Josh Whitman hasn’t had to fire many coaches in recent years because it’s been one of the most successful periods in the history of Illini athletics.
However, the softball program has definitely gone downhill.
And that culminated Monday with Whitman firing Tyra Perry after 11 years at the helm of the Illini.
“On behalf of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, I want to thank Coach Perry for her longstanding contributions to Illinois Softball over these last 11 seasons,” Whitman said in a statement.
“Tyra is a wonderful person who served admirably in the role of head coach. We experienced many high points during the early years of her tenure, including multiple NCAA postseason appearances. However, we have been unable to build upon that early success in recent years, leading me to conclude that a change in leadership is needed. We will always be grateful to Tyra for her hard work on behalf of our program and our student-athletes, and we wish her nothing but the best.”
Perry was just the second coach in program history, and she had quite a bit of success, advancing to the NCAA Regionals in four of her first six seasons. But it’s taken a turn for the worse in recent years, with her going just 87-125 and 22-a 66 over the last four seasons. Nancy Fahey-esque.
The Illini finished this season 15-39, including a 3-20 mark in conference play.
Illinois said a national search will begin to find her replacement.
