Tyrone Willingham Lionel Tyrone " Ty " Willingham ( born December 30 , 1953 ) is a former American football player and coach . He was the head coach at Stanford University ( 1995 – 2001 ) , the University of Notre Dame ( 2002 – 2004 ) , and the University of Washington ( 2005 – 2008 ) , compiling a career college football record of 76 – 88 – 1 . He is currently a volunteer assistant coach for the Stanford University women ' s golf team . Early career . Willingham attended Jacksonville Senior High School in Jacksonville , North Carolina and lettered in football , basketball , and baseball . He went on to Michigan State University where he played football and baseball and graduated in 1977 with a degree in physical education . Willingham held assistant coaching positions at his alma mater ( 1977 , 1980 – 82 ) , Central Michigan University ( 1978 – 79 ) , North Carolina State University ( 1983 – 85 ) , Rice University ( 1986 – 88 ) , and Stanford University ( 1989 – 91 ) . When Stanford head coach , Dennis Green , was hired as the Minnesota Vikings head coach in 1992 , Willingham followed him as running back s coach ( 1992 – 94 ) . Head coaching positions . Stanford . Following the 1994 season , despite lacking experience as a head coach or coordinator , Willingham was appointed head coach of the football program at Stanford , succeeding Bill Walsh . In his seven seasons ( 1995 – 2001 ) as coach , he led the Cardinal to a 44 – 36 – 1 record and four bowl game appearances . In 2000 , he was presented with the Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award that is given annually to honor " an outstanding college football coach and role model for career achievement " . His best team was the 1999 team , which won the school ' s first outright Pacific - 10 Conference title in 29 years and appeared in the 2000 Rose Bowl . Willingham ' s 44 wins were the most by a Stanford coach since John Ralston , who left the school for the Denver Broncos of the NFL after the 1971 season . Notre Dame . 2002 . On December 31 , 2001 , Willingham was hired as head coach at Notre Dame . Willingham began the 2002 season by going 8 – 0 , and went on to become the only first - year coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games . For his efforts he was named the ESPN / Home Depot College Coach of the Year , the Scripps College Coach of the Year , the Black Coaches Association Male Coach of the Year , and the George Munger Award College Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club . In the 2002 regular - season finale , ND was blown out by arch - rival USC , 44 – 13 , and was outgained 610 – 109 — the worst such margin in school history . That loss knocked ND from a likely Bowl Championship Series berth down to the 2003 Gator Bowl — where they were summarily routed by North Carolina State , 28 – 6 . 2003 . The 2003 team finished 5 – 7 and was beaten badly in four of those losses , getting shut out twice in one season for the first time since 1960 and finishing with a point differential of 243 – 315 — the worst of any Fighting Irish team since the 2 – 8 team of 1956 . 2004 . In 2004 , Notre Dame posted a 6 – 5 record in the regular season , including a 41 – 16 loss to Purdue ( The second - worst home loss ever to Purdue ) and ending with Willingham ' s third consecutive loss to USC for his fifth loss by 30 points or more , and eighth by 22 points or more , in his three seasons . The following Tuesday , November 30 , after an overall record in South Bend of 21 – 15 , Notre Dame terminated Willingham as head coach . Defensive coordinator Kent Baer served as acting head coach for the Insight Bowl , a 38 – 21 loss to Oregon State . Washington . On December 13 , 2004 , Willingham was hired as the new head coach at Washington , succeeding Keith Gilbertson . The Huskies returned 19 of 22 starters from the previous season , in which they had gone 1 – 10 ( 0 – 8 in conference play ) . Willingham ' s primary task was to change the program ' s image . He instituted a strict hair policy and was known to occasionally show up in his players classes unannounced to make sure they were attending . As chance would have it , Willingham found himself facing his former team on September 24 , 2005 . Notre Dame prevailed , 36 – 17 . His first season at Washington ended with a 2 – 9 record ( 1 – 7 in conference play , tied for 9th place ) , capped by a scuffle after a close loss to Washington State that left Willingham " embarrassed " and vowing that it would not happen again . 