Tulane was wrong to fire Curtis Johnson

Tulane fired head football coach Curtis Johnson just two years after he led the Green Wave to their first bowl game in 11 years

Patience is a virtue apparently not found within the athletic department at Tulane. Head football coach Curtis Johnson was fired on Saturday after four seasons in charge of the Green Wave program. The axe fell just two years after leading the program to its first bowl game in 11 years in 2013. It also curiously came via outgoing athletic director Rick Dickson despite the fact that a search is currently in place to find Dickson’s replacement.

The decision didn’t shock many close to the Green Wave program, but it isn’t the open and shut case that Johnson’s 15-34 record will lead many to believe. There were compelling reasons why Tulane should have continued to support Johnson.

First, Tulane is not a program that is steeped in recent football tradition. Aside from a productive era under Tommy Bowden nearly 20 years ago, they have frequently been around the bottom of the FBS. That’s what makes Johnson’s bowl appearance in 2013 so impressive.

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Secondly, his job was significantly complicated by Tulane’s decision to change conferences in the middle of his tenure. In 2014 the Green Wave made the move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference.

This was undoubtedly the right move for the program on the whole, but it was unrealistic to expect the football program to make a seamless transition. Given the lack of tradition and resources, objective observers could see that the win/loss record was likely to take a step back after the move.

These complications combined with the current leadership transition at Tulane make this a questionable firing. The school would have been better served to retain Johnson at least one more season. This would have given the new athletic director time to come in, get his or her feet settled and spend real time evaluating the program.

Now, the coaching search will begin under an athletic director who will soon retire. This is a recipe for disaster.

College football is a results based business and Curtis Johnson just didn’t provide Tulane with the wins necessary to remain. Instead, the Green Wave will launch into a coaching search amongst an athletic director transition that will likely make choosing the right candidate more than a little complicated.

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