AZCB34
September 28th, 2003, 03:35 PM
Sunday, September 28, 2003
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona fired coach John Mackovic on Sunday, five games into the third season of his tumultuous tenure in Tucson.
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankowitz will take over as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Mackovic, who turns 60 on Wednesday, survived a player mutiny last season after tearfully promising to do a better job of communicating. But this year's team lost to LSU, Oregon and Purdue by a combined score of 166-30.
The Wildcats (1-4) played their best game of the season in a 13-10 overtime home loss to TCU (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 Associated Press) on Saturday night, but pressure from boosters and unrest among the players led athletic director Jim Livengood to let the coach go. Livengood had insisted that Mackovic's status would not be evaluated until the end of the season but changed his mind. The athletic director met with Arizona's players for about an hour on Sunday morning, then spoke with Mackovic.
"I felt that at this particular point in time it warranted making a decision right now," Livengood said. "That's going away from what I've normally done."
Mackovic was 10-18 at Arizona. The Wildcats currently have lost 11 consecutive Pac-10 home games.
Mackovic signed a five-year, $4 million contract in December 2000, and the buyout of his deal will cost $909,000. He had been out of coaching since 1998, serving as an ESPN commentator.
He coached at Texas, Illinois and Wake Forest, and has a 95-82-3 collegiate record. He also coached the Kansas City Chiefs from 1983-86.
Mackovic hired Hankowitz just before the start of spring practice this year. Hankowitz had been defensive coordinator at Texas A&M for the previous six seasons and is a 33-year veteran of coaching.
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona fired coach John Mackovic on Sunday, five games into the third season of his tumultuous tenure in Tucson.
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankowitz will take over as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Mackovic, who turns 60 on Wednesday, survived a player mutiny last season after tearfully promising to do a better job of communicating. But this year's team lost to LSU, Oregon and Purdue by a combined score of 166-30.
The Wildcats (1-4) played their best game of the season in a 13-10 overtime home loss to TCU (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 Associated Press) on Saturday night, but pressure from boosters and unrest among the players led athletic director Jim Livengood to let the coach go. Livengood had insisted that Mackovic's status would not be evaluated until the end of the season but changed his mind. The athletic director met with Arizona's players for about an hour on Sunday morning, then spoke with Mackovic.
"I felt that at this particular point in time it warranted making a decision right now," Livengood said. "That's going away from what I've normally done."
Mackovic was 10-18 at Arizona. The Wildcats currently have lost 11 consecutive Pac-10 home games.
Mackovic signed a five-year, $4 million contract in December 2000, and the buyout of his deal will cost $909,000. He had been out of coaching since 1998, serving as an ESPN commentator.
He coached at Texas, Illinois and Wake Forest, and has a 95-82-3 collegiate record. He also coached the Kansas City Chiefs from 1983-86.
Mackovic hired Hankowitz just before the start of spring practice this year. Hankowitz had been defensive coordinator at Texas A&M for the previous six seasons and is a 33-year veteran of coaching.