- - Replacing Lane Kiffin: Can new Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding become the Steve Fisher of college football?

Jeff Eisenberg December 16, 2025 at 10:16 PM

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In March 1989, two days after Selection Sunday, Michigan men’s basketball coach Bill Frieder made a major miscalculation.

He incorrectly assumed that he could accept a job offer from another school yet still coach the Wolverines in the NCAA tournament.

The morning after Frieder revealed that he intended to leave for Arizona State after the season, Michigan athletic director Bo Schembechler summoned Freider’s top assistant Steve Fisher to his office for a 7 a.m. meeting. When the 43-year-old assistant coach arrived, Schembechler didn’t waste time with small talk or pleasantries.

“Fisher, can you coach this team?” Fisher recalls Schembechler gruffly asking. “Because there’s no way Bill Frieder’s going to coach them.”

Thirty-six years after Schembechler famously told Frieder not to bother showing up to the NCAA tournament, that banishment has gained newfound relevance. It’s by far the closest historical precedent to the messy breakup that captivated the sports world over Thanksgiving weekend, the one that resulted in Ole Miss refusing to let Lane Kiffin coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff after he spurned them for conference rival LSU.

As sixth-seeded Ole Miss prepares for its opening-round matchup against 11th-seeded Tulane on Saturday, the Rebels will be hoping that the parallels with Michigan basketball don’t end with the ill-timed coaching change. They’ll try to emulate how the ‘89 Wolverines rallied around their anonymous new coach, embraced the role of jilted underdogs and stormed to their program’s first — and still only — national championship.

Can newly promoted Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding become the Steve Fisher of college football? Can Golding enter the College Football Playoff with zero wins as a head coach and then guide the Rebels to an improbable national title? Fisher will be watching with great interest from his home in Del Mar, California.

“Both teams were playing for national championships with a different head coach,” Fisher said. “I wish [Golding] good luck. I hope he has a great run and I’ll be following it closely.”

Despite six straight 20-win seasons at Michigan, Bill Frieder felt his job was on the line before taking the head job at Arizona State back in 1989. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images) (Focus On Sport via Getty Images)Schembechler vs. Frieder

The two coaches who abandoned title contenders on the eve of the postseason had drastically different reasons for leaving.

Kiffin viewed SEC juggernaut LSU as “the best job in football,” a program whose in-state talent, championship pedigree and unmatched resources offer a smoother path to the top of the sport than what he had at Ole Miss. Frieder saw Pac-10 lightweight Arizona State as a soft landing, a chance to leave Michigan on his own terms before his alma mater pushed him out.

There were some at Michigan who had grown weary of Frieder despite his back-to-back Big Ten titles in 1985 and 1986 and his 188-90 overall record as head coach of the Wolverines. His talent-laden teams only advanced beyond the NCAA tournament’s opening weekend one time, fueling the perception that Frieder was a proficient recruiter but an ineffectual coach.

The dissatisfaction intensified during the 1988-89 season when a Michigan team with four future first-round picks in its starting lineup finished an underwhelming third in the Big Ten. Fans at Crisler Arena booed the Wolverines off the court after they concluded the regular season with a one-sided 89-73 loss to Big Ten runner-up Illinois.

It didn’t help Frieder’s job security that Schembechler took on the role of athletic director near the end of his decorated tenure as Michigan’s football coach. Schembechler and Frieder were “polar opposites,” according to Mark Hughes, a senior center on Michigan's 1989 team. They clashed over everything, from funding for the basketball program, to player discipline, to how coaches should dress.

Schembechler seldom appeared in public without a crisp collared shirt and well-coiffed hair. Frieder was most comfortable in a sweatsuit and didn't seem to own either an iron or a comb. Schembechler inspired players with his throaty growl, no-nonsense leadership and gruff but compassionate demeanor. Frieder demanded his players work hard too but allowed far more leeway.

"The football team was under strict rules,” Hughes told Yahoo Sports in 2014 for a story that coincided with the 25th anniversary of Michigan’s title run. “If you broke a rule or you missed a class, you would suffer the consequences. Coach Frieder was more of a player's coach. He'd listen to your story and assess the situation. He wanted us to study and work hard in practice but he also wanted us to enjoy college and have fun."

