Florida International University has made the call to dismiss football coach Mike MacIntyre after a three-season tenure that failed to produce a winning record. Under MacIntyre's leadership, each season ended with a 4-8 record, marking a consistent pattern of underwhelming performances. CBS News Miami reported that this decision came yesterday, despite the coach inheriting a struggling program with a 0-5 record in the interrupted 2020 season due to COVID-19.
The Panthers' on-field record over the three seasons included a 6-18 standing in Conference USA games, showing little in the way of advancement in the fiercely competitive collegiate football landscape. Despite the team's struggles, defensive coordinator Jovan Dewitt has been named interim coach as the university embarks on the search for MacIntyre's replacement, according to The Associated Press.
In a statement obtained by CBS News Miami, FIU athletic director Scott Carr acknowledged the improvements made by MacIntyre in areas outside the field, such as academic performance and operational budgeting. However, Carr stated, "This was a decision based solely off on-field results, and at this time I felt our program needed to go in a different direction," Carr said. "Coach Mac inherited a challenging situation three years ago, but he improved numerous areas within the program — from posting our highest-ever GPA to bettering the operations and budgets — and the culture shift has been evident."
"While we have been more competitive on the field each of the last three seasons, unfortunately our win-loss record is not indicative of those statistical improvements," Carr lamented in the statement to CBS News Miami. MacIntyre, a former AP national coach of the year, had led impressive turnarounds at San Jose State and Colorado but couldn’t replicate such success at FIU.
The challenge of revitalizing the Panthers' football program continues as FIU has sustained a losing record in 17 out of its 21 seasons. The search for a new head coach is crucial for a school looking to return to the success it had under former coaches Mario Cristobal and Butch Davis.
