It may have come as no surprise to fans and media when Director of Athletics Joe Alleva fired Ted Roof after the head coach compiled a 6-45 record over four-plus seasons.
But in reality, maybe it should not have been such a sure thing.
Throughout Roof's tenure, the Blue Devils have let many close games slip away. This season alone, they lost five games after trailing by just one score in the fourth quarter. If Duke had won just a few of those contests, then perhaps Roof would have been given another chance.
When he took over, Roof said it would take five years to turn around the program, citing improved recruiting tactics and a firm redshirting policy as keys to long-term success. Even after another disappointing season, the players, assistant coaches and Roof himself kept pointing toward the future-specifically, next year when he predicted the Blue Devils would be bowl eligible.
In a press conference Monday, Alleva said there was no doubt the program is better now than it was four years ago, but, in the end, he did not have the patience to wait any longer.
"It boiled down to the fact that I just didn't see enough improvement on the field this year to warrant having Ted come back for the next year," Alleva said.
Looking back, Roof said he could not turn down the top job at an institution he respected as much as Duke but paused when asked if he would have taken the job knowing then what he knows now.
"Maybe not," Roof said. "We all wanted it to go faster and win more games.... But I thought that it would take at least five years. That's what we've been shooting for."
Since 1979, seven different coaches, including Roof, have held the head coaching position, with none of them holding the job for more than five years. Only Steve Spurrier, who went on to make a name for himself coaching at Florida, has left Duke with a winning record. And even he only won 59 percent of his games.
In his stint as official head coach, Roof led his team to one ACC win in 31 tries. Alleva said Duke has failed to keep up with the rest of the conference and vows to fix that. Among the changes necessary, he cited improved facilities, better recruiting and a bona fide, experienced head coach.
The program has one of the largest recruiting budgets in the country-many of the assistant coaches, all of whom are still on the staff, are already on the recruiting trail-and renovations to Wallace Wade Stadium are already underway. Now Duke is searching for what it hopes will be the final piece of the puzzle.
"If we hire a coach with experience, we're probably going to have to pay a lot more money than what we're paying right now," the tenth-year Director of Athletics said. "So salaries will have to be adjusted."
Whether or not Duke breaks the bank for a big-name football coach for the first time ever is yet to be seen, but it would certainly go a long way in showing just how dedicated the athletic department is to improving the program.
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