Site Tools: Email Alerts | Text Alerts | iPhone/Android | Facebook | Twitter | RSS             Mobile, Alabama | Pensacola, Florida | Ft. Walton Beach, Florida
 

Auburn Fires Gene Chizik, Looks for New Coach

Set Text Size SmallSet Text Size MediumSet Text Size LargeSet Text Size X-Large
Share
Updated: 11/26/2012 12:39 pm
AUBRUN, Ala (WPMI) -- Officials at Auburn University announced Sunday the school has fired football coach Gene Chizik after the team finished with no SEC wins for the first time in school history.

"Earlier this morning, I informed Gene that he will not return as head coach," Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs said in a statement posted on the school's athletic website.

Chizik, who took over the football program in 2008, led the team to a BCS National Championship in 2010. The 2012 season, however, was more than disappointing as the team finished 3-9. Chizik's tenure overall has been sub par with a 19-19 record not including the title season. The team, in its final 3 SEC games this season was outscored 150-21.

"As we all know, the competition in our league is fierce, and in the final analysis, I decide that can not risk falling further behind by waiting another year and hoping for improvement; that is why we decided to go in a different direction," Jacobs told reporters in a Sunday news conference.

McGill High School standout quarterback Jason Smith, Jr. has committed to Auburn, but had not heard of Chizik's status until contacted by Local 15 Sports anchor Clement Townsend. Smith's father, Jason Sr., said he expects his son to stay committed to Auburn for now. The father added  his son will continue to look at a few other schools including Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas State, which is coached by former Auburn assistant coach Gus Malzahn.

A search committee for a new coach includes former Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan along with Tiger great Mac Crawford.

Share
3 Comment(s)
Comments: Show | Hide

Here are the most recent story comments.View All

The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Local 15

kathy36617 - 11/26/2012 6:09 PM
1 Vote
@CrimsonTide - my goodness the way you shoot out those statistics, it is like a history lesson. I don't agree with a lot of your commentary but your knowledge of Auburn/Alabama football is impressive!

racefanof88 - 11/25/2012 8:58 PM
1 Vote
They hired, and now fired Chizik, to be the scape goat. He was about to be out of a job at Iowa State and was right for the picking for Auburn. Chizik is the fall guy and he was just too stupid/desperate to know it, or maybe he knew it and just didn't care.

CrimsonTide14 - 11/25/2012 3:45 PM
3 Votes
Wow!! I never seen that coming!!! lol.... Seriously, when a coach goes 0-8 in any conference he deserves to b let go. Here is what I see as the problems at the Barn, they hired a couple assistant coaches with bad character and reputations for skirting the rules. These two coaches Taylor and Luper created a culture at the Barn where platers and recruits were encouraged to act like thugs and punks. They apparently were trying to mirror the Miami Hurricannes of the 80s and 90s that were bad players and even worse people. The limosine and the partys were a clear sign that the Barn was not taking football seriously and was more about just having a good time. Now they have the NCAA snooping around and this won't end well IMO. Chizik deserves exactly what he got, he allowed a great school and football program to fall into despair and become the laughing stock of college football in a record time frame. No school has ever fallen so far and so fast than the Barn has and their fans and alumni deserve much better that this. As a Bama fan it pains me to see an in-state rival that is no longer even competitive in any of their games. The Cam Newton saga was the fuse that led to the dynamite and now the day of reckoning is here. Not many reputable and decent coach will tak the job with the louds of the NCAA hovering overhead now. The Barn tried too hard to compete with a football genious in Nick Saban and he is processing out Auburn and SEC coaches on a 3-4 year basis now. Fulmer to Dooley to ?,Tuberville to Chizik to?, Houston Nutt to Hugh Freeze, Urban Meyer to Will Muschamp, Sly Croom to Dan Mullen, Bobby Petrino to John L Smith to ??... You get the picture! This dismissal deal with Chizik will set the Barn back for 5-7 years minimum and it's a valuable lesson in what kind of program that the Barners want, a team and program that embraces thugism and punks, allows outsiders like Bobby Lowder, Pat Dye and Yella Fella Jimmy Rane to mettle in the program or a Sabenesque program?
Mobile/Pensacola Current Conditions
76°
High: 84° | Low: 70°
Partly Cloudy
Inergize Digital This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital.
Mobile advertising for this site is available on Local Ad Buy.