For the third time in seven weeks, the head coach of a Div. 1-A football program has seen his tenure come to an abrupt end.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson announced that Bob Toledo has “resigned” as the Green Wave’s head coach. Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Mark Hutson will serve as the interim coach, and a nationwide search for a permanent replacement will begin immediately.
“We are very appreciative of the job Bob and his staff did both on and off the field during their four and half seasons,” Dickson said in a statement. “A transition like this is always difficult and we are very grateful that Bob and his assistants will ensure that the program can continue to move forward without interruption for the next six games. ...
“As we outlined last spring, the university has committed additional resources to athletics with the express purpose of enhancing our football program. Among those increases are overall budgets, academic support and salary pools. We are also making substantial progress in planning and fundraising for a new stadium to house the Green Wave. We will continue to work with the next head coach in every area to become successful.”
Toledo was in the midst of his fifth season at the school after being hired in December of 2006. The Green Wave had won just two of their first seven games, continuing a trend of -- being kind here -- mediocre play that marked Toledo’s tenure and led to his undoing. In four-plus years, Toledo compiled an overall record of 15-40. The Green Wave did not win more than four games in a single season during Toledo’s time as coach.
Toledo was also the head coach at UCLA from 1996-2002 before being fired, and then took a three-year sabbatical from coaching before becoming the offensive coordinator at New Mexico in 2006.
Toledo joins Mike Locksley (New Mexico) and Mike Stoops (Arizona) as coaches who’ve found themselves on the unemployment line since the start of the 2011 season.