It’s ‘moving day’ for coaches

The day Texas A&M entrusted its football program to one former NFL head coach, Georgia Tech decided to end the tenure of another as coaches were coming and going Monday.

Georgia Tech fired Chan Gailey, the ex-Dallas Cowboys coach, while Texas A&M hired Mike Sherman, the ex-Green Bay Packers coach. And Arkansas’ Houston Nutt resigned just days after an emotional win.

Indiana gave interim coach Bill Lynch a four-year contract after he led the Hoosiers to their most successful season in 14 years. Duke fired Ted Roof, who went 2-3 as an interim coach in 2003 to earn the full-time job then won just four more games the next four seasons.

At Southern Mississippi and Colorado State, two longtime, successful coaches were on their way out after disappointing years. Southern Miss’ Jeff Bower resigned after 14 straight winning seasons and 10 bowl invitations in 11 years. Colorado State has offered Sonny Lubick a job as an associate athletic director but school officials stopped short of saying he has been fired or has resigned.

Sherman, an assistant head coach with the Houston Texans for two seasons, will return to the school where he was the offensive line coach from 1989-93 and in 1995-96. He replaces Dennis Franchione, who resigned Friday. Sherman signed a seven-year contract that will pay him $1.8 million a year.

Gailey, 44-32 in six years at Georgia Tech, never lost fewer than five games in a season and was 0-6 against rival Georgia.

Defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta will take over as interim coach for the bowl, and he will be a candidate for the job.

Rumors of Nutt’s departure surrounded the program after the loss last winter of key recruits and a popular assistant.

Arkansas finished the regular season 8-4 and knocked LSU out of the nation’s No. 1 spot with a 50-48, triple-overtime victory Friday. Defensive coordinator Reggie Herring will coach the team in its bowl.

Nutt went 75-48 since being hired in December 1997.

Lynch replaced the late Terry Hoeppner in June and led Indiana to a 7-5 regular season. The Hoosiers are in position for their first bowl bid since 1993.

Roof went 6-45 at Duke. The Blue Devils lost at least 10 games in three straight seasons, including a winless 2006.

Bower spent 29 years at Southern Miss as a quarterback, assistant and head coach. He was 119-82-1 in 17 seasons, including 7-5 this season.

Lubick, who has two years remaining on his contract, is 108-74 in 15 seasons, but went 3-9 this season and hasn’t had a winning record since 2003.

At Northern Illinois, Joe Novak, 62, who spent the last 12 seasons building the program, retired Monday, two days after the Huskies finished 2-10.