Fired and resigned coaches in 2015

The Houston Rockets fired head coach Kevin McHale on November 18, following a 4-7 start to the season, adding yet another name to the long list of head coaches and managers let go in 2015.

SI Staff | Oct 6, 2015

Fired and resigned coaches in 2015 /

Fired and resigned coaches in 2015

Kevin McHale — Houston Rockets (Nov. 18, 2015)

McHale, 57, had been at the helm of Houston’s team since 2011, and led the Rockets to three straight NBA playoffs, including an appearance in the Western Conference Finals last season. Before becoming a coach, the former first team All-NBA selection played his entire 13-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics. As a player, McHale won three NBA titles and was a seven-time All Star. The Rockets fired McHale after opening the 2015–16 season with a 4–7 record and named J.B. Bickerstaff interim head coach.

Ken Whisenhunt — Tennessee Titans (Nov. 3, 2015)

In two years as the Titans’ coach, Whisenhunt led the team to a 3–20 record. This season, Tennessee had only one win through seven games and had not won since the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they fired their head coach. Whisenhunt signed a five-year contract with Tennessee in January 2014, but his deal was short as he was replaced by assistant coach Mike Mularkey.

Todd Richards — Columbus Blue Jackets (Oct. 21, 2015)

After an 0-7 start to the season, the Blue Jackets fired head coach Todd Richards and hired John Tortorella to fill the position. Richards began his first stint as a head coach in 2009 with the Minnesota Wild before joining Columbus for the 2011–12 season. Under Richards, the Blue Jackets qualified for the postseason once (in the 2013–14 season), but lost during the first round.

Lloyd McClendon — Seattle Mariners (Oct. 9, 2015)

The Mariners fired McClendon after two seasons, during which he led the team to records of 87–75 in 2014 and 76–86 last season. The move is believed to be connected to the firing of general manager Jack Zduriencik, with new GM Jerry DiPoto seeking to bring in his own manager. Bench coach Trent Jewett, third base coach Rich Donnelly, outfield coach Andy Van Slyke and bullpen coach Mike Rojas were also fired.

Joe Philbin — Miami Dolphins (Oct. 5, 2015)

The first casualty of the 2015 NFL season. Some people said the Dolphins could contend for the AFC East division, but so far we’ve seen a lot of bad football and a 1-3 record. This latest lost overseas against a mediocre Jets team was the final straw for coach Joe Philbin.

Matt Williams — Washington Nationals (Oct. 5, 2015)

The first victim of the end-of-season MLB purge. Matt Williams was in charge of the most promising team in baseball, but somehow the Washington Nationals couldn’t put it together and fell apart in total petulence. Honestly we knew Williams was gone for months now.

Ryne Sandberg — Philadelphia Phillies (June 26, 2015)

Ryne Sandberg stepped down from being the Phillies manager in the early parts of the 2015 season, probably because working for the Phillies has been the most depressing job in sports lately.

Tom Thibodeau — Chicago Bulls (May 28, 2015)

Perhaps the most controversial firing on this list, Tom Thibodeau is one of the best coaches in the NBA but constant clashes with Bulls higher-ups forced him out at the end of the team’s playoff run. Somehow he remains unemployed.

Mike Redmond — Miami Marlins (May 17, 2015)

The Miami Marlins entered the 2015 season with lofty expectations. What they got was a 16-22 start, which sent manager Mike Redmond packing.

Monty Williams — New Orleans Pelicans (May 12, 2015)

Monty Williams was fired at the end of the New Orleans Pelicans brief playoff run, which opened up one of the most attractive head coaching positions in all of sports. You get to work with Anthony Davis for a few years, not bad!

Mike Babcock — Detroit Red Wings (May 8, 2015)

Mike Babcock had a legendary run as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, but at the end of the season he and the top brass could not come to terms on a contract extension, and Babcock found a new home in Toronto.

Ron Roenicke — Milwaukee Brewers (May 3, 2015)

It’s easy to get fired if you’re running a Brewers team with some promise and fall to a 7-18 record out of the gate. Right now Roenicke is working as a Dodgers third base coach, which sounds like a better situation anyway.

Craig Berube — Philadelphia Flyers (April 17, 2015)

One surprising scrappy playoff run, one disappointing campaign at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. That’s all it took to bring Craig Berube’s time coaching the Philadelphia Flyers to a close.

Todd McLellan — San Jose Sharks (April 15, 2015)

The longtime coach of the San Jose Sharks finally moved on after a disappointing 2015 season and so many disappointing playoff runs.

Ted Nolan — Buffalo Sabres (April 12, 2015)

Ted Nolan completed just under two years as coach of the Buffalo Sabres before tenuous working relationships with GM Tim Murray forced him out at the tail end of the 2015 season.

Brian Shaw — Denver Nuggets (March 3, 2015)

You you know you can get fired quickly? Get caught counting down the days to the end of the season while head of the most depressing team in the NBA. Bye bye Brian Shaw, we won’t miss you.

Jacque Vaughn — Orlando Magic (Feb. 5, 2015)

Jacque Vaughn spent three years with the Orlando Magic and they simply did not get better in any meaningful ways. He was fired last year and replaced by the much more experienced Scott Skiles.

John Fox — Denver Broncos (Jan. 12, 2015)

One of the few NFL coaches fired in 2015, because Fox got canned after the Broncos were bounced by the Colts in the divisional round. Why? We don’t know for sure, but Denver certainly doesn’t look like they’ve lost a step.

Randy Carlyle — Toronto Maple Leafs (Jan. 6, 2015)

Randy Carlyle was coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the most demanding and public positions in all of sports. After a couple mediocre seasons he was given the boot in the midst of a disappointing 2015 campaign.

Published Oct 6, 2015

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