BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green football coach Gary Blackney, the
third-winningest coach in school history, will resign at the end of this
season.
"I think there is a need for change, both for myself and the program,"
Blackney said Tuesday. "I think this diverts attention away from my job status
and hopefully puts it back where it should be, and this is on the
accomplishments of our players."
Bowling Green is 0-4 this season.
After six years as an assistant at Ohio State, Blackney started at Bowling
Green in 1991 and quickly built the Falcons into one of the Mid-American
Conference's strongest programs.
They went 8-0 in the league in each of his first two seasons and won the
California Raisin Bowl in 1991 and the Las Vegas Bowl in 1992.
However, Blackney has not had a winning season in the MAC since 1994, also
the last time the Falcons had a winning overall record.
Athletics director Paul Krebs said a search for a replacement will begin
immediately.
Blackney's record at Bowling Green is 58-45-2, putting him 19 wins behind
leader Doyt Perry. His teams were 45-26-2 in the MAC, winning the league in
1991 and 1992 and finishing second in 1994.
He also led Bowling Green to a MAC record 19-game winning streak and is the
only coach in school history to win a bowl game.
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