Two questions remain:
(1) First, will Stubbs repeat her previous behavior of playing the race card when things don’t go her way?
(2) Second, will Lee Fowler be allowed to hire Stubbs’ replacement? You see, Fowler has ALREADY fired & hired a volleyball coach at NC State — and, he CHOSE CHARITA STUBBS! How/why in the world would you let the man that was responsible for hiring the coach that compiled perhaps the worst results/performance in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference in ANY sport make ANOTHER hire in that sport? Just asking.
The press release is obscenely laughable when the SPORTS department doesn’t even share the RECORD of a program or coach upon the the coach’s release. I queue our resident statistical gurus to share with us the records and statistics that GoPack.com doesn’t want to share with you.
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler announced today that head volleyball coach Charita J. Stubbs will not be retained.
Stubbs’ tenure ends after four losing seasons. The Wolfpack finished the 2009 campaign by topping North Carolina in five sets this past Wednesday.
“We certainly appreciate all that Coach Stubbs and her staff have done for the Wolfpack program during their time at NC State,†said Fowler. “Her dedication and commitment over the past four seasons has been exemplary.
“In the best interest of the program, however, we feel like this is the time to move in a different direction.â€
Under Stubbs the volleyball program consistently excelled in the classroom, placing four student-athletes on the All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team, 17 on the ACC Honor Roll and 23 on the Dean’s list.
“I appreciate the experience and opportunity that I was given at NC State, and I am thankful for the support that was provided,†said Stubbs. “NC State is an up-and-coming program and I think we have laid a strong foundation.
“I think that the administration is doing a good job of moving the program in the right direction by doing what is best for the program. I wish NC State nothing but the best and I am excited about what the future holds for everyone involved. I will always follow this program.â€
NC State will immediately begin a national search to replace Stubbs.
You can click here for our “Tag” of Charita Stubbs which includes a link to this all-time SFN classic that included the following quote from the Technician:
Coaches: if you are looking for success, please follow volleyball coach Charita Stubbs’ three step plan for establishing a winning program and building fan support. [SFN note: Stubbs is a Fowler hire]
1. Demonstrate unflinching excellence on the court. In three years with the Wolfpack, Stubbs has accumulated a 3-61 record in the ACC and a 14-84 record overall.
2. Respond to criticism in a professional, mature manner. On Oct. 14, Technician ran an editorial cartoon complimenting Stubbs’ first ACC wins in a backhanded manner. Stubbs, a black woman, felt the cartoon was directed at her race rather than her performance as a coach.
Stubbs responded to the Oct. 14 piece by refusing to comment to Technician reporters, demanding a front page apology and talking to seemingly everyone about the cartoon except the Technician staff. Repeated invitations to Stubbs to come to our office and discuss the issue in an open forum were left unanswered, and what could have been a learning experience for everyone involved developed into a bitter standoff.
Personally, I don’t think there was anything racist about the cartoon, but I will invite anyone interested to make up their own mind. Search “stubbs cartoon†on Technician’s Web site and see for yourself.
3. Create strong student and fan support by alienating the student newspaper. Stubbs understands that the best way to put out the word about her blossoming volleyball program is to refuse to talk to the only media outlet that will ever regularly cover N.C. State volleyball. She has not allowed any interviews with Technician reporters since the cartoon ran Oct. 14 (She has also not won any matches since that date.)
As sports editor, I have loved working with the wonderful people in the Athletics Department. From coaches to media relations, people have always behaved professionally, even if the results on the field weren’t ideal. But Stubbs has shown there are exceptions to the rule. Technician will continue to send reporters to objectively cover the volleyball program. It is up to Stubbs to do the mature thing and repair the bridge that has been burned between our organizations.
WV Wolf update:
Charita Stubbs’ overall record in her 4 years was 22-111 (.165) and 4-80 (.048) in the ACC with finishes of 12th, 12th, 10th and 12th.
Mary Byrne was the previous coach from 2001-2005 and had an overall record of 33-122 (.213) and 2-84 (.023) in the ACC.
Kim Hall was the coach from 1994-2000 and had an overall record of 101-138 (.423) and an ACC record of 21-87 (.194).
In the 10 years under Lee Fowler (Hall 1 year, Byrne 5 years, Stubbs 4 years) the volleyball program’s overall record is 64-255 (.201) with an ACC record of 7-179 (.038) and 9 last place finishes.
