FIU athletic director Pete Garcia steps down after 15 years — are other changes coming?

Pete Garcia is out as FIU’s athletic director.

Is FIU football coach Butch Davis next?

As first reported by Larry Milian of SLAM Radio on SiriusXM, Garcia cleaned out his office early Wednesday morning.

In addition, a Miami Herald source independently confirmed that Garcia has stepped down from the post he had held since 2006.

Garcia’s departure casts further doubt on the status of Davis, who has gone from the most successful coach in FIU history with a program-record three straight bowl appearances to someone at the helm of a badly struggling team.

FIU has lost 15 of its past 16 games overall, including 15 straight to FBS teams.

Davis, who turns 70 on Nov. 17, has told the Herald that he wants to continue to coach. However, Garcia — a longtime Davis ally who hired him as coach — is now out of the decision-making process. Davis’ contract expires at the end of this season, which has three games left.

Besides Davis, the futures of all other FIU coaches are in doubt as a new athletic director might look to bring in his or her own people.

Garcia, meanwhile, made numerous dubious decisions on coaches over the years, from firing Mario Cristobal and Danny Price to hiring Isaiah Thomas, Anthony Evans and Ron Turner.

Here’s a closer look at his hires in FIU’s major programs:

▪ Isaiah Thomas was the first of four men’s basketball coaches Garcia hired.

While Thomas was a huge name as a player, he has, overall, been a failure as a coach, getting fired at FIU after posting a three-year record of 26-65.

▪ Garcia hired Richard Pitino, who turned the men’s basketball program around in his first year with an 18-14 record. But Garcia couldn’t keep Pitino at FIU, losing the coach to Minnesota after just one season.

▪ Garcia then made another questionable choice for his men’s basketball coach, hiring Anthony Evans, who was fired after a five-year record of 65-94.

▪ Before hiring current coach Jeremy Ballard, FIU’s men’s basketball team had experienced 11 losing seasons in Garcia’s first 12 years on the job.

Ballard turned things around immediately, going 20-14 in his first season and 19-13 in his second year before the team slumped to 9-17 in 2020-2021. The team hasn’t qualified for the NCAA Tournament under Ballard, but the Panthers made the 2019 college insider.com tournament, going 1-1. In 2020, the Panthers won their first-round C-USA tournament game before COVID canceled the rest of the season.

▪ In baseball, Garcia fired Danny Price, who had coached the team from 1980 through the 2007 season, compiling an impressive record of 1,033-604.

▪ Garcia replaced Price with Turtle Thomas, who went 281-240-4 in nine seasons at FIU before resigning in July of 2016. Thomas made the NCAA regional tournament three times in his nine seasons at FIU.

▪ After Thomas, Garcia hired Mervyl Melendez, who has been on the job for five years, going 31-27; 26-28; 23-32; 10-5 (before COVID canceled the rest of the 2020 season) and 20-31. In those five years, FIU is 0-4 in the Conference USA tournament and has not made the NCAA postseason.

▪ Garcia was hired on Oct. 10, 2006 — in the middle of FIU’s 0-12 football season. Garcia, just two months after arriving at FIU, hired Mario Cristobal, making him the first Cuban-American head coach in Division I-A.

By his fourth season, Cristobal delivered FIU’s first ever winning season (7-6) and first postseason game, a victory in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

The next season, Cristobal took FIU to its second consecutive bowl game, setting a school record for wins (8-5).

However, Garcia followed Cristobal after the next season, following a 3-9 record.

Garcia drew criticism for a lack of patience, firing Cristobal after just one losing season.

▪ Garcia then hired Ron Turner. Less than four years later, Garcia fired Turner, who had sported a 10-30 record. Garcia then hired Davis.

This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 9:20 AM.