Stanford Following the
1994 season, despite having never been more than a position coach at any level, Willingham returned to Stanford as head coach, succeeding
Bill Walsh. In his seven seasons (1995–2001) as coach, he led the Cardinal to a 44–36–1 record and four
bowl game appearances. Notably, Willingham's teams went undefeated (7–0) against arch-rival
California. In 2000, he was presented with the Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award that is given annually to honor "an outstanding college football coach and role model for career achievement". Willingham began the
2002 season by going 8–0, and went on to become the only first-year coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games. For his efforts, he was named the
SN Sportsman of the year, ESPN/Home Depot College Coach of the Year, the Scripps College Coach of the Year, the
Black Coaches Association Male Coach of the Year, and the
George Munger Award College Coach of the Year by the
Maxwell Football Club. In the 2002 regular-season finale, ND was blown out by arch-rival
USC, 44–13, and was outgained 610–109—the worst such margin in school history. That loss knocked ND from a likely
Bowl Championship Series berth down to the
2003 Gator Bowl—where they were beaten by
North Carolina State, 28–6.
2003 The
2003 team finished 5–7 and was beaten badly in four of those losses, getting shut out twice in one season for the first time since 1960, including a 37–0 loss to Florida State and finishing with a point differential of 315-243 —the worst of any Fighting Irish team since 1956.
2004 In
2004, Notre Dame posted a 6–5 record in the regular season, including a 41–16 loss to
Purdue (the second-worst home loss ever to Purdue) and ending with Willingham's third consecutive loss to
USC for his fifth loss by 30 points or more, and eighth by 22 points or more, in his three seasons. The following Tuesday, November 30, after an overall record in South Bend of 21–15 (an 8–0 start followed by a 13-15 finish), Notre Dame
terminated Willingham as head coach. Defensive coordinator
Kent Baer served as acting head coach for the
Insight Bowl, a 38–21 loss to
Oregon State.
Washington On December 13, 2004, Willingham was hired as the new head coach at
Washington, succeeding
Keith Gilbertson. The Huskies returned 19 of 22 starters from the previous season, in which they had gone 1–10 (0–8 in conference play). Willingham's primary task was to change the program's image, which had been marred by off-the-field legal problems under
Rick Neuheisel. He instituted a strict hair policy and was known to occasionally show up in his players' classes unannounced to make sure they were attending.
2005 Willingham faced his former team on September 24, 2005. Notre Dame prevailed, 36–17. His first season at Washington ended with a 2–9 record (1–7 in conference play, tied for 9th place), capped by a scuffle after a close loss to Washington State.
2006 His 2006 Washington team started October with a 4–1 record, with its most notable victory a stunning 29–19 upset over previously undefeated
UCLA, before losing its next 6 games after starting
quarterback Isaiah Stanback suffered a season-ending foot injury in a loss to Oregon State in their sixth game. The Huskies ended the season at 5–7 (3–6 in conference play, 9th place), this time defeating state rival
Washington State (WSU) by three points. This win held WSU from defeating the Huskies for three consecutive seasons years, something that has never happened in the history of the century-long rivalry.
2007 The
2007 Washington Huskies football team faced what a preseason
CBS Sports opinion piece called "the toughest schedule in the country" Washington went on to a 4–9 record overall (2–7 in conference play, 10th place) with wins against
Syracuse,
Boise State,
Stanford, and
California. There was considerable debate after the season over whether Willingham should be fired as no other coach in the history of the program had ever tallied three straight losing seasons.
Washington State won the Apple Cup again, making it three out of the last four. In the end, it was decided that he would return for the upcoming season with the expectation that the team become more competitive. Additionally, several boosters were pleased at Willingham's effort to clean up the program. The second game against #15
BYU was a nail biter and Washington scored the final touchdown in the final minute. The
PAT would have tied the game, however an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called against quarterback
Jake Locker who had thrown the ball up in the air in celebration after scoring the touchdown. This moved the PAT attempt to 35 yards which was blocked and the BYU escaped with a 28–27 victory. In the next game, the Huskies were dismantled 55–14 by the #3
Oklahoma Sooners, giving the overmatched Huskies their greatest margin of defeat at home since 1929. In the fourth game, the Huskies lost to
Stanford leaving them as the only winless team in a BCS conference. The Huskies were without a sack, leaving them as the only school without a sack at this point of the season. It was the second 0–4 start in the last five years and only the fourth time ever in the history of the program. Starting quarterback Jake Locker was lost for the season, injuring his left hand during a block on a reverse. In the fifth game,
Arizona put Washington away early and the game ended with a 48–14 wipeout of the Huskies. This was the biggest margin of victory by Arizona over Washington ever, and started a watch of just how bad the team could get. The Huskies had a flat performance in their sixth game to lose to
Oregon State 34–13. This was the fifth consecutive loss to the Beavers, something that had never happened in the long history of the series. Game 7 was another loss versus his former team
Notre Dame. The Huskies were nearly shutout in suffering a 33–7 loss that left them 0–7 and ineligible for a bowl game yet again. On October 27, 2008, seven games into the 2008 season, Willingham announced that his contract was being terminated and he would be leaving UW after the regular season. Game 8 was a shutout by
USC. At 0–11, Washington was the only winless team in the
FBS, and the owner of a 13-game losing streak stretching from the last season. Washington closed out the season with a loss at
1–10 Washington State in double-overtime, making it four of the last five, and with a season-ending loss at
California. Willingham finished the season with an 0–12 record, the Huskies' first winless season in 119 years, as well as the only winless season in the PAC-10, PAC-12 era. ==Post coaching career==