Auburn fumbled on Turner Gill

Auburn University had a tough go of it this past football season and after losing to the University of Alabama for the first time in seven years, the Tigers fired (or he resigned, whoever you believe) Tommy Tuberville, their head coach.
Wide speculation had Buffalo head football coach Turner Gill as the lead candidate to get the job.
He didn’t.
Instead, Auburn hired Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik, who has compiled a record of 5-19 over two years with the Cyclones.
It’s true, Chizik was the defensive coordinator in 2004 for Auburn, when the Tigers finished the season at 13-0 and No. 2 in the country.
Gill however, had a better resume than Chizik, now at 15-22 over three years with the Bulls.
He led the Bulls to the Mid-American Conference championship this season, beating undefeated Ball State in the title game.
The Bulls are 8-5 this season and will play in their first bowl game on Jan. 3, 2009 against Connecticut in the International Bowl.
Auburn dropped the ball several times this season on the football field and last week, it dropped the football off the field.
Gill should have been hired by Auburn, without a doubt.
Auburn would have made a huge statement by hiring an African American coach in the middle of Dixie.
With Nick Saban as the head coach at the University of Alabama, recruiting has become one-sided in the state.
Gill would have turned that around for Auburn.
He would have had the ability to go into Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida and recruited with the best of them.
Chizik, although he knows the area and has some connections, will not come close in the recruiting war against Saban.
It’s not about the color of Gill’s skin that he should have gotten the job.
It’s due to the color of his skin as to why he didn’t get the job. Plain and simple, Gill was not hired at Auburn University because he is black and his wife happens to be white.
Auburn alum Charles Barkley went off on his old school as to why it didn’t hire Gill.
Barkley said the only reason Auburn didn't hire Gill was because of face and Barkley is exactly right.
Auburn University fell way short in this hiring and will reap the benefits of its decision for a long time.
Chizik will not be successful at Auburn and the university has no one to blame but itself.
Turner Gill was the right man for this job and he wasn't allowed to do the job because of his skin color.
It’s almost 2009, when will people take their head out of ... well, the sand? Buffalo awarded Gill with a contract extension and raise through the 2013 season.
Specifics of the contract were not released, however, Buffalo reported it will make Gill one of the highest paid coaches in the MAC.
A contract well deserved by a coach who knows what he is doing.
Jeff Christian is the assistant sports editor for the News & Messenger. He can be reached at ccristian@insidenova.com