By now, everyone knows Pat Hill, the erstwhile football coach of Fresno State, was fired by the school he has coached for 15 years. He was, as he put it in his closing press conference, a “dinosaur.”

But Hill, in his time at Fresno, seemed to embody everything that this city stands for. Just as Fresno seems to be a city stuck in the middle, that is neither a glamorous big city nor a folksy small town, the ‘Dogs under Hill were the team that played “Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere,” and had visions for BCS games and WAC championships, only to be passed by by schools like Boise State.

Hill’s personality endeared him to many fans, his famous Fu Manchu and sweat-stained hat showing the grit of both the team and the city. He also exemplified the pride that this city has: in 2006, in the midst of a 4-8 season, Hill removed the Bulldog from the Fresno State helmet, as if to say, “This is not good enough.”

Shoot, Hill even kinda looked like a Bulldog.

But in the end, Hill was let go for failing to bring about his vision for the program in the last six years. Since 2006, Fresno State has gone 40-37, a far cry from the school’s 61-31 record from the previous seven years. Hill’s mantra led to some ugly losses against good teams, as he compiled an 8-22 record against bowl-eligible teams since 2006.

Hill’s WAC troubles hurt as well, as Fresno State only won one conference championship during his tenure, and a shared title at that.

All this led to significantly lower attendance in recent years, especially this season, when attendance dwindled to 29,299 per game this season, a 27-year low.

Hill’s consistency was both a positive and his downfall. You knew the ‘Dogs would always come to play against the best, and sometimes they would come out on top. Alas, you also knew they’d put up a stinker against the lowlights of the WAC.

The playcalling ”” which could accurately be described as “run right, run left, bubble screen left, punt” ”” was too predictable, and, even with the likes of David Carr, Ryan Mathews and Derek Carr, could stay stagnant for far too long.

However, with Hill, the positives far outweighed the negatives.

Every year, Fresno State had some of the best special teams in the country. It was comforting to know that if the Red Wave started chanting “Block that kick” the ‘Dogs would, more often than not, come through.

Hill put Fresno State on the map in a way Jim Sweeney never could. Freso State traveled the country, beating teams it had no business beating. Who can forget 2001, when the ‘Dogs started the season by beating Colorado, Sports Illustrated No. 1 Oregon State and Wisconsin, all Top 25 teams? Or how the three consecutive bowl wins over Georgia Tech, UCLA and Virginia from 2002-2004? Or the near defeat of No. 1 USC at the Los Angeles Coliseum?

I still remember where I was for all of those games.

Even beyond the games, Hill resurrected the squad’s academic performance, raising Fresno State from graduating a paltry 22 percent of its players to, the last two years, graduating 85 and 89 percent.

Time will tell if firing Hill was the right move, though with all the talent coming back next season, especially on the offensive side of the ball, any coach will have a good chance at succeeding.

But Pat Hill deserves our thanks for all of the good he has brought this school and this city.