Tide fans divided on Shula firing

TUSCALOOSA | The 12 national championship flags still waved atop Bryant-Denny Stadium on Monday.

The statues of the four coaches who won those titles while at the University of Alabama still stood outside.

And the trophies that accompanied them remained safe behind glass inside the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.

But those who take some of the greatest pride in these accomplishments -- yet have participated in earning them only by screaming, cheering and praying -- are split on whether the decision late Sunday night to fire coach Mike Shula was the best way to earn more.

Still, few of them expected to wake Monday to the news that Shula had been fired.

“I was really surprised," said University of Alabama student Patrick Fowler. “I thought they would give him another year."

But Fowler, 18, said he was glad the school didn’t give Shula one more chance. He said Shula was incapable of winning championships on any level.

“I think they made the right decision to get rid of him," Fowler said.

Fellow freshman Daniel Fortune, 18, was more blunt.

“Anybody but Shula works for me," he said. The three students with whom he was dining outside the Ferguson Center at UA agreed.

But many of those old enough to recall watching the Crimson Tide win its last NCAA football championship on Jan. 1, 1993, disagreed.

At Don’s Barber Shop, located at the intersection of 15th Street and Fourth Avenue, Monday morning customers leaned toward keeping Shula for at least one more year.

Barbers Joe Biggs, 63, and Kenny Whitley, 37, said they had heard both opinions expressed, but most of the shop’s customers hadn’t expected Shula to be kicked out so soon.

“I think most of them thought he’d at least get another year," Biggs said.

At Bama Fever in University Mall, where shoppers continued to snatch up Christmas gifts, most thought Shula deserved one more shot.

“It’s a mixed bag," said clerk Tom Park. “But I think most of our customers this morning aren’t very happy.

“They’re feeling like they should’ve given him another year."

Others wondered about those who made the decision that Shula had to go.

“I just think they need to get rid of Mal Moore altogether," said 19-year-old Joseph Walter of Memphis, a UA student and lifelong fan of the Crimson Tide.

Walter noted the records and short-lived tenures of the three previous head coaches -- Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione and Mike Price -- two of them hired by Moore, the athletic director.

“He’s had four chances," Walter said of Moore, who was part of seven national championships as a UA player and coach. He was named director of athletics in 1999.

Still, fans’ opinions on these (like most other) decisions now are moot. All they can do is hope university officials make a good hire.

Some fans said they’re hoping for coaching legend Steve Spurrier. Others want Rich Rodriguez, who just led West Virginia University to a 9-2 record. And another favorite on the wish list is Nick Saban, the head coach of the Miami Dolphins who coached Louisiana State University to a national championship in the 2004 Sugar Bowl.

But mainly, they’re just hoping for a winner.

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.