Ross Joins Maryland Exit List : Indianapolis Fires Dowhower; Brown Canned by Knicks

Maryland’s Bobby Ross became the fourth major college football coach to leave his job in the last three days when he resigned Monday. He joined Fred Akers of Texas, who was fired Saturday; LSU’s Bill Arnsparger, who resigned Saturday, and Houston’s Bill Yeoman, who coached his last game Saturday after having announced his resignation earlier this season.

The widespread departure of coaches wasn’t limited to the college ranks, and it wasn’t restricted to football, either. Rod Dowhower was fired by the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts, and Hubie Brown was bounced by the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Assn.

Ross, the third top athletic official to leave Maryland in recent months, compiled a 39-19-1 record in five years with the Terrapins and had a 5-5-1 mark this season. He has three years remaining on a contract he signed in 1985 but cited unfulfilled promises regarding the improving of Maryland’s 36-year-old football stadium, lack of an indoor practice facility and hinted at a lack of administration support.

Ross follows Athletic Director Dick Dull, who resigned in October and left Nov. 1, and basketball Coach Lefty Driesell, who resigned under pressure in November. Driesell’s resignation was brought on by criticism of the basketball program after the drug-induced death of former Terrapin star Len Bias.

It is believed that Ross, 49, thought the football program had suffered through innuendo. Ross had been given a vote of confidence by Maryland Chancellor John B. Slaughter, but that was more than a month after a task force investigating Maryland athletics had praised the football program.

Charles Sturtz, the acting athletic director, said a decision would be made within two days to hire an interim coach or to start a search for a full-time coach.

Asked if he would be interested in the job at Texas, Ross said: “Any job interests me. I have some children to support.”

The firing of Dowhower, the Colts’ ninth coach since owner Robert Irsay obtained the franchise in 1972, was announced at an Indianapolis news conference. Dowhower was immediately replaced by Ron Meyer, former coach of the New England Patriots.

Dowhower, 43, recognized for his ability as an offensive coordinator and a developer of quarterbacks as a college and NFL assistant, was hired less than two years ago to put new life into an ineffective offense and rebuild the fortunes of the Colts. He compiled a 5-24 record, including an 0-13 mark this season.

Meyer, 45, compiled an 18-15 record with New England before being fired in 1984 with the Patriots at 5-3. He was the only coach in NFL history to be dismissed during the season while his team had a winning record.

He will attempt to revitalize a team that has been outscored, 339-147, and ranks at or near the bottom of league statistics in nearly every offensive category. If the Colts lose to Atlanta Sunday, they will tie an NFL record for most consecutive losses during a season.

There was strong speculation that Meyer would be named coach at Purdue to replace Leon Burtnett, who resigned three weeks ago. But Purdue officials canceled a Monday news conference at which it was expected they would name Meyer. Meyer played for Purdue and started his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 1963.

Meanwhile at LSU, the athletic council met to recommend a successor to Arnsparger, who will step down after the Tigers’ appearance in the Sugar Bowl Jan. 1.

LSU Chancellor James Wharton asked the panel of faculty, staff, alumni and students to name someone already on the staff. The council then recommended Mike Archer, Tiger defensive coordinator. If Archer, 33, gets the job, he will become one of the youngest head coaches in major college football. Arnsparger reportedly is pushing Archer as his replacement.

According to stories in the Dallas Times Herald and Houston Chronicle, Jack Pardee, a former NFL and USFL coach, will be named Houston’s new coach today. A university spokesman said, however, that no news conference was scheduled.

Both papers said that Pardee is expected to receive a multiyear contract for about $100,000 annually. Pardee coached the NFL’s Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins and the Houston Gamblers in the USFL.

According to an NBC report, Jimmy Johnson, coach of the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes, is a candidate to replace Akers at Texas. Johnson called the report erroneous, adding that he fully expected to be at Miami in 1987.

The Knicks fired Brown after the team was beaten by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 90-88, Saturday. The loss was the fifth for New York in its last six games.

“It was an extremely difficult decision,” Knick General Manager Scotty Stirling said. “But I felt the change was necessary at this time because the team was not showing the progress we expected.”

Stirling named Bob Hill, 37, the Knicks’ top assistant coach the last two years, as Brown’s replacement.

The Knicks finished with the worst record in the NBA last season (23-59), one victory fewer than the previous year. New York has not reached the playoffs since the 1983-84 season and is 4-12 this season, which is the league’s third-worst mark.

Brown, in his fifth year as coach, expected a stronger team this season with 7-foot Patrick Ewing, the 1985 No. 1 draft choice, and 7-foot-1 Bill Cartwright returning from a broken foot. But a move placing them in a sort of Twin Towers alignment backfired. Brown recently moved Ewing back to center, but any attempt to revive the team appears doomed.