Eugene Wilson also was upset with Willingham's dismal. Wilson's son, Lawrence, a standout football player at St. Vincent-St. Mary, had made an oral commitment to play at Notre Dame. It looks as though Lawrence Wilson might play elsewhere.
Eugene Wilson talked to Willingham less than an hour after he heard the coach was fired.
``Our whole family was distraught,'' said Wilson, who is black. ``We felt like a family member had died, and we still feel that way. We can't believe it.''
Eugene Wilson said his family visited the campus last month, and he personally talked to Irish athletic director Dr. Kevin White, who assured him that Willingham still would be the coach at the end of the season.
``I asked `Is coach Willingham going to be here next year?' and he said `We have never released a coach before his contract was up, and we don't plan on doing it now,' '' Wilson said. ``Earlier in the year there were rumors, so I told Ty that I heard he might not be coaching and he told me that the people above him told him he would be there.
``As soon as I heard the news, I called Ty's personal cell phone,'' Wilson added. ``He was hurt. He could hardly talk. I didn't know what to say, so I asked him, `Coach, is it true?'
``It was an uncomfortable situation because I didn't know what to say. I was in shock and I think he was, too, because he is always a positive person and he's optimistic by nature. I'll tell you this, Ty is the classiest guy you'll ever meet and it's just a shame that this happened to him because we're a religious family and we were sold on the morals, values and philosophy that Notre Dame represented.''
