Tuesday,
January 13, 2004
| Suspended
football coach formally resigns Former cornerbacks coach Willie Mack Garza still awaits a grand jury decision in connection to a Sept. 20 accident on Southeast Loop 820. By Amy Sikes Staff Reporter Willie Mack Garza, the TCU assistant football coach who was arrested in September on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failing to render aid to an injured person, has resigned. Garza cited personal reasons for the resignation when the Skiff reached him by telephone. He said he plans to “take a break” but will coach again. He would not comment futher. Garza was arrested Sept. 20 in Fort Worth in connection to an accident on Southeast Loop 820 in Forest Hill, police said. The cornerbacks coach, who was suspended with pay and barred from his formal duties after the arrest, is still awaiting a grand jury investigation to determine whether he will be indicted on felony or misdemeanor charges, assistant district attorney Curtis Stallings said. The case could also be thrown out. Stallings said the hearing is set for the middle of February. The football team will begin interviewing replacement candidates over the next few weeks, said Steve Fink, the athletics media relations director. He said that Garza was not asked to resign. Kacey Dunn,the interim coach during Garza’s suspension, recently acccepted a coaching position at the University of Arizona, Fink said. Head coach Gary Patterson said the incident didn’t distract the team. “The football team and the coaching staff are sorry that it happened, but we all make choices,” Patterson said. |