DAVID BENNETT FIRED

I was just being lazy today and happened to check Facebook and found that Coastal Carolina’s first and only head football coach was fired.  I am surprised to say the least.  Bennett won the Big South and went to the playoffs just last season, and came back with 7 wins this season.  Admittedly, the games against Liberty and Stony Brook were debacles, but I had no clue it would end up in his firing. That’s really the only football reason I can think of that he was let go.  His record hasn’t  been stellar the last few years (29-28), but in his CCU career he’s 63-39 with 2 playoff appearances and 4 Big South Championships.

However, after doing a little more research, I found a possible non-football reason.  Apparently, CCU did an audit and found the the equipment manager had been forging signatures of staff members on per-diem vouchers used for meals on trips.

OK, so we’re basically trying to put a man in prison for sloppy book keeping.  While what he did is technically illegal, from what I can tell the people had their meals and he just signed their names to make it easier on everyone.  Kinda like when my dad had my brother sign his name to the notes we wrote saying we were out of school because we were sick.  We really were out of school because we were sick, but my dad never felt like writing the note so he would have my brother, who had his signature down perfectly, to write and sign the note in his name.  I guess I should call the cops and have my brother arrested now?   If this “scandal” has anything to do with the firing of David Bennett it’s ridiculous.

Another reason this is a little confusing is Bennett remaining with the university in another role.  That means we will be paying Bennett as well as the new head coach.  So, we have enough money to keep paying our old coach even though he’s not coaching anymore?  Last time I checked, CCU had some financial issues and creating an extra position in the university for Coach Bennett doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in that regard.  Now we will be paying him and a new head coach.

According to the University, the reason for the firing is simple – “We want to win a national championship here.   We want to fill our stands,” said AD Hunter Yurachek in a statement to the Sun News.  He then added, “We want the financial commitment that this university has made to our football program and to athletics in general, we want to see the return on that investment. So we’re looking for somebody that can come in and help us take the next step.”

As a Coastal Alum, I can’t really argue with this statement.  I want our stands filled and I want to see Coastal win a national title in football.  I remember Coastal’s first playoff game when I was still attending the university.  I didn’t go because I was back home, but I did watch the whole game on ESPNU.   Even though we lost, the fact we had made the playoffs was amazing and the way we played in the second half of that game was incredible.  We went to the playoffs again last season, and we lost again.  I want a team will start making the playoffs consistently and will also win playoff games.  I guess I’m just not that convinced we couldn’t have made it there with Bennett.

Whoever the next coach is had better be ready to fill some big shoes and fill them fast.  Also, Coastal better not bring in a inexperienced head coach after saying they want to win a national championship.  Their hire had better match their rhetoric.  We are expecting a national championship at Coastal Carolina.

GO CHANTS!