Longhorns Shed Staff After Losing Season
AUSTIN (AP) - Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis has resigned and two other assistant coaches are retiring after the Longhorns' first losing season since 1997.
Davis, who has been with coach Mack Brown for 13 seasons at Texas, had been under fire all season as Texas finished 5-7 and didn't qualify for a bowl. It was Brown's first losing season since 1989. The Longhorns finished last in the Big 12 South and went 2-5 at home, losing four in a row at one point.
Offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive line coach and special teams coordinator Mike Tolleson are retiring.
"These are three special people who have given a lot of themselves and their families to the University of Texas and its football program," Brown said in a statement.
"They are not only great coaches, but men who handled themselves with tremendous integrity, class and dignity on and off the field during their time here. I want to say thank you and wish them well because they will be missed," Brown said.
Texas spokesman John Bianco said Monday that Brown was not likely to announce replacements until after the bowl season.
Brown and Davis have been a coaching team dating back to the 1980s at Tulane and at North Carolina in the '90s before Brown brought Davis with him to Texas before the 1998 season.
"I've had a great 13 years here and enjoyed every minute of it," Davis said.
Under Davis, the Longhorns had some of the most prolific offenses in program history with a Heisman Trophy winner (Ricky Williams in 1998), two more Heisman finalists (quarterbacks Vince Young and Colt McCoy), two Big 12 championships and the 2005 BCS national championship. Texas also played for the 2009 national championship and won 10 games every year from 2001-2009.
But the Longhorns dropped off dramatically in 2010 and Brown's desire to revamp Texas' spread passing offense to include a power running game never materialized on the field. Texas ranked No. 59 in total offense and just 87th in scoring at 24 points per game.
Davis also tutored Longhorns quarterbacks, and first-year starter Garrett Gilbert struggled to replace McCoy, whose 45 career victories are the most for a starting quarterback in major college history.
Gilbert, a national player of the year at nearby Lake Travis High School when Davis recruited him, threw only nine touchdowns and his 17 interceptions were two shy of the school record.
McWhorter, who had been at Texas for nine seasons, also held the title of associate head coach. The offensive line struggled badly last season and was hampered by several injuries.
Tolleson has been with Brown and Texas for 13 seasons, but the defensive line and special teams were trouble spots for the Longhorns this season. The defensive line struggled badly against the run in losses to Kansas State, UCLA, Iowa State and Texas A&M and the kicking teams failed to produce the big returns and blocked kicks of seasons past.
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