Western Michigan Wants New Direction in Football and Fires Head Coach

The coaching business is a very precarious business, especially major sports like football and basketball. I thought broadcasting was a tough business, but it's win or done in college sports, and professional, for that matter, and another one bites the dust here in Michigan.

Tim Lester, a former player at Western Michigan University who became head coach of the Broncos, is parting ways with the team, and it wasn't his idea.

Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae announced Monday the school is looking for a "new direction within our football program."

WZZM reported it was back in 2017 that Lester, who quarterbacked the Broncos football team in the late 90s, became the 16th head coach at Western. He has had some success with an overall record of 37-32 and 26-20 in the MAC, but this was a down year as the Broncos finished a disappointing 5 and 7.

When you are a mid-major school in bigtime college sports, you're up against heavy competition, and recruiting can sometimes be a real issue. So Western decided they need to redirect their efforts. Bartholomae said:

"Western Michigan University can set the standard for football in the MAC, which in turn will position us for success in the new and evolving college football landscape. We will immediately embark on a search to welcome a leader that shares this aspirational vision."

Lester certainly leaves Western on good, but disappointing terms. He said:

"First, I am disappointed that I won't get to lead the Western Michigan football program and these players in the future. I want to thank Al Molde and his staff for recruiting me here in 1995. I want to thank Bill Cubit for hiring me as an assistant in 2005. And finally, I would like to thank Kathy Beauregard and President John Dunn for giving me the opportunity to lead this program six years ago."

So what now? WMU is partnering with Glenn Sugiyama of DHR Global to find his replacement.