Floyd resigns as USC coach

LOS ANGELES -- Tim Floyd suddenly resigned as basketball coach at Southern California on Tuesday following allegations that he gave $1,000 in cash to a man who helped steer former star player O.J. Mayo to the Trojans.

Floyd submitted a one-paragraph letter to USC athletic director Mike Garrett saying he was quitting after four seasons because he no longer had full enthusiasm for his job.

"I accept Tim's decision and wish him well," Garrett said in a statement.

The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss., first reported Floyd's resignation. He is from Hattiesburg.

The announcement follows allegations that thousands of dollars in cash and gifts were funneled to Mayo by a representative of a sports agency.

Last month, YahooSports.com reported that Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo's, told federal and NCAA investigators that Floyd paid to have Mayo sign with the Trojans.

"The university is cooperating fully in the continuing investigation with the NCAA and Pac-10 into all allegations of NCAA and Pac-10 rules violations at USC," Todd Dickey, senior vice president of administration, said in the statement. "The university, the NCAA and Pac-10 have jointly conducted interviews of approximately 50 witnesses. No conclusions have yet been reached. At this point, it would be both inappropriate and premature to comment further."

A person close to Floyd said Tuesday night that he was surprised by the coach's resignation, but did say in his conversations with him throughout the past few weeks that the allegations against Floyd had begun to wear on him. The person, who requested his name not be used, said that Floyd was innocent of the charge that he had given cash to Guillory, but that Floyd knew fighting the charge would take an enormous amount of effort in the coming months.

Over the past few weeks, there had been countless rumors throughout the California basketball circuit that Floyd would be out as coach, but with the decision coming from USC, not from the coach.

ESPN.com was not able to contact Floyd, and messages to USC assistant coaches weren't returned. Johnson refused to comment to ESPN.com regarding Floyd's resignation.

Floyd has never addressed the allegations involving Mayo.

In mid-May, Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said he had asked Floyd about the reports surrounding his relationship with Mayo.

"I asked him the question," Livengood said. "He said there's nothing to that. So end of question. We didn't go any farther. We didn't need to go any farther."

If the NCAA can prove Floyd paid to have Mayo delivered to USC, that would be considered a major violation. The Trojans could be forced to forfeit victories, and they could face recruiting restrictions and lose scholarships.

USC's powerhouse football team also is under NCAA investigation because of allegations that Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush accepted gifts and his family free rent from would-be marketers who wanted him as a client.

Floyd's resignation is another blow to a basketball program that has had starters DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett declare for the upcoming NBA draft and has lost three recruits since the season ended.

Garrett said a search to hire a new coach would begin immediately.

"As of 1 p.m. today, I am resigning as head basketball coach at the University of Southern California. I deeply appreciate the opportunity afforded me by the university, as well as the chance to know and work with some of the finest young men in college athletics," Floyd wrote in his letter to Garrett.

"Unfortunately, I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal. I always promised my self and my family that if I ever felt I could no longer give my full enthusiasm to a job, that I should leave it to others who could. I intend to contact my coaching staff and my players in coming days and weeks to tell them how much each of them means to me. I wish the best to USC and to my successor."

In April, Floyd spurned an offer from Arizona to fill its coaching vacancy, saying he was staying at USC. A year ago, Floyd was offered the coaching job at his alma mater Louisiana State and turned it down, saying at the time, "This is my last job at SC."

The day he met reporters to say he had rejected Arizona, Floyd said, "This is still my last job."

That day Garrett called Floyd a "tremendous asset" to USC's basketball program at a school where the nationally ranked football team dominates.

"The future is very bright here under Tim's direction," Garrett said then. "We talked today, and we expressed our commitment to each other. We are both excited about our prospects for next season, especially if we have the team we think we'll have."

On May 27, Floyd appeared with football coach Pete Carroll at a meet-and-greet for USC supporters in Irvine.

Both coaches were asked whether the school was ever going to escape the cloud of the NCAA, the Los Angeles Times reported. Floyd didn't answer.

Carroll said when he first got to USC his goal was to build a program where "everyone was coming after us. Be careful what you wish for," he said, according to the newspaper.

Floyd attended scheduled meet-and-greets May 29 and June 1, but was absent from ones on June 4 and Monday night in San Diego, the school said.

The 55-year-old coach led the Trojans to the NCAA tournament three consecutive seasons, a first in the program's history, and this year he coached them to the Pac-10 tournament title. The Trojans lost to Michigan State in the second round of this year's NCAA tournament. Overall, he was 85-50 in four seasons.

Floyd had three years remaining on his contract.

Floyd's other college stints were at Iowa State, New Orleans and Idaho. His combined record in 16 years at the college level was 328-180. He coached the NBA's Chicago Bulls from 1999-2002 and the New Orleans Hornets from 2003-04.

University of Texas at El Paso

Floyd's first coaching job was as an assistant at UTEP under Hall of Famer Don Haskins from 1977 to 1986. While Floyd was at UTEP, the Miners went to three straight NCAA Tournaments (from 1984 to 1986). They also went to the NIT three times (in 1980, 1981, and 1983), and UTEP won four Western Athletic Conference championships in those years.

University of Idaho

Tim Floyd's first assignment as a head coach came at the University of Idaho, succeeding the disappointing Bill Trumbo, who finished last in the Big Sky conference in each of his three seasons. Floyd coached the Vandals for two years. In his first season, the Vandals posted their first winning record since Don Monson left for Oregon after the 20-9 1983 season.

