By
The Wildcat Opinions Board
Going into Friday's matchup against Arizona State, the whole of the Tucson community was fixated on the overarching issue of the game: whether Dick Tomey would remain UA's head coach. The consensus became that his 14-year career should end if he failed to deliver a winning season and lost to our intra-state rivals again. He did lose, and, surprisingly, he resigned. Afterwards, the community was in shock. Contrary to some of the opinions that have been expressed since, Tomey did the right thing, and for the right reasons.
He is, undoubtedly, a good man and is doing what he feels is best for the university. There was nothing of bitterness or spite in the comments in the explanation for his action. Rather, he simply explained why it was best for the development of the team, and the program, that he leave.
Most importantly, Tomey's move allows the team to move forward next season. So long as there was a cloud over the head coach, manufactured or not, it would have been near-impossible to recruit effectively, and ensure the future success of the program. It is this distinction that features so prominently in any decision regarding Tomey. Though he has put together some talented teams, he has failed to deliver a consistently solid team, one with consistent results, year after year.
Even more than the community, those that played under Tomey lamented his loss. To them, as to many of their predecessors, he served as a father figure. However, his departure will aid them. The talent on our team deserves more than he has been able to deliver, and if he had stayed, it would have been a selfish act, one that would have made him unworthy of the esteem in which he is held.
It is ironic that Tomey will never see the benefits of the Eddie Lynch Athletic Pavilion currently under construction, and due to be completed by next season. New facilities should prove to be as much of a boon to us as they have been to our competitors in the Pac-10. The recruiting and training advantage given by such facilities might have been enough for Tomey to be able to put together better seasons the past few years- but we will never know.
Fans, in this case, have shown that they have power over the teams they cheer or jeer. Certainly, the athletic department did not offer Tomey much overt support in recent years, but it wasn't from them that the real pressure to step down came. Rather, it was from the crowds at Arizona Stadium. The crowds that half-filled the seats for many games. The fans that left at half-time. The team no longer has the support of the community, and Tomey feels, perhaps appropriately, responsible for it.
As Tomey expressed, the players deserve more than this. If it is his fault that the team has lost local support, it is also his responsibility to the program to redeem the team by stepping down.
This editorial represents the collaborative stance of the Arizona Daily Wildcat Opinions Board.
