An Ode To Charlie

Charlie Strong is finished in Austin after three seasons. “The first black coach in the history of the proud program was "let go" on Saturday with a 16-21 record in three seasons. Strong had two years left on a guaranteed contract that pays more than $5 million per year, but was the first coach in Texas history with three consecutive losing seasons.”

Strong is a good man, but in the end he couldn’t produce on the field. "In the end, the results over three seasons were not there," university president Greg Fenves said in a statement. "It was not clear the future was going to be at the levels expected of Longhorn football."

Strong statement: “It’s a very difficult day for me, my family and all of the people affected by this decision,” Strong said. “I’m most disappointed for these kids and our staff who have poured so much of their lives into this program for the last three years. I do understand that it comes down to wins and losses, and we have not done our job in that area yet. I accept full responsibility for that, but know in my heart that we accomplished our primary goal, which is the development of young men.”

What happens next for Strong says a lot about black coaches in college football.

What could have happened on Friday to cause this? Tom Herman backed out of a verbal agreement with LSU late Friday night.

Good to know our powers-that-be didn’t screw this hire up. “It’s been a hellish week in Austin for many. But the coaching search wasn’t like that, which contrasts sharply when compared with the school’s last process like this.”

A nice tribute. Trey Holtz tweeted his thoughts about Strong.

These are the most memorable games from the Strong era for me:

2016 Texas-ND

2015 Texas-OU

Good luck, Charlie. You will be missed.