Fansided

25 worst college football coaching hires in history

By Nicholas Ian Allen

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 1: Head coach Mike Price of the Washington State University Cougars manages the game from the sidelines during the 89th Rose Bowl game against University of Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2003 in Pasadena, California. Oklahoma defeated Washington St. 34-14. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 1: Head coach Mike Price of the Washington State University Cougars manages the game from the sidelines during the 89th Rose Bowl game against University of Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2003 in Pasadena, California. Oklahoma defeated Washington St. 34-14. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – NOVEMBER 26: Coach Greg Robinson of Syracuse in the first quarter against Louisville November 26, 2005 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – NOVEMBER 26: Coach Greg Robinson of Syracuse in the first quarter against Louisville November 26, 2005 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

8. Greg Robinson, Syracuse

  • Hired: January 2005
  • Fired: November 2008
  • Record at Syracuse: 5-37* (.119)
  • Career head coaching record: 5-37* (.119)

Syracuse was once one of the proudest college football programs in the country. The Orange were 11-0 under Ben Schwartzwalder in 1959, winning the national championship. Ernie Davis won the 1961 Heisman Trophy while donning the famous No. 44 also worn by NFL Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Floyd Little and Larry Csonka. Dick MacPherson led the Orange to an 11-0-1 record and a No. 4 final ranking in 1987, and Paul Pasqualoni posted a 107-59-1 record and led the program to nine bowl games in 14 seasons as head coach from 1991-2004.

However, Pasqualoni fell out of favor with the Syracuse faithful after three straight non-winning seasons from 2002-04, and he was fired and replaced with Greg Robinson. A longtime defensive coordinator in both the NFL and major college football, Robinson joined the Orange after a brief stint at Texas in 2004.

In his first season at Syracuse, Robinson’s squad finished 1-10, setting a school record for losses in a season. Though the team improved to 4-8 the following season, a 2-10 record in 2007 gave Robinson the only two double-digit losing seasons in history. He was fired with two games left to play in his fourth year at the helm, which he finished with a record of 3-9.

*Though Syracuse won 10 games in his four seasons at Syracuse, the NCAA stripped the team’s five victories in 2005-06, giving Robinson an official record of 5-37.

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