DiNardo firing causes joy, disbelief with students

IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced Wednesday Gerry DiNardo had been relieved of his duties as IU football coach. An attendance level reaching an average crowd of 28,4000 per game in a stadium that seats 52,000 marred a tenure spanning eight wins in three seasons. DiNardo was unable to duplicate the successes he had with programs at Louisiana State and Vanderbilt universities, as the Hoosiers ended the 2004 season with a 63-24 loss to rival Purdue, unofficially ending DiNardo's stay in Bloomington. \nWhen word of the football coach's firing hit campus, IU students voiced mixed reactions. Some students blamed the program's recruitment and DiNardo's coaching staff, while others saw his early release as a mistake by the athletics department.\n"I'm glad it happened," said sophomore Alan Saters. "After three years with a losing record, IU needs a new coach that has experience with a winning record." \nJunior Verdell Gray faults the recruiting techniques of DiNardo's staff for the inability to attract top talent to Bloomington.\n"IU needs to do a better job recruiting up north around the Chicago area," Gray said. "Once they recruit effectively and get the right personnel, we will be able to win some games." \nFreshman Michael Hughes, on the other hand, said he believed DiNardo's firing came down to the close games he lost this year. \n"They had four downs to get one yard against Penn State," Hughes said. "If you can't convert one yard in the final seconds of a game, you don't deserve to coach in the Big Ten conference." \nAfter a strong 2-0 start by the Hoosiers, DiNardo's squad dropped eight of its last nine games, including three losses by less than seven points. \nDiNardo leaves Bloomington with an overall .266 winning percentage at IU, yet there are students who said they believe the coach did not receive a fair shot with two years left on his contract. \n"DiNardo wasn't able to go through an entire recruiting class," said freshman Derek Springston. "He wasn't given a great program to begin with, and we still beat teams like Oregon and Minnesota." \nSenior Gianfranco Wright agreed that DiNardo's dismissal was unmerited. \n"I was shocked," Wright said. "The team seemed to be moving in the right direction with a great recruiting class. Three years is not a fair shot." \nAlthough DiNardo is no longer the football coach at IU, the University will have to pay him the remaining two years of his contract. According to The Associated Press, the IU athletics department already faces a $5 million debt, and DiNardo is contractually guaranteed $530,000 a year. Some IU students accuse the newly appointed Greenspan of increasing IU's debt by firing DiNardo. \n"It's frustrating that the athletics department fires coaches that are still under contract," said senior Corey Meridew. "They either need to sign better coaches or shorter contracts." \nIU will start next season with its third coach in five seasons, and the process for selecting a new head coach will be an important one for Greenspan. IU will be searching for a coach that will put wins on the board, fans in the seats and money back into the University. \n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Shaffer at asshaffe@indiana.edu.