Louisville has fired head football coach Bobby Petrino after the Cardinals lost their seventh game in a row, falling to 2-8 for the 2018 season.
Louisville has parted ways with head football coach Bobby Petrino after the Cardinals lost their seventh consecutive game on Saturday, bringing the team’s record to 2-8 this season.
The news was first reported by Yahoo Sports who cited sources that wished to remain anonymous inside the Cardinals‘ program. However, Louisville Athletic Director Vince Tyra confirmed the decision to dismiss Petrino.
“We want to thank Bobby for guiding our football program to some of the better seasons we have had historically at UofL during his two separate tenures here. However, at this time we feel the program needs different leadership and we owe it to our student-athletes and fans to get this turned around,“ Tyra said.
“I did not have the confidence that it was going to happen next season without a change and it needs to start happening now. We expect to determine a new head coach soon to restore our football program to national prominence.“
Petrino’s firing is effective immediately and he will not coach the remainder of the season.
A press conference has been scheduled for 2 p.m. local time for Vance to address the future of the program. Yahoo Sports is reporting that Lorenzo Ward will be named the interim coach.
Petrino previously coached Louisville from 2003-06 with a 41-9 record. After coaching with the Atlanta Falcons and collegiate stops at Arkansas and Western Kentucky, he returned to Louisville in 2014. For Petrino’s second stint with the school, he holds a 77-35 record and four bowl appearances with one bowl win, the Music City Bowl in 2015.
Petrino’s contract buyout is expected to be around $14 million dollars.