When the Arizona State men’s basketball job opened in March 1989, Sun Devils athletic director Charles Harris reached out to Frieder for feedback on top target Gene Keady. Frieder raved about the Purdue coach, then gently noted he too might be interested.

Once Keady rejected Arizona State on the Tuesday after Selection Sunday, Harris immediately pivoted to Frieder. Unsure about his future under Schembechler and eager for a new challenge in a warmer climate, Frieder discussed the opportunity with his wife and accepted the job offer within 20 minutes.

Later that day, Frieder pulled his assistant coaches aside after practice and broke the news that he had taken the Arizona State job. Frieder also called players individually late that night when he learned that media outlets in Phoenix were reporting he'd be joining the Sun Devils.

“We couldn't really understand at the time because we were young, but once we got older, we understood it was a business decision,” former Michigan forward Terry Mills said. “If you're about to get fired at Michigan and someone is going to give you a seven-year deal, what are you going to do? You're going to protect your family."

In his conversations with Michigan players and staff, Frieder said that he expected to be allowed to finish the season with them. The way Frieder explained it, he'd be introduced in Tempe the next day but would rejoin the Wolverines in Atlanta in time for their first-round NCAA tournament game against Xavier.

The next day, Schembechler made it clear that wasn’t going to happen.

“I don’t want someone from Arizona State coaching the Michigan team,” Schembechler famously told reporters. “A Michigan man is going to coach Michigan.”

Steve Fisher led Michigan to the 1989 national championship after taking over as head coach just before the tournament began. (Manny Millan /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Manny Millan via Getty Images)‘We wanted to win for him’

The “Michigan man” responsible for preparing the Wolverines for an improbable postseason run actually grew up in small-town Illinois and played at Illinois State. Fisher had never been a head coach at the college level, but his even-tempered, reassuring demeanor made him well-suited to provide stability to a chaotic situation.

Since Fisher had recruited many of the Wolverines and had been given the freedom to run practices and deliver pregame speeches, he already had the respect and admiration of the locker room. In fact, the idea of winning for Fisher inspired the Michigan players because they knew a deep NCAA tournament run was the only way Schembechler would ever consider giving Frieder's top assistant the permanent job.

"When Coach Fish took over, we didn't just want to win it for us,” Hughes told Yahoo Sports in 2014. “We wanted to win it for him.”

While Fisher maintained a calm outward demeanor, he admits that the uncertainty of serving as interim coach wore on him. He and his wife Angie didn’t know whether they’d be staying in Ann Arbor or house hunting in Tempe or elsewhere in a few weeks.

“I didn’t eat a lot,” Fisher admitted. “I probably worried more than I should.”

The unyielding spotlight on Fisher also was uncomfortable for him.

“I’ve never been one to be excited to be the center of attention,” he said. “I’ve never wanted that. But for three weeks, as we were making our run, I was the story — front page, above the fold, they were talking about me.”

Had Michigan lost its first-round NCAA tournament game against Xavier, Fisher might as well have started packing his bags to join Frieder in Tempe. The Wolverines instead erased a six-point deficit with 9:45 to go and escaped with a 92-87 victory. Little-used guard Demetrius Calip sparked the comeback with nine points down the stretch after Fisher inserted him out of necessity when starter Rumeal Robinson got into foul trouble.

#OTD in 1989: Demetrius Calip (@DCalip) led @umichbball to a narrow opening-round win.You all know what happened the rest of the tournament. pic.twitter.com/FIXJ4qFJrT

— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) March 17, 2020

Michigan built momentum two days later by swatting aside 11th-seeded South Alabama. The Wolverines then outlasted second-seeded North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and pounded Virginia to advance to the Final Four. By then, Fisher believed he had done enough to secure the full-time job, not that Schembechler confirmed that to him.

At the Final Four in Seattle, Michigan faced its Big Ten nemesis, an Illinois team led by future NBA Draft picks Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Marcus Liberty and Kendall Gill. The Illini swept the Wolverines in the regular season, but Michigan got revenge when it mattered most on a game-winning put-back from forward Sean Higgins.

“Illinois was the best team in the country,” Fisher said. “If it was 4 out of 7, they probably would have won the national championship.”

The title game against PJ Carlesimo’s Seton Hall team also came down to the final possession. With Michigan trailing by a point in the final seconds of overtime, Robinson attacked the rim and drew a whistle that even Fisher admits was a “touch foul.”

