Football: York fires coach 'cause it's easier than firing the program

The luck of the Irish wasn't with Mike McLean on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. York has let the football coach go after just two seasons, winless seasons albeit.

It says much about a school's standing in football that the coach was fired all that came up in a Google news search is the press release. People may say whatever they wish about a person who has left (and if you're going to, keep it tasteful). However, like with anyone who has coached that other Lions football team down the 401 in Detroit recently, McLean's record reflects more on the situation.

He was hired too late in the recruiting cycle to do much in 2008. The university was on strike in 2009. Now McLean gets fired in 2010, before some of his first bona fide recruiting class even writes its frosh-year exams.

This site would never take itself so seriously that it would single out one school and say you should just give up forever. One does wonder, though, what will happen once Carleton follows through with its football revival. York could withdraw without putting out the OUA, which would still have an even 10 teams. It already seems like the program has been bled drier than a kosher chicken (the handwriting was on the wall when Beau Mirau, McLean's assistant, was fired), so why not make it official and focus on the school's sporting strengths, such as soccer and basketball? (Well-aware of the irony both York men's teams in those sports are also going through coaching transitions.)

No one in good conscience would ever root for that, since that means fewer playing opportunities for Canadians. It also leaves a void for alumni, generally speaking. Regardless, in a results-based business, York is going on four-plus decades without delivering much. Did anyone notice school president Mamdouh Shoukri's statement, "The University strongly supports the York Lions football program as it enters this rebuilding phase," and say, oh, this rebuilding phase, not the 44 other rebuilding phases York has gone through since 1966.

Meantime, three of 10 OUA teams will have a new coach running the football team next season. Queen's and Windsor are the only teams in the province starting the decade with the same head football coach as in 2000, and Mike Morencie might not be long for the Lancers.
Next PostNewer Post Previous PostOlder Post Home

10 comments:

  1. You kidding me right?

    Mike Morencie has one of the longest tenure's in the CIS at 12 years. When will he get fired?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morencie won't get fired, but his contract won't be renewed after this season. This is the biggest lame duck coach/season going.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Queen's is the only team in the province starting the decade with the same coach it had in 2000."
    Therefore Queen's is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  4. York;
    1. Hires a man with no ties to Toronto and southern Ontario, with a list of questionable conduct items from CJFL and CIS, on a recommendation from an AD with a now NCAA Div 2 school.
    2. AD leaves her post almost immediately after hire, putting a new AD in place to work with the HC.
    3. Doesn't check academic qualifications thereby resulting in suspension of QB and coach.
    4. Loses 30 years of Yeomen alumni to Lions name change for marketing reasons.
    5. Fires the full-time assistant without consulting with the HC first.
    6, 7, 8.....ad nauseum.
    Tom Arnott rescued this program once. Then 3 successive coaches have gone in less than 8 years. Maybe call Tom up and see if he's got the juice to reload. Oh, and while I'm at it - hey York, maybe talk to Bob Bain (35 years HOF career coaching BBall with Yeomen/Lions) before he retires. Then find the football equivalent. Or fold and put this story to rest. Look at Carleton BBall for the roadmap. Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @7:36: Don't read it that way. There are many other reasons why Queen's is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. having played against York the past two seasons, i honestly believed that York was actually getting better.

    Sure they got demolished on a consistent basis, but at least there were signs (Offense actually sustained drives). I believe when the new coach comes in, the team will have this huge improvement... and oh my goodness this coach is awesome!!! when in fact it was mostly the work of the previous coach... much like UofT.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Damn right Queen's is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Olivier,

    On most days, that is true. I recall this one time ...

    ReplyDelete
  9. The York by the numbers commentator doesn't know what he's talking about. His list of mistakes shows he's an idle outsider talking through his helmet.

    ReplyDelete