2006 . His 2006 Washington team started October with a 4 – 1 record , with its most notable victory a stunning 29 – 19 upset over previously undefeated UCLA , before losing its next 6 games after starting quarterback Isaiah Stanback suffered a season ending foot injury in a loss to Oregon State in their sixth game . The Huskies ended the season at 5 – 7 ( 3 – 6 in conference play , 9th place ) , this time defeating state rival Washington State ( WSU ) by three points . This win held WSU from defeating the Huskies for three years in a row , something that has never happened in the history of the century - long rivalry . 2007 . The 2007 Washington Huskies football team faced what a preseason CBS Sports opinion piece called " the toughest schedule in the country " Washington went on to a 4 – 9 record overall ( 2 – 7 in conference play , 10th place ) with wins against Syracuse , Boise State , Stanford , and California . There was considerable debate after the season over whether Willingham should be fired as no other coach in the history of the program had ever tallied three straight losing seasons . Washington State won the Apple Cup again , making it 3 out of the last 4 . In the end , it was decided that he would return for the upcoming season with the expectation that the team become more competitive . Additionally , several boosters were pleased at Willingham ' s effort to clean up the program . 2008 . Willingham ' s stiff demeanor resulted in a somewhat acrimonious relationship with fans , boosters , and the Seattle media . The turning point came at the end of his third ( losing ) season when there was a big question as to whether he would be retained . However President Emmert gave him a vote of confidence and he was retained for a fourth year . The fans were hugely divided , with some calling for his firing . The 2008 season started off inauspiciously with # 21 Oregon defeating Washington 44 – 10 . This marked the first time Oregon had ever beaten Washington five times in a row in the history of the century - long rivalry . The second game against # 15 BYU was a nail biter and Washington scored the final touchdown in the final minute . The PAT would have tied the game , however an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called against quarterback Jake Locker who had thrown the ball up in the air in celebration after scoring the touchdown . This moved the PAT attempt to 35 yards which was blocked and the BYU escaped with a 28 – 27 victory . In the next game , the Huskies were dismantled 55 – 14 by the # 3 Oklahoma Sooners , giving the overmatched Huskies their greatest margin of defeat at home since 1929 . In the fourth game , the Huskies lost to Stanford leaving them as the only winless team in a BCS conference . The Huskies were without a sack , leaving them as the only school without a sack at this point of the season . It was the second 0 – 4 start in the last 5 years and only the fourth time ever in the history of the program . Starting quarterback Jake Locker was lost for the season , injuring his left hand during a block on a reverse . In the fifth game , Arizona put Washington away early and the game ended with a 48 – 14 wipeout of the Huskies . This was the biggest margin of victory by Arizona over Washington ever , and started a watch of just how bad the team could get . The Huskies had a flat performance in their sixth game to lose to Oregon State 34 – 13 . This was the fifth consecutive loss to the Beavers , something that had never happened in the long history of the series . Game 7 was another loss versus his former team Notre Dame . The Huskies were nearly shutout in suffering a 33 – 7 loss that left them 0 – 7 and ineligible for a bowl game yet again . On October 27 , 2008 , seven games into the 2008 season , Willingham announced that his contract was being terminated and he would be leaving UW after the regular season . Game 8 was a shutout by USC . At 0 – 11 , Washington was the only winless team in the FBS , and the owner of a 13 game losing streak stretching from the last season . Washington closed out the season with a loss at Washington State in double - overtime , making it four of the last five , and with a season ending loss at California . Willingham finished the season with an 0 – 12 record , the Huskies ' first winless season in 119 years . His . 229 winning percentage is the worst in school history . After coaching and family . Willingham served as President on the American Football Coaches Association ( AFCA ) Board of Trustees in 2008 . On July 18 , 2010 , at the age of 56 , Tyrone Willingham announced he was retired from coaching . Willingham is married and has three children , Cassidy , Kelsey and Nathaniel , with his wife , Kim . Cassidy was a gymnast at the University of Denver from 2003 to 2006 . Kelsey was a softball player at the University of California at Santa Barbara .