WKU Football: Mike Sanford Fired As Hilltoppers Head Coach
Western Kentucky is in the market for a new head football coach.
The WKU football program made the announcement official just after 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. The full statement from the program is below:
WKU TO MAKE CHANGE AT HEAD FOOTBALL COACH POSITION
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Mike Sanford will not return to lead the WKU football program in 2019, WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart announced on Sunday.
A search for his replacement is already underway.
“I would like to thank Mike for his dedication and passion leading our football program over the last two years,” Stewart said. “His commitment to bettering the lives of our student-athletes is unquestioned. However, based on a complete review of the total body of work of our program over the last two years and assessing the likelihood of meeting our future expectations, I felt it was time that we make a change in leadership. This was not an easy decision and was not made lightly.”
Sanford, who just completed his second season as WKU’s head coach, came to WKU following a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame. He had previously served as an assistant coach on The Hill in 2010.
“As we continue to elevate WKU’s instructional and inquiry missions, the same expectation for excellence extends to our athletics programs as well,” University President Dr. Tim Caboni said. “In consulting with Director of Athletics Stewart, I agree that for us to achieve the success we expect in WKU football, it is time to make a leadership change. Mike Sanford is a man of character, and we appreciate his service to our community.”
During his two years leading the program, the Hilltoppers were 9–16 overall and 6–10 in conference play, highlighted by a berth in the 2017 AutoNation Cure Bowl in his first season. A pair of players were drafted from that squad as linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe went in the fourth round to the Chicago Bears and quarterback Mike White was taken in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys. A third player, tight end Deon Yelder, received immediate interest as a free agent and is currently with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Steven Godfrey of SBNation was the first to report Sanford had been fired.
Soon after, the the Bowling Green Daily News and Football Scoop followed suit.
FS is also reporting Mike Sanford Sr (running backs coach) and Matt Mitchell (quarterbacks coach) have also been let go.
The Towel Rack has reached out to the WKU football program for comment/confirmation but received no answer.
Brad Stephens of the BGDN is reporting Todd Stewart will address the media later on Sunday regarding Sanford’s firing.
Sanford compiled a 9–16 record in two years as the Hilltoppers head man, leading WKU to the Cure Bowl in 2017 despite trailing off in the backhalf of the season and led the Tops to a 3–9 campaign this season, thanks in large part to winning the final two games of the season against UTEP and La Tech. This season is the first time the Hilltoppers failed to reach six wins since the 2011 season.
This firing comes as something of a surprise; after the BGDN reported gif Sanford won out, his job would be saved to at least start a third season on the Hill regarding Sanford’s job security. Sanford met the challenge and beat the Miners and Bulldogs. However, it appears the very public unrest of Sanford’s tenure has proven enough for the Tops to make a move.
The story of Sanford is simple — he took the helm of a team that was coming off back-to-back dominant seasons in which they scorched through Conference USA, winning consecutive titles and bowl games — and decided to scrap everything and instill his system immediately. I don’t need to tell you how well that worked out.
