It came as no surprise late Saturday afternoon that the Akron Zips ended the Rob Ianello era as head football coach after two years and a 2-22 record, including 1-15 in Mid-American Conference play. Â The only problem was they did it while he was on his way to his mother’s funeral. Â Read more after the jump.
Ianello’s assistants were also dismissed. The first thing Akron Athletic Director Tom Wistrcill said Saturday evening before the Zips’ men’s basketball game against Detroit, and repeated several times, was how much “a great experience for your student-athletes” was part of the decision. Yet wins and losses were also key.
“Ultimately, we need to win more games,” Wistrcill said. “Certainly, we didn’t feel like the program was headed in the direction we wanted it to, at the end of this year. Certainly, winning was a factor.”
Prior to hiring Ianello, 46, Wistrcill made it clear he felt the Zips were a contending football program. “The cupboard is not bare,” he said after dismissing J.D. Brookhart. Akron had advanced to the MAC Championship game in 2005, and won, under Brookhart. But four sub-par losing seasons followed, leading to Brookhart’s ouster and the arrival of Ianello.
During his media Q&A, Wistrcill said the decision was his, and was accepted by school president Luis Proenza. There were player defections before and throughout Ianello’s regime. While Wistrcill never said that was part of the equation, more than once he talked about the “players’ experience.”
“I can say I feel like I’m fairly close with a lot of our players,” Wistrcill said. “So we have a lot of conversations. But I can tell you they were not driving this decision. They’re a good group of student-athletes who want to be successful, and pour their heart and soul into our football program.”
Rumors of Ianello’s demise began to surface after a 35-3 loss at Miami, which was followed by a 35-3 loss to rival Kent State. The season ended with a 51-10 loss at Buffalo and a 68-19 rout at Western Michigan.
Ianello’s mother, Rita, died Tuesday. He was en route to New York for his mother’s services and not available for comment.
Wistrcill said there will be a national search. But it could be handicapped by having to pay the final three years of Ianello’s $300,000 annual salary, although the AD said there are final negotiations going on.
Speculation about a successor already centers on former Akron offensive coordinator Paul Winters. He is currently head coach at Division II Wayne State (Mich.) which is in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Tarters (10-3) advanced to the regional finals on Saturday with a 38-26 victory over No. 2-seed Nebraska-Kearney.
While Wistrcill said the search begins immediately, he declined comment on the involvement of a search firm, or who would be on a search committee.
