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Alabama fires Mike Shula after 6-6 season
Alabama fired coach Mike Shula less than a year after the Crimson Tide finished a 10-2 season, according to a newspaper report.
Shula told his assistant coaches late Sunday night that Alabama athletic director Mal Moore had dismissed him, The Tuscaloosa News reported on its Web site. An official announcement is expected Monday.
Reached at home, Moore declined comment Monday morning but said he would hold a news conference later in the day.
The Crimson Tide went 6-6 this season, finishing the season with three straight losses.
Shula, a former Alabama quarterback, was winless in four tries against Auburn, his team's biggest rival. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 22-15 on Nov. 18, leaving Shula to answer questions about his job security.
"I haven't even thought about all that stuff," Shula said after the game. He had received a vote of confidence from Moore several weeks earlier.
Shula took over the proud but troubled program less than four months before the 2003 season after Mike Price was fired following spring practice for his off-the-field behavior -- specifically a night of drinking at a Pensacola, Fla., strip club. Price got the job after Dennis Franchione bolted for Texas A&M.
Shula, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, spent 15 years as an NFL assistant before he took the Alabama job but he had no experience as a head coach or on a college staff.
He received a new six-year contract in May worth $1.55 million per year. The deal extended his contract two years through early 2012, with a raise of $650,000 plus a $200,000 signing bonus.
Shula, 41, led Alabama to a 10-2 record and a Cotton Bowl victory in his third season. He has a 26-23 record in four seasons with the Crimson Tide.
Both North Carolina State and Arizona State fired their football coaches on Sunday.
The Wolfpack dismissed Chuck Amato a day after he completed his seventh season at his alma mater. The former N.C. State linebacker had a 49-37 record at the school and led the team to five bowl games. But his squads were 25-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and never finished higher than fourth.
Dirk Koetter was out at Arizona State after leading his team to a bowl the last three seasons. Koetter went 40-33 in six seasons at ASU.
Source: AP
Shula told his assistant coaches late Sunday night that Alabama athletic director Mal Moore had dismissed him, The Tuscaloosa News reported on its Web site. An official announcement is expected Monday.
Reached at home, Moore declined comment Monday morning but said he would hold a news conference later in the day.
The Crimson Tide went 6-6 this season, finishing the season with three straight losses.
Shula, a former Alabama quarterback, was winless in four tries against Auburn, his team's biggest rival. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 22-15 on Nov. 18, leaving Shula to answer questions about his job security.
"I haven't even thought about all that stuff," Shula said after the game. He had received a vote of confidence from Moore several weeks earlier.
Shula took over the proud but troubled program less than four months before the 2003 season after Mike Price was fired following spring practice for his off-the-field behavior -- specifically a night of drinking at a Pensacola, Fla., strip club. Price got the job after Dennis Franchione bolted for Texas A&M.
Shula, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, spent 15 years as an NFL assistant before he took the Alabama job but he had no experience as a head coach or on a college staff.
He received a new six-year contract in May worth $1.55 million per year. The deal extended his contract two years through early 2012, with a raise of $650,000 plus a $200,000 signing bonus.
Shula, 41, led Alabama to a 10-2 record and a Cotton Bowl victory in his third season. He has a 26-23 record in four seasons with the Crimson Tide.
Both North Carolina State and Arizona State fired their football coaches on Sunday.
The Wolfpack dismissed Chuck Amato a day after he completed his seventh season at his alma mater. The former N.C. State linebacker had a 49-37 record at the school and led the team to five bowl games. But his squads were 25-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and never finished higher than fourth.
Dirk Koetter was out at Arizona State after leading his team to a bowl the last three seasons. Koetter went 40-33 in six seasons at ASU.
Source: AP