Colorado State football coach Steve Fairchild has been fired after three straight 3-9 seasons.
New athletic director Jack Graham announced his decision Sunday, a day after the Rams lost their eighth straight game, 22-19 to Wyoming.
Graham said a national search for a replacement would begin immediately.
Secondary coach Tim Duffie was named “transitional coach” in charge of directing the football staff and players. He will lead the Rams’ recruiting efforts until a new coach is hired.
Fairchild will be paid his base salary of $350,000 for next season, which was the last year of his five-year contract. That money will come from private funds, not state money, the school said.
“We have made some great strides over the last four years, both on and off the field, and I feel the program is ready to take a major step forward,” Fairchild said in a statement. “With approximately 19 starters returning for the 2012 season, I regret not having the opportunity to see the process through.
“However, I realize that college football is a bottom-line business, and I knew when I was hired that I would be ultimately judged by wins and losses.”
Fairchild was a quarterback at CSU from 1978-80 and served as the Rams’ quarterbacks coach from 1993-96 and offensive coordinator from 1997-2000. He then spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams, five of them as offensive coordinator, before returning to Fort Collins.
“I’m extremely fortunate to have been a player, assistant coach, and head coach at my school, Colorado State, with a stint as an NFL coach in between,” said Fairchild.
Graham was scheduled to meet with the media at 4:30 p.m. MT.
“I appreciate all that Steve has done for Colorado State University,” Graham said in a statement. “As a former player, graduate, assistant and head coach, Steve took great pride in our football program and university. He will always be a valued member of the Ram family.”
Graham replaced Paul Kowalczyk on Thursday and said his top priority was returning the football program to prominence. He met with Fairchild — both are former CSU quarterbacks — Friday and again Sunday, a day after the Rams blew a late lead to Wyoming.
It was their third straight loss to the Cowboys in the annual Bronze Boot game and their eighth consecutive loss overall, leaving Fairchild 16-33 in four seasons in Fort Collins.
He went 7-6 in 2008, including a win over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl, after replacing the popular Sonny Lubick but went 9-27 after that. Both his 2009 and his ‘11 teams were beset by injuries to key starters, foiling hopes of resurgent seasons.
The football program’s downward spiral is what led University President Tony Frank to fire Kowalczyk with 3 1/2 years and $830,000 left on his contract in a stunning move Thursday. He replaced him with Graham, a retired businessman who played quarterback for CSU in the early 1970s but who has no experience running an athletic department.
After Saturday’s game, Graham said he wasn’t going to drag out his decision on Fairchild because he didn’t want to harm recruiting efforts, but he made it clear he wouldn’t give Fairchild an extension if he decided to bring him back in 2012.
Sophomore center Weston Richburg said Saturday he didn’t think the status quo would work again for the Rams.
“You can’t go 3-9 three straight years and expect nothing to happen,” he said.
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