Torbush Deserved More Time to Rebuild Program

Some people are upset because a great man was fired as North Carolina's football coach Monday.

Indeed, the fate Carl Torbush met was sad. No coach was more genuine or fair than he was in his three years at the helm.

From a personal standpoint, he deserved better.

But that's not what this column is about. Life isn't fair, and college football is a business. Everyone, including Torbush, knows that.

If you don't win, some little guy in a suit asks you to leave.

But UNC's little guy, Director of Athletics Dick Baddour, shouldn't have been so quick on the trigger. He said he's trying to get the program headed in a new direction, but that's not what the Tar Heels need.

Fact is, there has been too much new around the Kenan Football Center lately.

First, it was Mack Brown leaving after the 1997 season. Torbush replaced him and brought in new coaches after UNC's assistants fled with Brown to Texas. After two years, Torbush brought in Mike O'Cain to help generate more points.

With Monday's developments, O'Cain and the rest of the staff are as good as gone. That means rising senior Kory Bailey will play for his fourth wide receivers coach in as many years next season.

"On the field, it's just having to learn different terminology, different sets, play calls and things like that," Bailey said. "It's hard to start fresh because you have to put in basic stuff and you can't work on what you had last year and then build on that. You have to start from scratch."

In other words, starting over again is not exactly the recipe for continuity and success.

And one can only imagine what is running through Ronald Curry's head. How many offenses can this guy learn, anyway? He has never been given a chance to get comfortable, and that's not fair to him.

The message emanating from all of this instability is simple: If you're a top quarterback prospect, beware. Do not, we repeat, do not come to Chapel Hill. You'll never have a chance to excel because by the time you learn your offensive coordinator's name, he'll be gone.

Some message that is.

But it didn't have to be that way this time. Baddour panicked, plain and simple.

And his move might end up costing the school and the football program for years to come.

It will almost certainly have a negative effect this year. The Tar Heels, who had a reasonable chance of going to a bowl game, have virtually no chance without a coach.

And when UNC does get a new coach, who will this guy be? Is he going to be that much better than Torbush? Will he be worthy of tearing up the whole program over?

Probably not.

Already, we know who this guy won't be. He won't be Georgia's Jim Donnan, an N.C. State graduate who coached running backs at North Carolina from 1974-77.

He also won't be Northwestern's Randy Walker, who was an assistant at UNC from 1978-87.

Both of those coaches have already pulled their names from consideration. They don't even want to talk to UNC.

Contrary to what Baddour believes, UNC can't just go out there and pick whomever it wants.

Sure, the facilities are nice, but the support from the community is low. There is a tradition of good teams, but greatness has found its way to Chapel Hill only a few times in about 110 seasons. And then there's that other sport that steals the show come winter time.

The job is attractive, but those factors make it less so. Plus a bunch of other schools need coaches, too. Among them are Alabama, Arizona State, Brigham Young, Missouri and West Virginia. That's called competition.

Then there's the whole financial angle. If Torbush went 6-5 every year, he'd still be a bargain at $152,000 per year. The University is going to have to pay its next coach and his staff much more.

And for what?

UNC is already loaded - about as loaded as a nonfootball school can be - for next season. Curry and all of his wideouts and running backs return. The defense brings back everyone except Sedrick Hodge and Brandon Spoon.

The Tar Heels will lose some offensive linemen, but the replacements will be better than their predecessors. Torbush redshirted a group of five offensive linemen last year, gave them some experience this year and couldn't wait to see it pay dividends in the future.

He never will, but the new coach might. That's why no one should be fooled into thinking that the new guy with the headset is responsible for all the wins UNC will get next year.

That credit should go to Torbush, who was in the midst of rebuilding the program.

Rebuilding? Why was that necessary? Didn't the Tar Heels go 21-3 in the two years before Torbush took over?

Yes, they did. But Mack Brown is smart, much smarter than people give him credit for. He knew when it was time to leave.

The year after 13 seniors start on offense and defense can be classified as that time.

Torbush took his place and performed well. The Tar Heels weren't nearly as talented as everyone thought in 1998, and quarterback Oscar Davenport was hurt much of the year. But UNC still came back from an 0-3 start to finish 7-5, a good record considering the circumstances.

Then there was last year, which shouldn't even count. No one could have won games with that team, not after Curry and Spoon were knocked out for the season.

That leaves this season. With the exception of the annual nightmare against Florida State, the Tar Heels had a chance to win every game they played. Of course, they didn't get the job done. UNC started off 3-1 but lost four straight games in the middle of the season to land Torbush in trouble again.

But the Tar Heels did rally for three wins to close out the year. So what if they came against Pittsburgh, Maryland and Duke? The team was playing much better, especially defensively, and the outlook was bright for next season.

But Baddour ignored that progress. He opted for the wrecking ball at a time when it wasn't needed.

At a time when Curry, one of the most exciting players in school history, was finally beginning to get comfortable with an offensive system.

At a time when a bowl invitation was on the line.

At a time when a suitable replacement could be very difficult to lure.

At the worst time.

T. Nolan Hayes can be reached

at nono@email.unc.edu.