Goff Fired By McNeese

By Jim Gazzolo

McNeese has fired head football coach Gary Goff. 

Athletic Director Heath Schroyer informed Goff of his decision in a meeting Monday morning.

The move, first reported online in the American Press, comes hours after McNeese finished Goff’s third season at the helm 6-6 with a heartbreaking 26-26 loss to Lamar on the game’s final play Saturday night.

While at McNeese, Goff posted a 10-23 record. He still had one year left on his contract worth $265,000. According to reports donors have stepped up to pay the buyout.

“After evaluating our football program, I felt a change in leadership was necessary,” Schroyer said. “I appreciate Coach Goff’s time at McNeese. During his three years with the program, he addressed many inherited, off-field issues.

“He is a good coach, and I wish him nothing but success moving forward.”

McNeese also parted ways with offensive coordinator Adam Neugebauer, who was given full-time play-calling duties this season, and offensive line coach Ryan Allgood.

Defensive coordinator Tony Pecoraro has been named the interim head coach while Schroyer begins a national search for Goff’s permanent replacement.

Goff becomes the fourth straight McNeese head coach not to last more than three seasons after a decade-long run of success by Matt Viator which ended in 2015. 

After that, the program was hit with a series of issues, including being put on academic probation for three seasons by the NCAA. There were also the dual hurricanes that wiped out facilities in 2020 and COVID-19.

After taking Valdosta State to the Division II national championship game in 2021, Goff was given a three-year contract with two option years to revive the Cowboys. It was the biggest deal in McNeese athletic history, surpassed recently by men’s basketball coach Will Wade’s contract.

After leading the Cowboys to a 4-7 season in 2022, Goff’s first option year was picked up. When asked earlier this season if the school was willing to extend Goff a fifth season, Schroyer stated he wanted to see how the season played out.

 “With the investment we have made in our football program and facilities over the past few years, we will not accept nor celebrate mediocrity,” the statement added. “McNeese is a special place with a rich tradition. We have one of the best, if not the best, fan bases in FCS football.

“We should be competing for Southland Conference championships and be nationally relevant. I will find a coach who not only accepts that standard but embraces it.”

Schroyer is expected to be looking for a coach with ties to the McNeese program this time around. 

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese athletics. He is the host of Poke Nation on CBS-Lake Charles