of over 1000 season ticket holders, and the resulting loss of over $1.4M in revenue to the athletics dept.
  • DY stated that when/if TOB feels appropriate, he would be welcome to be a part of the dept. in some capacity.
  • Declined to give specifics on the money that will be spent on new HC contract.
  • Timetable: ASAP, but will take the time to do it right.  Current recruits are a concern, but getting right person is more important.  Current recruits/commits will be honored.  Have already contacted search firm.
  • Did NOT ask TOB to make staff changes.  Buyout is approx. $1.2M over four years.

Debbie Yow Press Conference Re: The Firing of Head Football Coach Tom O’Brien (WRALSportsfan.com)

 

[Update 2:05pm] TOB statement from press release:

“I appreciate the opportunity to have coached at North Carolina State University and I feel that the program is in a better place now than when I started,” O’Brien said in a statement released by the school. “I’m proud of the young men that I have coached here, for their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom. Wolfpack football is as sound academically as it’s ever been with a [single year] APR of 990 to be reported this spring.  I appreciate all of my coaches and wish them the best and I look forward to life after football.”

 

Kinda Sounds like a de facto retirement.

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[Original Entry]

Information still coming in, but Jeff Gravely (WRAL) is reporting that TOB has been “released” and this has been confirmed through Debbie Yow herself.  It is further being reported that TOB will NOT coach the Wolfpack in whichever bowl game in which it plays, but rather that Dana Bible will serve as interim Head Coach.

A Press conference is reportedly scheduled for 5pm.

O’Brien era ends at NC State (WRALSportsFan.com)

Raleigh, N.C. — Less than 24 hours after a 27-10 win over Boston College to finish the 2012 season, North Carolina State head coach Tom O’Brien has been “released” of his duties, athletics director Debbie Yow said Sunday.

O’Brien has guided the Wolfpack to three consecutive bowl games and four in the past five seasons. NC State finished this season 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.

In six seasons at NC State, O’Brien was 40-35 but failed to crack the .500 mark in conference play, posting a 22-26 record. He came to Raleigh from Boston College in Dec. 2006 and signed a 7-year deal that was to pay him $1.1 million annually.

A press conference has been called for 5 p.m. Sunday to formally announce the move. It is expected that the search for a replacement will begin immediately.

 

O’Brien out at N.C. State (N&O – ACCNow Blog)

RALEIGH — Tom O’Brien has led N.C. State to three straight bowl games, and four in five seasons, but it wasn’t enough to save his job. O’Brien will not return for a seventh season, the school announced on Sunday.

O’Brien compiled a 40-35 record in six seasons with a 22-26 mark in the ACC. O’Brien’s contract runs through Dec. 2015 and he will be paid at least $1.2 million over the next three years.

The Wolfpack completed a 7-5 regular season on Saturday with a home win over Boston College and will play in a bowl game with offensive coordinator Dana Bible as the interim coach.

This will be the sixth coaching hire, including both major revenue sports, for N.C. State athletic director Debbie Yow, who was hired in July 2010.

The search for O’Brien’s replacement will begin immediately. Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is expected to be Yow’s top target. Yow once hired Franklin to succeed Ralph Friedgen at Maryland but that plan was scrapped when Yow left Maryland in 2010 and Friedgen was fired a year later.

We’ll continue to update this entry as more information becomes available.

For more discussion be sure to head here.

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About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

Coaches Coaching Carousel Debbie Yow NCS Football Tom O'Brien

101 Responses to REPORT: Tom O’Brien Fired; [Update]5pm Presser Notes and Video

  1. Master 11/25/2012 at 6:27 PM #

    I don’t really fault Bible or Archer as much as the players recruited to play in their system.

    Bible’s offense is actually pretty high scoring and the passing game produces excellent numbers when our receivers actually hang onto the ball.

    As for the Archer/Tenuta combo, they did OK (not great)when they had decent linebackers.

    Again, given the number of 2 and 3 star athletes on our team, who really thinks Saben or Muschamp could have done much better? So, blame it on lackluster recruiting and that’s TOB’s fault.

  2. wolfpack4ever 11/25/2012 at 6:34 PM #

    “Give up the Dr. Yow references.”

    AD Yow. Does that help bigjohn?

    AD Yow and Chancellor Woodson are the ones being paid to make these type decisions. Let them do their jobs. All indications thus far show that both are capable of making hirings, firings and big decisions.

    Everyone keeps thanking TOB for being clean and players actually being college students. That is great but outside of the SEC and chapel hole, shouldn’t that be expected? D@mn!

