John O'Connor

Disgraced College Coaches

Former head coach at Holy Family University

O’Connor resigned from his job due to an online video showing him rough up a player during practice. In the video, O’Connor shoved and kicked player Matt Krachuk during practice. He resigned several weeks later.

(Image: screen grab from Good Morning America)

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Coaches Who Got ... Punching the opposing team, using drugs as a recruitment tool, and changing players' grades are only some of the scandals that have disgraced these college coaches.
Jim Tressel Head football coach at Ohio State University

Tressel was suspended by Ohio State for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined $250,000 for failing to notify the school of NCAA violations involving his players that he knew about prior to the 2010 season. The players were suspended for trading championship rings, jerseys and awards for tattoos.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Woody Hayes Former head football coach at Ohio State University

Hayes was fired from Ohio State University after losing his temper at the 1978 Gator Bowl. He punched Clemson’s Charlie Bauman in the throat, abused the referee, and hit his own player, Ken Fritz, when he tried to intervene.

(AP Photo)
Mike Leach Former head football coach at Texas Tech

In December 2009, Leach was fired for mistreating Adam James. Earlier in the month, James suffered a concussion and was told not to practice the next day. Leach supposedly ordered him to stand in a darkened garage and refused to apologize, which caused Texas Tech to fire him.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Pete Carroll Former head coach at USC

Carroll was the head coach at USC during the Reggie Bush scandal and was one of the USC officials who appeared in front of the NCAA Committee about the infractions. Bush, a Heisman Trophy winner, was found to have accepted improper benefits. As a result, the NCAA placed major sanctions on the school including a two-year bowl ban, elimination of 30 football scholarships, and forfeiture of the last two wins of the 2004 season as well as all of its wins in the 2005 season. Carroll had already accepted a job as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, safe from college jurisdictions.

(AP Photo/J.Pat Carter)
Jim Leavitt Former head football coach at the University of South Florida

In January 2010, Leavitt was fired after an investigation by USF officials discovered that he hit a player. The incident occurred during a game against Louisville when he hit Joel Miller in the locker room at halftime. Leavitt then lied about the allegations and interfered with the investigation by telling several players and coaches to change their story.

(AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
Gary Barnett Former head football coach at Colorado

Barnett was forced to resign from Colorado in 2005 after a recruiting scandal that included the use of drugs, alcohol and sex to entice recruits was uncovered. He was also temporarily suspended in '04 for making derogatory comments about kicker Katie Hnida, who said she was raped by a teammate.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Rick Neuheisel Former head football coach at Colorado and Washington

A two-time offender. Washington fired Neuheisel in 2003 for gambling; taking part in a neighborhood March Madness pool. He also has been linked to several recruiting and other NCAA violations during his time at Washington and Colorado.

(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Lane Kiffin Former head football coach at Tennessee

The NCAA investigated the recruiting procedures at Tennessee while Kiffin was head coach and found that they broke several NCAA rules, including claims that hostesses traveled to visit recruits. Also, Kiffin supposedly hung out with college girls at a bar and was allegedly involved in a car accident with a rental car while intoxicated.

(AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Bruce Pearl Head basketball coach at Tennessee

Pearl got in trouble with the NCAA for his recruitment methods. In 2010, he hosted recruits at his home and lied during an NCAA investigation into the matter. He was suspended for eight games and his entire staff had a $1.5 million salary reduction over five years and delayed retention bonuses. Pearl was also involved in a recruiting scandal in the late '80s while working as an assistant at Iowa.

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Jim Calhoun Head basketball coach at Connecticut

Calhoun was suspended by the NCAA for three games in the 2011-12 season for recruiting violations. This came after an investigation was prompted due to a report saying player Nate Miles was given lodging, transportation, meals, and representation by sports agent Josh Nochimson. UConn knew about the relationship.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Billy Hahn Former head basketball coach at La Salle

Hahn was forced to resign from La Salle in 2004 when a women’s basketball player claimed he discouraged her from reporting a rape the previous year involving one of Hahn’s players. Hahn claimed the woman did not want to report the rape. But according to school policy, Hahn was supposed to report the incident to a counselor regardless.