University of New Orleans

At the University of New Orleans, Floyd tallied a 127–58 mark in six seasons as head coach. During his tenure, UNO advanced to postseason play five times, including two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1991 and 1993 and the NIT three times. At UNO, Floyd averaged 21 wins a season. Floyd is one of only four Division I coaches who have won four conference championships in the first five years at their school. In his final season at New Orleans in 1994, the team finished 20-10. Floyd reached the 20-win plateau for the sixth time in eight seasons, and UNO made its seventh postseason appearance in eight years.

Iowa State University

Floyd was hired at Iowa State University in May 1994 as the 15th basketball coach in ISU history. In his four years at ISU, Floyd posted an 81-49 record. He is the only coach in Iowa State history to post three consecutive 20-win seasons, which in part, earned him a nickname among the NCAA nation (mostly top NCAA coaches) as "Timothy The Great". He also led the team to three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and three straight first-round victories.

In his first season with the Cyclones, Floyd guided the team to a then-school-record 23 victories and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. During that season, the Cyclones were ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for 11 consecutive weeks, peaking at number eleven. Four of the eleven ISU losses were to 1995 NCAA Final Four teams. The Cyclones returned to the Big Eight Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 1986. In that year, Fred Hoiberg became the first Cyclone to earn All-American honors since Jeff Grayer in 1988.

Picked in preseason polls to finish last in the Big Eight, the 1995-96 Cyclones finished second in the league with a 9-5 mark and won Big Eight Conference Tournament with a win over the Kansas Jayhawks, then ranked the number five team in the nation. The Cyclones received the highest NCAA Tournament seed in school history. As the number five seed, the Cyclones defeated California Bears but lost to Utah Utes, then coached by Rick Majerus (who, in 2004, accepted and immediately resigned from the USC head coaching job that went to Floyd). Iowa State's 24 victories that season was a school record. For his coaching efforts, Floyd was named Big Eight Coach of the Year and runner-up to Gene Keady of Purdue University for AP National Coach of the Year.

In the 1996-1997 season, Floyd and the Cyclones posted a 22-9 mark and advanced to their first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 11 years. In the NCAA Tournament, the sixth-seeded Cyclones defeated the Illinois State Redbirds in the first round and the Cincinnati Bearcats before losing to UCLA Bruins in overtime.

Floyd was also responsible for landing would-be recruits, and currents pros, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. Both Collison and Hinrich withdrew their verbal commitments upon Floyds departure from Iowa State.

While at Iowa State, Floyd coached future pros Dedric Willoughby, Fred Hoiberg, Kelvin Cato, Marcus Fizer and Paul Shirley.

Chicago Bulls

On July 23, 1998, Floyd was hired head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. That off-season, the core of the Bulls championship teams retired or left, leaving the equivalent of an expansion team. During the lockout season of 1998-1999, the team posted a record of 13–37. The next season, the Bulls had a 17-65 record. The team continued to regress, posting a 15–67 record in the 2000-2001 season. His fourth year as coach was marred by fights with players and management. Floyd resigned on December 24, 2001 after a 4–21 start.

In his four seasons with the Bulls, Floyd posted a record of 49–190. The team did not make the NBA Playoffs in any of those years. Known as a favorite of Jerry Krause by the Chicago media, an entertaining press conference had Floyd proclaim [I'm not] "Jerry's boy."

New Orleans Hornets

As head coach of the New Orleans Hornets in 2003-2004, Floyd posted a 41-41 record, despite the mid-season loss of Hornets star Jamal Mashburn. The Hornets lost in the first round of the playoffs, taking the Miami Heat the full seven games. Ownership was dissatisfied and dismissed Floyd after just one season.

Floyd ended his NBA career with a 93-235 overall record, including the playoffs, admitting in interviews that, as an NBA coach, "I wasn't very good at it".

University of Southern California

On January 14, 2005, Floyd was hired as head coach of the USC Trojans, replacing interim coach Jim Saia who filled in after the school fired coach Henry Bibby. USC had originally hired Rick Majerus on December 15, 2004, however he unexpectedly resigned five days later. Floyd was the Trojans' immediate next choice.

Floyd's initial season may be regarded as a success. The 2005–2006 Trojans finished the regular season with a 17–12 (8–10) record and sixth place in the Pacific 10 Conference ("Pac-10"), including three conference losses by a combined nine points. Floyd was the subject of heightened media attention in October 2006, when 14-year-old high school freshman Dwayne Polee Jr., son of former NBA player Dwayne Polee, verbally accepted a scholarship offer from Floyd. Polee had yet to play in a high school basketball game.

For the 2006–2007 season, Floyd led the Trojans to a 25–12 (13–8) record (most wins in school history) and third place in the Pacific 10 Conference ("Pac-10"). He also led this team to finals of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament, where they lost to Oregon. Floyd took the Trojans to the 2007 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16, only the second USC team to do so since 1979. However, USC lost to number one seeded UNC on March 23, 2007.

Floyd's Trojans won the 2009 Pac-10 Tournament by defeating Arizona State, and then in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the #6 seeded Trojans fell 80-67 to the #11 seed Kansas State Wildcats in the first round. After USC's exit from the tournament, Floyd was offered the vacant coaching position at Arizona but turned it down.

Floyd is currently under investigation by the NCAA for allegedly providing OJ Mayo's handler a $1,000 gift to help persuade the player to attend USC. Claiming to have lost enthusiasm for his job, Floyd resigned as the head coach of USC on June 9, 2009.

Tim Floyd

Tim Floyd (born February 25, 1954) is the former head coach of the University of Southern California men's college basketball team. Floyd is also a former head coach of several teams in both the NCAA and the NBA. Floyd is also known as the coach of the Chicago Bulls after Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman left the team.