Jimmy Lake Fired By University Of Washington

Jimmy Lake's tenure as the head coach of the University of Washington football program is over after less than two seasons. UW announced late Sunday that they'd be going in a different direction, firing Lake and promoting defensive coordinator Bob Gregory to interim coach for the remainder of the season.

In what amounts to just over one season of games, Lake finishes his Huskies tenure with a 7-6 record and nearly as many controversies as wins.

UW hired Lake in 2019 and saw his debut season get off to a fast start. Washington won their first three games of the Lake era, but managed only four total games last fall because of constant cancellations, thanks to the pandemic.

This season, the Huskies have struggled to a 4-6 record with Lake making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The season started with an embarrassing opening weekend loss to Montana, an FCS school. Earlier this month, he attacked the academic prowess of rival Oregon -- and then promptly lost to the less-educated Ducks.

He was also suspended after that game for pushing a player. That incident led to news that he also got physical with a Husky player during halftime of a 2019 game when Lake was an assistant.

On Sunday, Washington athletic director Jen Cohen informed Lake that they were letting him go and then released a statement:

"Making a head-coaching change in any sport is difficult, recognizing that the decision impacts coaches, staff, student-athletes and their families. However, as the steward of UW Athletics, I must always act in the best interests of our student-athletes, our department and our university. No one wanted Jimmy to succeed more than I when I hired him in 2019, but ultimately, this change is necessary for a variety of reasons, both on the field and off."

Before closing, Cohen mentioned that the Huskies "have all the resources we need to be a championship program."

Lake finishes 7-6 as Washington's head coach and has never had the opportunity to coach in the Apple Cup versus in-state rival Washington State.

 

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