(AP Photo/Chris Gardner)
Dave Bliss Former head basketball coach at Baylor

Bliss was forced to resign from Baylor in 2003 when major violations of NCAA rules were uncovered. Bliss paid for players Patrick Dennehy and Corey Herring’s tuition costs. He then told players to make up a story about the posthumous Dennehy being a drug dealer and had his assistant coaches file false expense reports. Bliss received a 10-year show-cause order, which means no NCAA member school can hire him in the next 10 years without seeking permission from the NCAA.

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Tim Floyd Former head basketball coach at USC

Floyd was accused of paying cash to Rodney Guillory, one of the handlers for O.J. Mayo, to influence the high school star to come to USC. An NCAA investigation was launched, Mayo was ruled ineligible for the 07-08 season and Floyd resigned later that season.

(AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Kelvin Sampson Former head basketball coach at Oklahoma and Indiana

Sampson was involved in controversial recruitment methods. While at Oklahoma, 550 illegal calls were made by Sampson and his staff to recruit players. The NCAA barred him from recruiting off-campus for one year. At Indiana, Sampson was caught making impermissible phone calls again and was forced to resign in 2008. The NCAA imposed a five-year show-cause order on Sampson.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Eddie Sutton Former head basketball coach at Kentucky and Oklahoma State

Sutton was forced to resign from Kentucky when it was found that his coaching staff was paying recruits. Cash was found in an envelope to player Chris Mill’s father. While coaching at Oklahoma State, Sutton was in a car accident and confessed to have taken prescription painkillers and drinking alcohol. Not long after, he resigned.

(AP Photo)
John Calipari Former head basketball coach at UMass and Kentucky

The NCAA discovered that while Calipari was coaching at UMass, star center Marcus Cambry accepted money and gifts from an agent. UMass had its Final Four appearance stripped. While at Memphis, Coach Cal's program was also under NCAA investigation. The results showed that star point guard Derrick Rose was ineligible because he had an unknown individual take his SAT examination. His brother, Reggie, had also been allowed to travel to road games for free.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Jim Harrick Former head basketball coach at UCLA and Georgia

Harrick was fired from UCLA for lying to university investigators about filing false expense reports for a student-athlete recruiting dinner. Harrick also resigned from Georgia after a scandal involving his son, who was an assistant coach. Jim Harrick Jr. paid $300 to one of his players and gave an “A” to players for a class they never attended. It cost father and son their jobs.

(AP Photo/Fred Jewell)
Jerry Tarkanian Former head basketball coach at Long Beach State and UNLV

Tarkanian spent most of his career battling the NCAA. After he left Long Beach State, the program was caught for recruiting violations under Tarkanian’s watch. During his time at UNLV, he avoided NCAA scrutiny till he signed Lloyd Daniels. A month before Daniels came on campus, he was caught buying drugs. Then, Richard Perry, a prominent gambler, emerged as being the man who led Daniels to UNLV. Close association with any gambler was prohibited by NCAA rules. UNLV was punished and Tarkanian told his players to stay away from Perry. Tarkanian was forced to resign after it was brought to light that his players were still in association with Perry.

(AP Photo/Thor Swift)
Quin Snyder Former head basketball coach at Missouri

The University of Missouri’s basketball program was marred by scandal during Snyder's tenure. There were allegations of Ricky Clemons, star point guard on the team, receiving payments from coaches and it was also revealed that Snyder gave Clemons apparel. The program was placed on NCAA probation for three years and prohibited from off-campus recruiting for one year after an NCAA investigation.

(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
John O'Connor Former head coach at Holy Family University

O’Connor resigned from his job due to an online video showing him rough up a player during practice. In the video, O’Connor shoved and kicked player Matt Krachuk during practice. He resigned several weeks later.

(Image: screen grab from Good Morning America)
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