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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5 SEP 1992: LSU HEAD COACH CURLEY HALLMAN WITH AN ENCOURAGING WORD FOR HIS TIGERS DURING THEIR 31-22 LOSS TO THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES AT TIGER STADIUM IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. Mandatory Credit: Joe Patronite/ALLSPORT
5 SEP 1992: LSU HEAD COACH CURLEY HALLMAN WITH AN ENCOURAGING WORD FOR HIS TIGERS DURING THEIR 31-22 LOSS TO THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES AT TIGER STADIUM IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. Mandatory Credit: Joe Patronite/ALLSPORT /

17. Curley Hallman, LSU

  • Hired: November 1990
  • Fired: November 1994
  • Record at LSU: 16-28 (.364)
  • Career head coaching record: 39-39 (.500)

Curley Hallman didn’t inherit a great situation at LSU when he was hired away from Southern Miss after the 1990 season, but he didn’t do much to improve the situation, either.

Hallman orchestrated upsets of Auburn and Alabama while in charge at USM, which helped his case to replace Mike Archer, whose solid first two seasons in Baton Rouge (including a 10-win season in 1987 in which the Tigers finished No. 5 in the final AP poll) were marred by two losing campaigns in his final two years on the job. Archer oversaw the first back-to-back losing seasons for the Tigers since 1922-23. Hallman extended that streak to six.

The Hallman era started with a thud when Georgia beat LSU 31-10 in the 1991 season opener. The pain lasted another week when the Tigers were beaten 45-7 at Texas A&M the following Saturday, and a 28-19 loss to Mississippi State in November sealed a sub-.500 record.

Things got worse in 1992. Texas A&M beat the Tigers 31-22 in the season opener, and though LSU upset No. 18 Mississippi State in Week 2, Hallman’s team lost seven games in a row and eight of its final nine to finish 3-9 – setting a school record for losses in a season that still stands. Two years and 13 losses later, Hallman was fired.

LSU eventually overcame its struggles. Gerry DiNardo got the Tigers back on the right side of .500 before Nick Saban eventually replaced him.

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