Mike Nolan made his first public comment today, one day after being fired as 49ers head coach. Nolan released a statement through the 49ers today.
"I want to
thank the York Family for the opportunity to coach the
"I also
want to thank our players for their dedication and willingness to work
hard. Even during the toughest of times they remained strong and fought
through it. It is difficult to put into words my respect for guys that
played for the 49ers over the past 3 ½ seasons. They have my complete
respect and admiration. I am forever indebted to them."
Classy way to go out.
Not to read between the lines here, but he sure doesn't mention the fans one time in his statement. Most of whom, supported him unconditionally until near the end. We wanted and NEEDED you to succeed Coach.
Mike in SF,#2 you can't really believe that the fans supported him unconditionally can you? He was booed in the stadium, ripped on the internet and countless watercoolers.
Of course many of us wanted him to succeed, who would root against their team? But the more time he had to caoch, the less support he had from fans. That is not a good sign.
Good for him. I hope (and think) he'll get a good DC job somewhere this offseason.
Nolan will dominate as Defensive Coordinator for Upper-Middle Tuscaloosa State College.
ROLLIN' WITH NOLAN!
Kind of bitter sweet, Nolan has always been a classy guy
The reason he was driven out of here were the fans and the media...and you expect him to mention them?
49ers roster is 1000% better than it was after Erickson. Nolan though just was a stubborn coach with no clue on offense and horrible game management
Good Luck Coach....thanks for laying the foundation....
Good Luck Coach Nolan unfortunately "Change" is the theme......thanks for laying the foundation....
xl, I mainly agree with you, but if the Niners were ranked 32 out of 32 teams when Nolan arrived, and they rank 27 now, they've improved by about 15%. They are definitely better, but for 3.5 years of Nolan, they really aren't that much better. At the Nolan rate of improvement, we'd get into our next playoff game in about 10 years.
I'm not jumping over the moon with happiness about Nolan's firing. I first began following the team as a boy when his father took over the team. I was pleased when Mike Nolan was hired.
Now?
But the fact remains that he lost twice as many games as he won. He had some bad luck. I might have waited until the end of the year, but football is a cruel business and he did have 3.5 years to try things his way.
I feel bad for Nolan and hope he gets another chance. I would not be surprised if he succeeded. But as bad as I feel, I'm going to save my real sympathy for the people who truly deserve it.
Mike Nolan is truly a classy guy. He came in here and brought this team from laughing stock to being respectable once again. I think he did a good job and I thank him.
Nolan is a classy guy and brought the same to this team. It's too bad it didn't translate to wins, but I wish him the best in his future exploits.