If any of the assholes in the athletic department are still reading this, Mo Forte will be available in the next day or two and I'm sure he'd be willing to come back and SHOW YOUR HEAD COACH HOW TO DO HIS JOB for less than you will try to overpay him.
www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2007/11/18/sports/sports1.txtBy Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, November 17, 2007 10:49 PM CST
HOUSTON — The University of Arkansas Pine Bluff will fire football coach Mo Forte on Monday and will buy out the remaining year on his contract, sources close to the UAPB athletic department confirmed Saturday.
Forte is due approximately $120,000 for 2008 under a contract extension he signed in the off-season — money that will cost the university a salaried assistant coach next season and force whoever succeeds Forte to also serve as offensive or defensive coordinator until 2009.
UAPB Athletic Director Skip Perkins is expected to begin a national search for a replacement immediately, although current Golden Lions Defensive Coordinator Monte Coleman has been identified as a strong early candidate for the job.
UAPB has declined comment on its coaching situation until Monday.
Forte was also reluctant to discuss his status after the Lions' 20-10 season-ending win over Texas Southern Saturday. He has yet to receive any communication from Perkins or Chancellor Lawrence Davis about his future.
“I don't have any reaction because they haven't fired me yet,” Forte said. “I really shouldn't say things that are the truth because it's really not appropriate at this time because there hasn't been anything done yet.
“Everybody says they're going to fire me. If they fire me, they fire me. I really don't have anything to say beyond that at this point.”
In four seasons at UAPB, Forte went 21-22 and led the Golden Lions to a school-record seven straight victories and their first Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division title in 2006 before stumbling through a rocky 4-7 season this year.
His two best seasons in Pine Bluff — a 6-3 mark in 2004 and last year's 8-4 campaign — are UAPB's two most successful seasons since 1998.
“If this is my last game here, I'm going to leave knowing my staff and I coached as hard as we could and my teams played as hard as they could and we got what we got,” Forte said. “We got some good football players here and the makings of a really great team and our past success speaks for itself and the job we've done.
“Whatever decision they feel they want to make is the one they're going to make so I really don't have anything beyond that.”
Forte coached his final game as head coach of the Golden Lions from the sidelines at Texas Southern's Alexander Durley Stadium after coaching the previous seven games of this season and the final eight games of 2006 from the press box.
Following the game he waited outside the visiting locker room to greet each player individually, embracing many of them while offering his appreciation for their efforts.
UAPB's players have declined to discuss their coach's status, but the moment had the appearance of a farewell for both players and coach.
“I love this team and these guys,” Forte said. “Whatever happens, I'll never forget how they fought for me every year I've been here.”
