I'll give you two that might seem hard to believe; 1. Ratcliffe at Stanford. Loaded with talent, great recruiting class again and no Pac-10 title since he has taken over at Stanford and no significant run in the tournament. With USC's win last year, it shows a coach can come in and make a difference. At Stanford, where the athletic department values non-revenue sports championships, Ratcliffe is probably on the clock to start winning championships of some kind. 2. Smith at SCU. Yes, he's on a hot seat. Not that the school will fire him, but he has to prove that the past two years were blips, and not a trend of the future. He needs to lead this team deep into the playoffs this year or recruits in high school might start thinking that time has passed SCU.
I find it really hard to believe Smith's job is in jeopardy. He's pretty much earned the right to decide when he's done. That may not be too many years away, since he's already been doing it 19 years or so. He probably wants to reap the fruits of the new stadium change and revel in how far he's brought the program. I think you do have to add Ellis to the list, though. UCLA isn't very forgiving of coaches who don't move ahead - in any sport. Who was that basketball guy with the slicked back hair? [edit: Steve Lavin. he had a record that anywhere else would have been considered great, but not at UCLA] It used to be no big deal in women's sports, and one reason coaches preferred coaching women is the job security. That's no longer the case in women's soccer. Fully 1/6 of all D1 coaches were replaced last year alone. This list should be a LOT longer.
Jillian probably feels more pressure now that her cross-town rival came out of nowhere to win the championship, but I doubt her job's on the line. The big, make that huge, difference between men's basketball and women's soccer at major D1 schools is the alumni base. The alumni put the pressure on UCLA to make a coaching change in basketball. After years of feeling that pressure, a new AD came in and made the change. Women's soccer registers only a blip on the screen at major athletic powerhouses. That being said, it's all about winning national championships at UCLA, and even though Jillian has been very, very successful as a head coach, she has not brought a women's soccer championship to UCLA. Quite an amazing stat on how many D1 women's soccer coaches left their positions. I'm assuming that not all were let go. It wouldn't surprise me if women's soccer has on average a higher percentage of coaches who voluntarily move on.
Even if the mix was 50-50, Its quite an eye opener. But you are right, there is no way to really know. I'm sure the hot seat has more room than just three coaches, though.
I think you have to wonder about Lesle Gallimore at the University of Washington. Although I've heard she's an excellent coach, UW has struggled a lot in recent years. From 2000 through 2004, the Huskies were quite successful at 68-28-9, with a Pac 10 record of 27-14-4. For 2005-2007, however, their record has been 12-42-5, with a Pac 10 record of 4-21-2. Further, they have had only one winning Pac 10 season since 2002 (5-3-1 in 2004). Further, if my read of their current situation is right, in particular considering injured players, they may struggle again this year, notwithstanding a great incoming recruit in mid-fielder Kate Deines. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting Gallimore should be in question, and I like the Huskies' team. I just think that another season with a poor record would be likely to raise questions.
You would think that Washington would be on the hot seat. Major Pac 10 program. 7 wins in the past two years?
What are the dynamics on the Pepperdine campus? After more successful years of recruiting and winning, the program recently hasn't cracked the top 20. With UP and SCU in their conference, and with UCLA and SC locally, are they content to just compete? Many so Cal and west coast schools have caught up with them.
Thought it would be interesting to discuss the bottom finishers from last season from the top conferences. My beloved SEC Arkansas 1-9-1 Alabama 2-8-1 New coach MSU 2-8-1 Vandy 3-6-1 ACC NC State 0-9-1 Maryland 1-8-1 Va Tech 3-5-2 Clemson 2-3-5 New coach Big 10 MSU 1-8-1 Wisconsin 2-8 New coach (2 years ago i think) Mich 1-5-4 New coach Iowa 4-6 Big 12 Nebraska 1-8-1 Baylor 1-8-1 New coach OU 2-7-1 New coach ISU 4-4-2 New coach Pac 10 OSU 0-7-2 New coach Arizona 1-7-1 Washington 2-6-1 Oregon 1-4-4
Of all mentioned so far, this one may have some teeth, but that is even doubtful. ADs at big schools care only about pointy football, hoops, and little else. Unless the players are revolting or some connected alum or donor has a gripe, you don't often see a female coach shown the door based on winning or losing.
I think an even more interesting question is which D I coaches actually wish to continue with their programs. It gets tougher for the older coaches to relate or enjoy the younger and more demanding players and athletic administrations these days. Does Gallimore or other coaches in her shoes really want to stay?? Fennah left on his own accord. Private HS or adminstrative jobs are not as emotionally taxing or demanding..
I think an even more interesting question is which D I coaches actually wish to continue with their programs. It gets tougher for the older coaches to relate or enjoy the younger and more demanding players and athletic administrations these days. Does Gallimore or other coaches in her shoes really want to stay?? Fennah left on his own accord. Private HS or adminstrative jobs are not as emotionally taxing or demanding..
I'd say Tobias at Arizona is on the hot seat too. He had a Pac10 freshman all-american transfer out this year, another couple players quit soccer altogether and he has had 2-3 dismal seasons. How many years does he get to jumpstart that program?
Paula Wilkins at Wisconsin is nowhere near the hot seat in any way, shape or form. She ditched Penn State out of nowhere after winning 6 Big Ten titles in 6 seasons and taking the Nittany Lions to two College Cups. She took over a Wisconsin program that is on hard times but she is already recruiting well. Coach Wilkins has four more seasons before she would be considered on the hot seat. And I highly doubt that will happen. As for Nebraska, I think John Walker still has several years before anybody starts questioning his job security. There is no doubt about it, Nebraska has fallen on hard times. During the late '90s/early '00s the Husker machine was humming along with some of the best talent that Canada and the Midwest had to offer. However, the Canadian stars have been more spread out and favoring different schools, while several other midwest programs have put an emphasis on women's soccer. The biggest fault of the Nebraska program lately has been the turnover of players. So few have made it through four years so the team has been in constant flux. Walker seems to be focusing his recruiting efforts on ample Nebraska talent who are more likely to stay in Lincoln for four years.
Are you kidding with a 1-7-1 record this year and an equally dismal record last year, you don't think AZs coach is at risk? Why not?
Heard that Petrucelli at Texas may be on thin ice, not for his record, but for his behavior. Seems his antics on the field are wearing on certain officials at Texas. This year alone he has lost it in a couple of instances I am aware of. One incident was when he stormed onto the field during the Texas/Texas A&M game to get to the center referee ranting and raving, disputing a call. In the Nebraska game, where they lost, he bumped a referee after the game, ranting and raving about his officiating. He also got into with the crowd by displaying a obscene jesture at them and had to be turned away by a policemen.
Are you joking? If getting on refs will get you canned, 95% of all coaches in all sports would be gone each year.
I don't know if any of this is true. I will say that physical contact with players or refs and obscene gestures to fans certainly has been grounds for discipline and removal in the past. I'll only point out that seemingly immune Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes lost his career for conduct not too far removed from warh2os's description.
Check the last paragraph of an article from an Omaha newspaper! http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10450387 I also saw him get in a heated arguement at a game I attended, where he pushed a coach from the other team by using an elbow. He doesn't response well to losing.
Yelling at the refs is one thing. Every coach I've ever seen will question calls. Bumping an official is over the top. And it's never a good idea to flip off the crowd. That's the kind of thing that can lead to a brawl. Sounds like he'd better get his emotions under control or he could be in trouble.