don't blame him, some universities you are set up to fail..on the other hand...some coaches as a whole are overpaid with extended contracts and produce nothing..Personally, I would like to see the NCAA mandate a base salary for all Div I coaches with bonuses to those who produce

I liked that. I'm very impressed and I'm sorry to lose a coach like that in CUSA. I'm not sure how much negativity the media spews in Memphis but we don't seem to get that here in Tulsa. However, we do seem to get too much complacency from fans and the media. It seems to me that most the people here in Oklahoma look at Tulsa as an after thought. Tulsa loses big games close or gets stomped by someone and it's a pat on the back and "you'll get 'em next time". There needs to be a bit of negativity with all programs to at least let them know they should be doing better. It frustrates me as a fan to see people in my own community that don't give a crap. Obviously it's even tougher as a coach.

If only West had shown that much emotion and that much fight and that much will to win to begin with, he'd still have a job. But instead he'd stand on the sidelines like a zombie just staring onto the field as his team lost yet again. Now, it's understandable considering he had emergency heart surgery a few years back (and hasn't been the same since) but my original point stands.
Now he does have some great points considering the support or lack thereof for the football program but it goes both ways. You can't ask people in this day and age to donate millions to a team that wouldn't finish in the middle of the Sun Belt, let alone C-USA.
BTW it's Geoff Calkins who he's ripping at the end, a guy whose made some people so angry they've ripped pens from his hands on live TV.

shows a true lack of class to unload on the school as you depart and for what. You run your mouth and think they are going to change thier mind and say opps we were wrong please stay and we will double your pay. How can a coach expect to get respect and lead students with this attitude and behaviour whining about the local paper being down on him for losing and fans not showing up to watch you lose is just pityful. any coach that takes over a mid major program knows going in it is going to be an uphill battle and his job to get fans in the seats and the local schools and papers on his side. Over 95% of all coachs end up getting fired or forced out it goes with the job and needs to be understood you lose and you have no job security. All this coach did with his comments is blow off steam and make anyone else think twice before they give him a chance at thier school.

If you followed Memphis football you'd know that West has thrown lots of people (at least three defensive coordinators alone) under the bus just to have kept his job this long. The man's hardly a saint. And his clueless, 'Gee, I have no idea what happened" spiel after every loss as well as his customary 2-3 losses right out of the gate every season make this firing deserved.
But he still made some great points. When I clicked on the video I thought for sure he'd launch a far more venomous, vitriolic tirade but he restrained himself up until the very end. He could've outright bashed the fans, the media *and* the athletic department as well as maybe his players and assistants too. But instead I found myself actually AGREEING with him for once.

The problem is that there are too many college football teams that have no business being in Div. 1. Teams like Memphis, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Idaho are never, except in a very, very odd year going to be able to compete with the nation's football powerhouses (and even then not for more than a surprising upset). They just don't have the resources and probably never will.
Maye what we need is something like England's Premier League -- relegation.

@7 - he asked for the next coach to get the resources to compete in CUSA, not against the football powerhouses.

@8 My point exactly. It's unrealistic to expect some of these schools to ever be able to play consistently at a top-20 level. Why maintain the fiction that there are 120 schools that belong in the same category?
If Memphis wants to be competitive in CUSA, that's fine, but it's a long way from saying that they can expect to stay on the field with teams from the SEC or Big 12.

I don't have a problem with anything he said. It did not seem classless to me. Just sounded like a guy who has wanted to express some things for a long time, and he finally got the chance. None of it will probaly make any difference for anyone's future but his....but at least he got some closure and can move on.

NCAA has to mandate equal schedules, meaning 6 home and 6 away games for everyone to help level the finances and the competitive edge the "big" conference schools have now. No more of the seven or even EIGHT home game edges now out there.

Alright West ! He has a point about support the only time people come out once a year against a good team.

So many lopsided losses witnessed by ghosts in empty seats, the events autopsied in graphic detail by the snarky local newspaper. Confronted with a microphone while holding a fresh pink slip, who among us wouldn't be tempted to vent a little bit?