“If you’re on PJ’s side, you’re saying, ‘How can you possibly call that?’” Fisher said, referring to Carlesimo. “On our end, we’re saying, ‘Great call.’”

Robinson had been in a similar situation earlier that season against Wisconsin and missed both free throws to cost the Wolverines the game. After that, he asked Fisher to stay after practice and rebound for him every day until he sank 50 free throws.

When Robinson stepped to the foul line again against Seton Hall, he carried himself with more confidence. The 64% free throw shooter swished both, raising his right arm in triumph after the second one.

“I think he was ready for that moment,” Fisher said. “What happened at Wisconsin impacted him in a positive way when he went to the line against Seton Hall.”

Even then, nobody told Fisher that he had done enough to shed his interim label. It went without saying that the full-time gig was his.

As Mills put it after the game, “I’ve never heard of an undefeated coach getting fired.”

Pete Golding has gone from Ole Miss defensive coordinator to head coach as the Rebels make their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Kiffin vs. Frieder: Not the same

The new Ole Miss football coach won’t have to audition for the full-time job the way Fisher did.

Athletic director Keith Carter immediately threw his support behind Golding, highlighting the respected defensive coordinator’s desire to be at Ole Miss, his ability to galvanize the current players and his longterm vision for the program.

Golding’s promotion continues his meteoric rise since his days as an undersized Delta State safety who led his team in tackles and interceptions. At 23, he landed his first defensive coordinator gig. At 34, he became Nick Saban’s top defensive lieutenant. And now at 41, he’s taking the reins at a budding SEC powerhouse.

When asked during his first news conference as head coach if he has taken the time to reflect on that journey, Golding laughed and said there hasn’t been time for that. His first few weeks on the job have been a whirlwind of little sleep and endless responsibilities.

As soon as Carter told him the job was his, Golding said he “got my ass up out of my seat and went straight out the door to try to recruit offensive staff not to get on that airplane” with Kiffin. Then he worked to replace the staff members who did leave while also trying to salvage as much of Ole Miss’ 2026 recruiting class as he could before signing day. In between all that, there has been the minor detail of keeping day-to-day preparation as normal as possible for the current Rebels while also readying them for one of the biggest games in program history on Saturday.

What has worked for Golding so far is being unapologetically himself. Cuss words, and all.

In a thinly veiled reference to Kiffin during his first news conference as head coach, Golding explained. “I’m not changing who I am, ain’t changing what I wear. I’m [not] going to yoga. I ain’t doing any of that s***. I am who I am.”

The only exception will be when it comes to the scheme Ole Miss runs the rest of the season. Golding views himself similarly to an interim coach in the sense that there’s no need to deviate from what has been working under Kiffin. He draws inspiration from his time at Alabama when offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian coached the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl after Nick Saban tested positive for COVID.

“Sark walked us out of the tunnel and we still beat the s*** out of Auburn,” Golding said.

The deeper Ole Miss advances in the College Football Playoff, the more awkward the situation will likely be for Kiffin.

That’s how it was for Frieder anyway.

When Michigan players and coaches celebrated on the court after capturing the program’s first national title, Frieder watched on TV alone in his Seattle hotel room. Dozens of reporters swarmed Frieder at halftime of the only NCAA tournament game he attended, so he accepted watching the Wolverines play in solitude the rest of the postseason so he didn't become a further distraction.

When asked in 2014 how tough it was to watch the team he built win a championship without him, Frieder responded, "If that's the worst thing that ever happened to me, I've led a pretty good life." He insisted that he is “happy with how things turned out” and that he has “never regretted” leaving Michigan.

Frieder credited his longtime friend Fisher for going out of his way to make him feel included during the title run. Fisher sought Frieder’s advice on a daily basis. He also instructed a team manager to sneak Frieder into the team hotel through a service entrance whenever he wanted to counsel or congratulate the Michigan players.

After the season, Fisher included Frieder among the people who were to receive championship rings. When someone scratched Frieder’s name off the list, Fisher paid for Frieder’s ring with his own money.

“It was his team winning the ultimate prize, what everyone aspires to, and he’s not there to enjoy it,” Fisher said. “He was happy for the team. He was happy for me. But it had to be immensely difficult.”

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Source: “AOL Sports”