UW Terminates Contract of Football Coach Rick Neuheisel
June 12, 2003
Seattle, WA -- University of Washington athletic director Barbara Hedges announced today that she has started the termination process according to the provisions of the contract of head football coach Rick Neuheisel. Under the terms of Section 8 of the contract he is being terminated for just cause.
Under the terms of Neuheisel's contract, just cause for termination includes serious acts of misconduct, conduct which is seriously and materially prejudicial to the best interests of the University, and violations of NCAA bylaws.
Neuheisel has until June 26 to respond to the notice of termination.
On June 4, Neuheisel acknowledged to NCAA investigators his participation in a college basketball tournament betting pool the past two years. Under NCAA bylaw 10.3, staff members of an athletic department shall not knowingly participate in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate athletics.
Neuheisel was named Washington's head coach on Jan. 11, 1999. During his four-year tenure with the Huskies he compiled a 33-16 record. His 2000 team went 11-1, won the Pac-10 Championship and defeated Purdue 34-24 in the Rose Bowl. Neuheisel became the first Rose Bowl MVP to coach a team to victory at the game.
From 1995-1998 Neuheisel directed Colorado to a 33-14 record and was 3-0 in bowl games.
He graduated from UCLA in 1984 with a degree in political science. He later earned his law degree from Southern California in 1990. He worked as a volunteer coach at UCLA in 1986 and was hired as a full-time assistant for the Bruins from 1988-93. He was an assistant coach at Colorado in 1994 before replacing Bill McCartney as the head coach one year later.
Neuheisel's career collegiate coaching record stands at 66-30.