    Couunt me among those that think we should be capable of doing both in the ACC. Go Pack!

  3. JEOH2 11/25/2012 at 6:41 PM #

    When you have a current player…who had been in the system for 5 years under TOB…criticize his head coach’s decision on Twitter during the middle of a nationally televised game…you’ve clearly lost your team…and the writing is on the wall…

  4. mak4dpak 11/25/2012 at 7:00 PM #

    Our not so great talent did defeat FSU, so talent has not been the issue, it is TOBs assistants, more specificially, Archer/Bible. I am okay with Tenuta staying around for the new staff.

  5. mak4dpak 11/25/2012 at 7:06 PM #

    Bob Stitt, 48 yrs old. Great offensive mastermind, known to other big Division I football programs, who have used his plays, and been quite successful.

  6. blpack 11/25/2012 at 7:21 PM #

    Surprised by the timing, but this had to happen. Agreed with comments on page 1 about the program’s next steps and being able to win clean and have consistency.

  7. WuffDad 11/25/2012 at 7:24 PM #

    Stitt is an interesting idea.

  8. wolfpack_83 11/25/2012 at 7:57 PM #

    I wish Tom O’Brien nothing but the best. He served with integrity and honor, which despite the prevailing tide from the BCS, ACC and the NCAA, is still the most important factor to myself, an alumnus.

  9. Avid109 11/25/2012 at 7:59 PM #

    “Stitt is an interesting idea.”

    As OC, perhaps. I don’t think his recruiting skills meet our needs.

  10. rthomas44 11/25/2012 at 8:01 PM #

    Steve Logan said to look on the back of the press guide at the record for an idea of WHO YOU ARE. It will not be easy for anyone to change the culture at NCSU. I say this as a 40 year member of the Wolfpack Club. Anyway this will be fun to watch!

  11. tvp1 11/25/2012 at 8:14 PM #

    “When you sell yourself and your program on a “performance based organization” and then your self proclaimed best team goes 4-4 in arguable the weakest ACC in recent memory you don’t have much to fall back on.”

    BamaPack nailed it. Not much more needs to be said.

  12. wolfpack4ever 11/25/2012 at 8:38 PM #

    ^Exactly!^

  13. john of sparta 11/25/2012 at 8:58 PM #

    Craig’s List.

  14. OldWuf 11/25/2012 at 9:46 PM #

    I didn’t realize that Dana Bible was Tom Reed’s quarterback and recievers coach. Now I know why I had the same urge to scream while watching this offense at times like I did back in the ’80’s.

  15. JSRy2k 11/25/2012 at 10:15 PM #

    A great start would be a guy who could recruit the state of North Carolina better than any other program. How one determines if a candidate meets that criteria in an interview, I don’t know.

  16. Primewolf 11/25/2012 at 10:17 PM #

    I am estatic that we will have a new coach and new assistants and a new direction.

    TOB is a fine and honorable man. Appreciate his efforts and successes.

    My instincts were that she had to fire him now. This was the year. His best recruiting class ever, by a long shot, were 5th year seniors. A QB who will likely have a long career in the NFL was a 5th yr senior. His recruiting has totally leveled off and drifted backward to Duke and WF levels of players.

    The economics are too much to let the program continue to drift. We know what the future was because TOB hasn’t made any changes in 6 years and wasn’t about to start. Their recruiting has been abysmal and would continue to be lackluster.

    Is it possible we won’t do any better. Yes. Is it possible we could do worse. Unlikely IMO. We have had a number of coaches that have averaged 0.450 ACC wins and that is about where TOB has setteled in. If we do hire another coach that becomes mediocre, so what. At least we are trying. I think we can find the next Lou Holtz, Dick Sheridan, or Bo Rein. The game is changing.

    By the way, has anyone been watching the San Francisco offense. WOW. Total innovation. Even the Pro players don’t know how to react or where the ball is going.

    We need some offensive magic. That will interject alot of life in the program. It will generate fan interest.

    Please, please some totally new uniforms. The all red pajamas just are not cool. Get some uniforms that make our players look good, with just a touch of flair and panache.

  17. vtpackfan 11/25/2012 at 10:34 PM #

    Doc Holliday is a great fit to the expectations Yow has envisioned and he would get more then his fair share of the top NC prep recruits

  18. 61Packer 11/25/2012 at 10:48 PM #

    Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Colorado, Purdue and us.

    Heads are rolling………….

