MORGANTOWN —Dana Holgorsen’s departure for Houston isn’t just unusual in that he is reversing the traditional coaching trajectory by leaving a program from a Power Five conference for one in the Group of Five. It’s also notable by West Virginia standards for its lack of acrimony.
Since Don Nehlen’s retirement in 2000, the Mountaineers have been unable to conduct a coaching search that can be considered traditional by any measure. Finally, that is no longer the case.
When replacing Nehlen, WVU had to find someone capable of filling the shoes of the most legendary figure in program history. For a time, it did in the form of Rich Rodriguez, who eventually had the Mountaineers a win away from a national championship appearance. But that’s when things started to get weird.
Rodriguez’s exit to Michigan was as ugly as they come.
Coming just two weeks after West Virginia’s infamous 13-9 loss to Pitt in 2007, it was seen as a direct kick in the gut by fans, many of whom spit out Rodriguez’s name to this day if they even utter it at all. It was seen as something worse by the administration, which took Rodriguez to court for breach of contract. The sides settled out of court with Michigan and Rodriguez ultimately paying WVU $4 million.
While in the emotional midst of the RichRod fight, WVU hired his interim replacement, Bill Stewart, on a permanent basis following a Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma.
Stewart’s tenure also ended in spectacle. Forced to bring in Holgorsen as a head coach-in-waiting in 2011, Stewart sought to discredit his new offensive coordinator by feeding unflattering information to local reporters. The plan backfired, and Stewart was forced to resign a year ahead of schedule.
This time, there is no evidence of hard feelings.
West Virginia media relations forwarded Houston’s press release announcing Holgorsen’s hire, which is atypical in a coaching change. Athletic director Shane Lyons even took the time to credit Holgorsen.
“I want to thank Coach Holgorsen for his eight years at West Virginia. We wish him and his family all the best at the University of Houston,” Lyons said in a school release. “Our national search for his replacement has already begun, and I know it will be a successful one.”
The last time West Virginia found itself in a truly comparable position was after the 1975 season. On Jan. 12, 1976, Bobby Bowden was hired by Florida State just two weeks after leading West Virginia to a Peach Bowl win over NC State.
At the time, Florida State was a step down from WVU, but the school offered Bowden more money and brought him closer to his native Alabama. He also had familiarity with the program having been a Florida State assistant before being hired by West Virginia. Though the Seminoles were in a talent-rich area, the football program had only produced two highly visible alums when Bowden took over: Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff and actor Burt Reynolds.
As Bowden was fond of saying, “The bumper stickers at West Virginia said ‘Beat Pitt.’ The ones at Florida State said ‘Beat Anybody.’ ”
He turned the job into a destination, finishing with the second-most wins in FBS history.
Holgorsen’s background is not unlike that of Bowden’s. After going 61-41 at WVU, he earned a raise to head to a talent-rich area at a school where he was once an assistant. Though it’s currently considered to be a lower tier than West Virginia, as Bowden once did, Holgorsen seems to envision turning it into something more.
WVU fans will have to trust that the current administration handles its rare peaceable coaching search better than its predecessors did back in ’76. Bowden’s replacement, Frank Cignetti, produced the worst multi-year record in Mountaineer history before getting fired after four losing seasons — paving the way for Nehlen and WVU’s unorthodox coaching searches in his successful wake.
