Friday, January 9, 1998

Switzer resigns as Cowboys coach, sources say

By Josie Karp and Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Cowboys coach Barry Switzer has resigned, several sources said last night, after a tumultuous four seasons in which he won the Super Bowl but never the confidence of the team's quarterback or its fans.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could not be reached for comment, but, the sources said he has accepted the resignation of Switzer, who finishes with a 45-26 record as Cowboys coach. Switzer also could not be reached for comment.

It is unclear whether Switzer will maintain a role in the Cowboys organization, as a consultant or front-office official.

Several signs pointed to the removal of Switzer as head coach, dating to last month. After the Cowboys' final game, a loss to the New York Giants at Texas Stadium in which the team appeared to offer only halfhearted effort, Switzer said he was not even sure if he wanted to coach the team anymore. The Cowboys finished the season with five consecutive losses.

This week another sign was offered when Switzer did not appear at Tuesday's news conference to announce the signing of offensive lineman Larry Allen. At similar news conferences throughout his tenure, Switzer was present.

Speculation about Switzer's future has been rampant almost since his hiring, just three months after another coach, Jimmy Johnson, led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl victories.

The speculation quieted after Switzer coached the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory in Tempe, Ariz., in January 1996, the Cowboys' third Super Bowl title in four years.

But it continued to rise last summer, when Switzer was arrested for carrying a loaded gun through Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Jones fined Switzer $75,000 after the incident, and afterward never publicly endorsed Switzer as the Cowboys' coach beyond the 1997 season.

Still, several Cowboys assistant coaches expressed shock upon hearing of Switzer's decisions.

"I really don't have a comment on it because I haven't heard that," Cowboys offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese said. "I would think we would have heard something. We were in the office all day."

Said Cowboys tight ends coach Robert Ford: "I didn't know (he resigned)," Ford said. "We all figured something was going to happen. I just didn't know what or when it was going to happen. We just have going about our jobs this week."

Defensive tackles coach Craig Boller said he expected something to happen later in the month or next month based on the timetable that Jones had been giving since the Cowboys' season ended.

"I thought if it was going to happen, it would go by Jerry's timetable," Boller said. "I don't know if he did it. Not now."

It is unclear if any members of the current coaching staff will remain once a new coach is hired, although Jones said he recently extended the contracts of more than one assistant coach, ensuring them of a job next season. Jones declined to specify which coaches received contract extensions.

Ford said he can't worry about that because "time will tell which way everything thing will go."

For the third time since buying the team in 1989, Jones must hire a new head coach. Coaches outside the Cowboys organization recently rumored as candidates to fill the vacancy include former San Francisco 49ers coach George Seifert, former UCLA coach Terry Donahue, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Jon Gruden.

Current Cowboys assistant coaches Dave Campo (defensive coordinator) and Joe Avezzano (special teams) are also potential candidates. However, with Switzer's resignation, their jobs could be in peril.

Switzer's tenure as Cowboys coach will likely be remembered for dubious distinctions. Over the past two seasons he led the Cowboys to a 17-17 record. Last season the Cowboys finished 6-10, their worst record since going 1-15 in 1989, and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

He will also be remembered as having a tumultuous relationship with quarterback Troy Aikman. At the conclusion of the 1997 season, Aikman, who maintained a frosty relationship with Switzer throughout the coach's four seasons, said a lack of discipline contributed to the Cowboys' poor performances.

Switzer publicly disputed the assertion.

Switzer's resignation does not come as a shock, especially considering what Jones said earlier this week.

"We certainly have ... things that I'm currently really evaluating, obviously one of them is the coaching," Jones said.

Jones has said he would be sensitive about making any change involving Switzer because of the long relationship the two share. They have known each other for more than 30 years.

(c) 1998, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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