Much like Bugs Bunny, Steve Alford knew he should take that left turn at Albuquerque.

After two weeks of rumor and speculation, Adam Haluska has confirmed the obvious. Steve Alford is leaving the University of Iowa to become the new head coach at the University of New Mexico.

I’ve mostly kept my thoughts about Alford to myself the past few years, but he’s not a Hawkeye anymore, so I have no obligation to support him. Here’s what I really think.

Steve Alford is an ass. He’s everything that Kirk Ferentz is not. Pompous, self-serving, and negative are three words that come to mind.

A large part of a coach’s success around here is how they are viewed by the public. Rare is the day when you hear someone say anything bad about Kirk Ferentz. He suffered some criticism this year for our team’s lack of performance, which he gracefully accepted. I’ve never heard anyone speak negatively of Kirk Ferentz the person. Never.

Steve Alford was never able to develop in to a respected public persona. Rumors regularly sprang up about extramarital activity and incidents with local business owners. I can’t vouch for the truth of any of them, but people don’t start rumors about people they like.

I know a good number of people who refused to even watch Iowa basketball games on TV because of Alford. It takes some strong feelings to turn your back on a great group of native Iowans like Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner, and Adam Haluska. That’s just how much people hated Alford. I can count the number of people I know that openly support him on two hands.

I’m not surprised about Alford’s abrupt exit. On March 13th, Gary Barta spoke about the direction of the basketball program. “I’ve told [Alford] I expect to compete for Big Ten championships and to get into the NCAA and make runs in those tournaments,” said Barta. Many people took it as a public ultimatum to Alford that he was on the hot seat.

Widespread speculation had Alford staying for one more year and being fired with a $1.5mm buyout if we didn’t make the tournament. Rather than facing the guillotine, he bailed for a “new challenge.” Right…

A friend of mine posted a great analogy on the Hawkeye Report message board:

It’s just like that one girlfriend…You know, the girl that you really didn’t like, and you wanted to break up with her, but you just couldn’t bring yourself do it. Then she goes and does something totally BS and breaks up with YOU. Ridiculous.

Alford did this to save his ass, not because it was a new challenge. He was fired and he knew it, so he bailed.

So now we move forward, free of the curse that has been placed on our program for the past 8 years. Good riddance.