  19. NOT A FAN OF BLUE 11/25/2012 at 11:02 PM #

    “Steve Logan said to ‘look on the back of the press guide at the record for an idea of WHO YOU ARE’”.
    rthomas44 (this is not a rant directed at you)
    I like Steve Logan; no question, the guy is radio magic; but when he made this statement on-air, it really pissed me off. I would like to know, who made Steve Logan king genius? Yes, I realize he has credentials; and I know he has been around; but his “know who you are” line of reasoning is nothing but a cop-out – it is loser.
    ESPN will chide State, DY (and the lunatic fringe) for running-off another good coach (and TOB certainly is a (good) coach and a better man); but regardless of our past mediocrity, and in the face of “know your place”, this fan base will always demand more. To State fans (and our kick-ass AD) 7-5 is not a mandate for more of the same.
    In the woeful ACC, a 7-5 record is – at best – an average year. A superior coaching staff should produce 8 and 9 win seasons and compete for Division titles – and more.
    I promise you this:
    Cynics be damned – bring in the right leader to State (the right fit – someone who will not justify settling for fourth place … someone like a Coach Gott); let him surround himself with aggressive, talented assistant coaches who – because they have something to prove – will get out and recruit with energy and enthusiasm; and I guarantee we can win here.
    A quick review of Steve Logan’s resume tells you all you need to know about WHO HE IS: a former head coach to former assistant(s) to unemployed. Any former coach who would make a statement like this has seen his better days. His statements should be for entertainment purposes only.

  20. gotohe11carolina 11/25/2012 at 11:05 PM #

    tough to say goodbye to a coach who really knew how to beat the holes. I’m very thankful for what tob has done for us running a clean mostly bowl eligible program. for good or bad he was the epitome of “chopping wood” which was as fruitful as it was infuriating at times. best of luck to him in the future.

    now for my short list
    1. Dave Doeren- has the NIU looking damn good over the last couple of years
    2. Derek mason- Stanford DC no real elaboration necessary
    3. Brian Jenkins- Bethune cookman hc, they have been very good in the meac under jenkins, he’s been an assistant in the acc so he knows the territory and the hs coaches in the acc footprint. he currently recruits in Florida so he’s got connections in recruiting hotbeds. I really like this guys cred.
    4. Todd grantham- uga dc, I love the 3-4 defense he’s brought to uga. he’s got a lot of energy and I think the kids would love to play for this guy. as an added benefit it would annoy my wife to lose her beloved bulldogs DC
    5. James Franklin- he’s gonna be too expensive, he’s a pipe dream but he flies his helicopter to recruits houses. how cool is that?
    6. Jeff tedford- has run a largely successful program at Cal. but has fallen on hard times. I think we’d do very well with him at the helm. he runs a clean program and is a smart guy who’d surround himself with great people. he also added massive enhancements to Cal’s “fuh-silities” as an added bonus.

  21. hellfishtat 11/26/2012 at 6:20 AM #

    Not one person said ANYTHING about Maryland leaving the ACC. Last week a lot were saying FSU or Clemson leaving would be the death of the ACC. Do you think that is going to make it even HARDER for her to land a top notch Coach?

  22. lawful 11/26/2012 at 6:49 AM #

    Not a fan, I don’t care what ESPN thinks of us. They’re not going to make us a better program. Rip us all they want. It hasn’t stopped us from becoming relevant in bball.

  23. bigjohn 11/26/2012 at 7:43 AM #

    Hey, DY did said we are getting a new indoor practice facility for football. TOB mentioned the need often, and said it would help recruiting. She said she had talked about the possible change with Chancellor Woodson and Wendel, so maybe the Murphys are making the new indoor facility happen. Thank you to whoever or whatever made this happen

    Interesting range of articles in N&O this morning about area coaches….Fedora wins one more and is the best decision by an area school since canned whatever ….Coach Cut wins one less and is the new Dean of the Triangle with a long term commitment.

  24. packalum44 11/26/2012 at 9:26 AM #

    If Fowler were here TOB would have received a raise and contract extension at the end of this year, and plans to build a statue of him made of tin foil would have been in the works.

  25. ryebread 11/26/2012 at 11:53 AM #

    Packalum: Sadly, you are correct. TOB was the perfect Lee Fowler coach — cheap, kept his nose clean, flew under the radar, and won just enough so that he didn’t have to handle anything hard like firing.

    Thankfully, the Lee Fowler era is quickly coming to a close. Unless it results in a fiscal crisis like she did at Maryland, we’re seemingly going to be better off for it.

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