North Carolina fired coach Larry Fedora on Sunday following a second straight nine-loss season.
“We appreciate all that Larry Fedora has done for us over the last seven years — coming to Carolina in the midst of an NCAA case and bringing stability to our football program when we most needed it,” athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “Despite injuries, despite setbacks and hardships, Larry never made excuses. He focused his teams on overcoming adversity, and I deeply respect the way he persevered and led our program each day with integrity through some tough times. This was not an easy decision because of the deep affinity I have for Larry. It simply is time to take our football program in a new direction.”
Fedora’s current contract was set to run through 2022, and he has a buyout of just over $12 million.
Fedora went 45-43 in his seven years in charge and took the Tar Heels to four straight bowl appearances, but their second consecutive season at the bottom of the ACC Coastal Division led to the end of his tenure.
UNC finished 2-9 overall and 1-7 in conference play after falling to NC State 34-28 in overtime Saturday. The team’s only wins this season came against Pittsburgh on Sept. 22 and Western Carolina on Nov. 17.
Fedora took over the team in 2012 in the wake of NCAA sanctions for improper benefits and academic fraud that led to the firing of Butch Davis. The Tar Heels went 8-4 in Fedora’s first season while under a postseason ban.
The pinnacle of Fedora’s time at Chapel Hill came in 2015, when UNC went 8-0 in the ACC before losing to top-ranked Clemson in the conference’s championship game and finishing 15th in both the AP and coaches polls.