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November 22, 2005

Falwell cleans house at Liberty; Holtz rumored as replacement

Liberty University founder and president Jerry Falwell cleaned house this week by firing head coach Ken Karcher and two associate athletic directors. Athletic Director Thom Park also resigned.

Falwell's remarks on the firing:

For the past year we have been very unhappy with the direction of football here. We have good men ... but we just have different philosophies of getting to where we want to go. ... We want to go I-A.

We're winning in everything except in football. So we've taken a clean sweep.

[...]

We're not even playing par I-AA football here, so obviously we have to start over, and that's what we're doing.

[...]

I'm 72. I don't have much time to get the football program in the Top 20.

The athletic department has been hemorrhaging money recently.The department was $1.4 million in the red for 2004 alone. Falwell reports he has already talked to 3 head coaching candidates and he expects to hire replacements for all of the departing staff members within 2 weeks.

A column in the Lynchburg News & Advance indicates that:

Some of the coaching speculation has swirled around former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, who spoke at Liberty’s Convocation last Wednesday.

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Comments:

  1. Austin said:

    posted on November 23, 2005 1:21 AM — 66.103.97.34 — link — abuse?



    Falwell blames everyone else who suffers from some misfortune on something they've done to offend the Lord (see victims of practically every natural disaster of the past decade). By that logic, shouldn't this is God's wrath falling upon the football team?

  2. Skip said:

    posted on November 23, 2005 2:30 AM — 140.180.160.20 — link — abuse?



    Wow...I thought so much more highly of Lou Holtz before I knew about that connection.

  3. Fanblogs Author Jeff Quinton said:

    posted on November 23, 2005 10:08 AM — link — abuse?



    A new report mentions Danny Rocco at UVa and former Liberty Asst. Frank Christmas as being on the short list. This article doesn't rule out Holtz but says Falwell asked him for advice in the coaching search. It also says Lou didn't express an interest in to returning to coaching (then again it didn't say he even mentioned it or ruled it out either.)

  4. Jeb Heathcoat said:

    posted on November 23, 2005 11:43 AM — 64.84.106.145 — link — abuse?



    Falwell, would make a heck of a D'Lineman.

    Jeb Heathcoat, MI

  5. Rock the Swamp said:

    posted on November 23, 2005 1:38 PM — 64.12.116.139 — link — abuse?



    There is no way that Lou Holtz is goin to come back to coach a horrible division 2 skool. Lou Holtz has too much pride. plus he is too old to make a return. GO GATORS!!!!!

  6. Jim said:

    posted on November 25, 2005 11:20 AM — 65.161.73.250 — link — abuse?



    For the record, Liberty is a 1-AA school, not a Division 2 school; and Jerry Falwell was captain of his high school football team.

  7. danny said:

    posted on November 26, 2005 2:58 PM — 207.68.84.67 — link — abuse?



    Lou Holtz is too much of a gentleman to coach at most schools. Go Liberty Flames. It would be good for schools to get respect for playing good football, winning or loosing and not just because at one time in the last 100 years they were a good football team. Let's not rate teams until the 5th or 6th game, wonder who would be #1 in the nation. Maybe it could be Lou Holtz and Liberty!

  8. Debra M. said:

    posted on November 29, 2005 11:01 AM — 207.156.31.230 — link — abuse?



    I've heard a delightful rumor that FSU'S offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden is in the running. PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS TRUE!!! He's a great guy!!! Liberty would be soooooooooo fortunate to have him. PLEASE TAKE HIM!!!!!
    GO NOLES!!!!

  9. tidefan4 said:

    posted on December 11, 2005 11:33 AM — 69.68.223.109 — link — abuse?



    yet another school waiting for Lou Holtz to get them on probation. This Fallwell guy is a genious!

  10. Notre Dame Fan 444 said:

    posted on December 30, 2005 6:41 AM — 199.208.239.140 — link — abuse?



    tidefan4 -

    tell me what Univeristy was on probation under Holtz ??? NC State, Arkansas, Notre Dame, South Carolina ??? If I'm a tide fan, I wouldn't be spouting off too much about probation....

  11. Josh said:

    posted on February 26, 2006 9:48 PM — 151.199.179.247 — link — abuse?



    Just about every schoool Holtz has been associated with has falen under NCAA allegations and/or probation AFTER the departure of the Hall of Fame coach. He always gewts out just before the storm.

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