Miami coach Al Golden has been with the program since 2011 and some fans think it’s been long enough.
Last week, a “GoFundMe” campaign surfaced asking Miami fans fed up with Golden to donate money to pay for a "Fire Al Golden" banner set to fly over Sun Life Stadium during the Nov. 15 game against Florida State.
"The goal of flying the banner versus FSU is to get more exposure," Danny Vazquez, the man behind the campaign, told the Miami New Times. "We feel like board members will take note. We have had good recruiting classes since Golden has been here. The talent is there."
At the time of this posting, the campaign had raised $545 of its $1,000 goal.
This page was made after much demand from many University of Miami football fans, season ticket holders and alumni.
The money raised here will be used towards funding a #FireAlGolden advertisement in Miami. UM fans have had enough and 10 years of mediocrity is too much. Our voice is not being heard and we must take action. UM has too much history and tradition to continue down this path. Al Golden tried to bail on UM and leave to Penn State, we have not forgotten. It is one thing to lose, but another thing to get out coached and not be prepared week in and week out.
During his four seasons, Golden has posted a 23-16 record that includes a 13-12 mark in ACC play. In 2012, the Hurricanes finished first in the Coastal Division, but were ineligible for postseason play thanks to a self-imposed ban stemming from potential NCAA violations that occurred prior to Golden’s tenure.
In 2013, the Hurricanes started the season 7-0, but lost star running back Duke Johnson against Florida State and finished 9-3. This year, Miami started this season with a lopsided loss to ACC newcomer Louisville, which prompted the “GoFundMe” site.
“The problem a lot of us have is that we continue to come out unprepared, even in games we have ample time to prepare for," Vazquez told the website. "Any time we play a decent team, we seem to be out-coached and make no adjustments... Golden's record against teams with winning records is poor."
During Golden’s first three seasons, the Hurricanes were 7-12 against FBS teams that finished the year with winning records and were 0-3 against in-state rival Florida State.
Still, Al Golden has had to deal with some self-imposed sanctions, a sordid NCAA case looming over the head of its program and yet has still — as Vazquez notes — has managed to secure some talented recruiting classes despite the stigma regarding the program.
Anyone who thought the mess Golden inherited — a mess he didn’t know he was inheriting when he took the job — could be cleaned up in a couple years was delusional. It’s almost a small miracle Golden has not had a losing season since he’s been there, and last year’s 9-3 campaign shows that the program is actually improving and moving in the right direction. It was the first nine-win season since 2009 and only the fourth season with nine or more wins since 2004.
And while Vazquez might be serving a small portion of Miami faithful who want to see change, it’s hard to imagine any coach would have been able to weather all of the off-field issues Golden has had to deal with at Miami. The season-opening loss to Louisville is disheartening, no doubt, but that’s a Louisville team that could win the ACC. Golden was given a contract extension because the powers-that-be knew he was put in a bad situation and that he would need several years to clean it up. He currently still has six years remaining on his contract. It’s going to be difficult to find the money and maybe even the willingness to buy him out at this point.
For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Miami fan starts 'GoFundMe' campaign to fly a 'Fire Al Golden' banner during a home game
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