LINCOLN, Neb. — The number of wins and losses didn’t get Bo Pelini fired. It was the way some of those losses happened.
Pelini was dismissed as Nebraska’s football coach Sunday after a seven-year stint marked by an inability to restore the Cornhuskers to national prominence and too many embarrassing defeats.
Pelini extended his streak of winning at least nine games every season with a 37-34 overtime win at Iowa on Friday, but he never won a conference championship and his teams lost four games in every season he completed. Pelini was 67-27 and led the Cornhuskers to three league championship games in the Big 12 and Big Ten.
“I didn’t see enough improvement in areas that were important for us to move forward to play championship-caliber football,” Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst said at a news conference at Memorial Stadium. “We just, for whatever reason, weren’t good enough in the games that mattered against championship-caliber opponents. And I didn’t see that changing. It wasn’t a lack of effort by (Pelini) or his staff or our wonderful players, but I think new leadership was in order.”
Associate head coach Barney Cotton, a former Nebraska offensive lineman and a longtime staff member, will be the interim head coach for the Huskers’ bowl game.
Pelini was under contract through February 2019. Eichorst said Nebraska will owe him a settlement of about $7.9 million, which can be reduced once he lands another job.
Asked for comment on Sunday’s developments, Pelini wrote in a text: “I’m good. Thanks for asking!”
Eichorst said he alone would conduct the search for a new coach. He gave no timetable for naming a replacement.
Nebraska joins Florida as a high-profile program with a coaching vacancy, and others could arise soon. Eichorst said he isn’t worried about competing with other schools.
“Resources are not the question here at Nebraska,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be responsible and good stewards of our resources. I’ve seen people spend a lot of money and not do very much winning, so we’re going to get it right.”
Eichorst said his decision to fire Pelini “crystalized” on Saturday night. Eichorst said he met in his office with Pelini on Sunday morning and their conversation was “cordial and professional.”
No fewer than nine wins
The year-by-year record of Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini, who was fired Sunday:
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| Year | Record | Postseason Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 9-4 | Won Gator Bowl |
| 2009 | 10-4 | Won Holiday Bowl |
| 2010 | 10-4 | Lost Holiday Bowl |
| 2011 | 9-4 | Lost Capital One Bowl |
| 2012 | 10-4 | Lost Capital One Bowl |
| 2013 | 9-4 | Won Gator Bowl |
| 2014 | 9-3 | Fire before Gator Bowl |
