TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne announced Wednesday the school has fired baseball coach Greg Goff after one season.
“Things are not easy for these coaches; their families; this program; and this is not something we take lightly at all,” Byrne said. “I would like to thank coach Goff and his staff for their contributions over the past year, and I wish them well in future endeavors. Coach Goff has had a lot of success over the years as a baseball coach, and I know that he will have success in the future as well.
“We felt this was the best decision going forward for our baseball program, and that is why we made the decision. You look at these situations when it comes to coaches, and you decide, ‘What is the best long-term solution for the program?’ — not based off a season or anything like that – just based off the long-term health of the program.”
Alabama went 19-34-1 and 5-24-1 in the Southeastern Conference in Goff’s only season at the school. It was the fewest wins by the Crimson Tide since 1980. It was Alabama’s worst SEC record since 1994.
Goff signed a five-year deal worth $450,000 (base salary of $265,000) per year June 17 after being hired away from his job as head coach of Louisiana Tech last summer. The contract ran through the 2021 season.
The Tuscaloosa News reported Goff was terminated without cause. Alabama will be responsible for the remainder of his base salary unless he accepts another job in baseball. If he doesn’t accept another job in baseball, he will be owed $1.06 million in the next four years. He was due to make $1.8 million in total compensation if he coached the duration of the contract.
Pitching coach and associate head coach Terry Rooney was named interim head coach. He was head coach at Central Florida from 2009-16.
The Tuscaloosa News reported Tuesday that Goff violated NCAA rules by telling up to 10 players that their scholarships wouldn’t be renewed. Byrne says the players’ scholarships will be honored.
Byrne said in the news conference that all scholarships would be honored for 2018 if players wish to return. Since scholarships are renewed each year on July 1 and Goff’s intentions were not carried about, no NCAA violations occurred.
“There were no rules violations,” Byrne said. Goff attempted to reduce or revoke scholarships for up to 10 players in violation of NCAA rules during their exit interviews earlier this week.
In January 2015, NCAA schools voted to approve legislation requiring Power 5 conference schools, including Alabama and other SEC schools, to renew scholarships annually. Previously, most scholarships were subject to annual renewal. Schools outside the Power 5 such as Louisiana Tech, Goff’s previous stop, aren’t required to renew scholarships annually.
The Tuscaloosa News reported players who were still on campus were called to a 1 p.m. meeting to receive the news. Alabama athletic officials met with Goff on Wednesday and were in meetings throughout the morning to discuss the decision. Those officials also reached out to some players and their families to advise them to wait before making decisions on whether to transfer.
Byrne said a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
“As we move forward and look ahead, we are looking for the best possible baseball coach that we can get with college experience — that can be a head coach, that can be an assistant coach — but we want somebody that has been in college baseball and understands the dynamics of that,” said Byrne, who served as athletic director at Mississippi State before taking the same position at Arizona. “We have a lot of desirable resources here at The University of Alabama, including: the incredible stadium, our budget — we fund our baseball program at a very high level — and the Alabama brand that gives all of our teams the ability to recruit nationally for the best opportunity for success. People want to be at Alabama. This is a great and special place, and we are all fortunate to be a part of this athletics department.”
Alabama last won a SEC regular-season title in 2006. That was the last year the program played host to a NCAA tournament regional. Alabama last went to the College World Series in 1999.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.