Sooners say later to Blake; S. Carolina fires Scott

Blake was fired Sunday after compiling a 12-22 record, the worst three-year stretch in school history. He held a 2 1/2-minute news conference Monday to thank his players, coaches and supporters.

''This program is headed in the right direction,'' he said, occasionally choking up before leaving without taking questions. ''We came here for a purpose, to get the foundation established to be a winner.''

Actually, his charge when he replaced Howard Schnellenberger in December 1995 was to do more than lay a foundation. It was to restore Oklahoma as a national power, and he didn't come close.

The Sooners were 3-8 in his first year and 4-8 the next - Oklahoma had never had even one eight-loss season before those. The Sooners won three of their final four games this year to finish 5-6.

''We worked hard. We didn't win enough games,'' offensive coordinator Joe Dickinson said. ''The bottom line, you've got to win games at the University of Oklahoma.

''The tradition of this program is large. The only thing on John Blake, he didn't win enough games.''

The university's regents voted to fire Blake based on the recommendation of athletic director Joe Castiglione, who has been on the job since April 30. Castiglione apparently has the full authority to hire a replacement - no search committee will be formed, as was done when Blake was hired.

Castiglione has no timetable for finding a coach, although a fairly quick decision would help offset potential recruiting losses.

Among the names mentioned as possibilities are Jim Donnan of Georgia, Tommy Bowden of Tulane, Oregon's Mike Bellotti and Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops.

Merv Johnson, director of football operations, will oversee the program until a new coach is hired. His priorities will be to reassure as many current players as possible, and to stay in contact with recruits.

Blake has two years remaining on his contract at an annual salary of $126,200, plus insurance and retirement benefits. The university is obliged to pay for those two years, which Castiglione acknowledged will crimp a department that is trying to get out from operating in the red.

Blake often talked about doing things the right way, about instilling integrity and character in the program. He alluded to that during his farewell Monday.

''Most of all, I thank all those who stuck by me, all the great friends, all the great supporters, those who knew what I stood for, and I would never change that,'' he said.

Scott Free: Brad Scott, who led South Carolina to its only bowl victory, was fired yesterday following the Gamecocks' worst season in 105 years of football.

Athletic director Mike McGee made the announcement after meeting with Scott for several hours today, evaluating the team's 1-10 record.

''Our football program's lack of satisfactory progress and our inability to successfully compete within the Southeastern Conference led to this decision,'' McGee said.

Scott will be paid $450,000 for the remaining three years on a contract last amended in 1996.

This year, after beating Ball State 38-20 in the opener, South Carolina dropped its final 10 games, including Saturday's 28-19 loss at Clemson.

South Carolina was 23-32-1 in Scott's five seasons. The Gamecocks' only other winning year was 1996, when they finished 6-5.

The school rewarded Scott with a lucrative contract extension through the 2001 season. Scott also received a $275,000 loan that would be forgiven if he stayed through 2002.

The Gamecocks went 5-6 in 1997.

11-24-98