Fire-The-Coach Web Sites a Big Business

Duke's head coach Ted Roof watches punter Kevin Jones (49) during football practice, in this Aug. 14, 2006 file photo, in Durham, N.C. Here's a bargain for a frustrated Duke football fan. For $50, you can own the Web site where the name says it all _ FireTedRoof.com. That's a steal, because similar sites calling for the dismissals of Bill Callahan at Nebraska or Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State are five times as expensive. The Blue Devils have been under .500 for 11 consecutive seasons, and are 3-45 in ACC games since 2000. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) (Gerry Broome - AP)

Redshirted suggests other ways to electronically sabotage an opponent.

What's to stop a zealous fan from creating a fire-the-opposing-coach Web site to crank up the pressure on a rival? Imagine a UCLA alum turning the heat up on Southern California with a "Fire Pete Carroll" page, or an Alabama grad viciously calling for Tommy Tuberville's job at Auburn.

Or how about this: If a fan thinks a rival has an incompetent coach, he could obtain the fire-the-coach Web site and urge that school to give him a lifetime contract.

"For the price of a ticket to just a single game, you can influence the football world in ways you never thought possible," Redshirted's site declares.

Or at least you can THINK you're influencing the football world.

As for Zook, he can laugh about his situation now.

He admitted taking some good-natured teasing from fellow coaches during his first year in Gainesville. Several NFL coaches visited to evaluate quarterback Rex Grossman, and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher mentioned the infamous Web site.

"He said, 'Zooker, you really screwed this profession up,'" Zook said. "I said, 'What are you talking about?' And he said, 'Well, now it's Fire Bill Cowher, Fire Jim Haslett, Fire Ron Zook.'

"I said, 'Yeah, you know, I started that,'" Zook said.

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On the Net:

Redshirted Networks, http://www.redshirted.com

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Associated Press Writer Jim Paul in Champaign, Ill., contributed to this report.