Petrino resigns from Falcons; Arkansas next

Bobby Petrino didn’t even last a full season in the NFL.

Fayetteville, AR  - Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino resigned Tuesday just 13 games into his first season in the NFL and has returned to the college ranks as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing confirmation from the Falcons, that Petrino called the team at 5:45 p.m. (et) and informed them of his decision to resign.

Then, in an over-the-top press conference that kicked off after 11:30 p.m. (et), Petrino was introduced at Arkansas.

All of this less than 24 hours after the Falcons lost to the New Orleans Saints, 34-14, on Monday night.

While the school didn’t hesitate to make the announcement, the Falcons, who did confirm the resignation in a brief statement, have scheduled an afternoon press conference for Wednesday to address the situation in more detail.

“I’m very fired up to be here,” Petrino said during his press conference at Arkansas.

Petrino signed a five-year, $24-million deal in the offseason to take over the Falcons after having a successful run as head coach of the University of Louisville.

With Arkansas, he will not take over the head coaching duties immediately. He said that defensive coordinator Reggie Herring is still expected to coach the Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri on January 1. Although, that could all change after Petrino meets with the coaching staff.

In one of the strangest press conferences, after Petrino was introduced and gave his opening statement, the attendees welcomed him with the Razorbacks’ “WoooPigSooie” chant.

“I truly believe in the student athlete,” said Petrino. “I truly believe that when you win off the field, win in the classroom, and socially, that you have a great chance of winning on the football field.”

The Falcons organization was caught in turmoil all season stemming from the Michael Vick federal dogfighting case. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in the dogfighting ring on Monday, the same day the Falcons lost what turned out to be Petrino’s final game, dropping his brief professional record to 3-10.

Petrino stated numerous times in recent weeks that his focus was on the Falcons and not returning to college.

“It really wasn’t a change of mind,” Petrino said, “it was being able to work out the details and the ability to get here. I knew that I wanted to come back to coaching college football.”

Petrino’s replacement has not been named. It is a possibility that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer could take over on an interim basis.

Petrino replaces Houston Nutt, who left after the final game of the regular season to take over at Ole Miss. The Razorbacks finished this past regular season with an 8-4 mark.

At Louisville, Petrino orchestrated one of the best offenses in the country. In his last season with the team, the Cardinals went 12-1, won the Big East Conference, earning the automatic BCS bowl berth, and defeated Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl, 24-13. In five seasons with Louisville, Petrino went 41-9 overall.

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