Shula is out at the Capstone

UPDATE 9:40 a.m. TUSCALOOSA | University of Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore announced this morning that Mike Shula will not be retained as its head football coach. Shula led the Crimson Tide to a 26-23 record overall in his four seasons as head coach.

Shula, who was named the 26th head football coach in UA history on May 9, 2003, led Alabama to a 6-6 record this season. The Crimson Tide is bowl-eligible this season, but it has not been determined if the team will receive an invitation to a post-season bowl game.

UA assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Kines will assume the role of interim head coach.

A news conference will be held today at 2 p.m. CST in the Naylor Stone Media Room.

This news conference is not open to the public.

TUSCALOOSA | Mike Shula has been dismissed as the University of Alabama’s head football coach, multiple sources close to the Crimson Tide football program told The Tuscaloosa News on Sunday night.

Shula notified his assistant coaches late Sunday night after UA director of athletics Mal Moore gave him the news, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Neither Moore nor Shula were available for comment on Sunday night. UA is expected to make an official announcement today.

The Crimson Tide staff and players had a team meeting at the Paul W. Bryant Hall Academic Center on Sunday night, but Shula and the assistant coaches were not aware of their status at that time. The meeting concluded at approximately 9:15 p.m.

However, two sources confirmed to The News that Shula and Moore met after that time.

Moore and UA President Dr. Robert Witt met on Sunday afternoon, apparently to finalize their decision on Shula’s future.

Shula, 43, had been hired as the Crimson Tide’s football coach on May 4, 2003. The former UA quarterback had a coaching record of 26-23 in four seasons at the Tide helm.

He was given a raise and contract extension at the end of the 2005 season, following a 10-2 year which culminated with a victory in the Cotton Bowl.

However, he came under increasing fire this season as the Crimson Tide slipped to a 6-6 record, including a 2-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play. That included losses to Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee and Auburn, leaving Shula with a 2-14 record against those four annual UA rivals.

Following the Crimson Tide’s 22-15 loss to Auburn on Nov. 18, Shula said that he would “evaluate every aspect” of the Crimson Tide football program. However, there was no official comment concerning Shula’s status until the following Wednesday, when Moore released a statement saying:

“As is customary at the end of the regular season, we are evaluating our football program. We are evaluating every aspect of our program and this is not a process that I wish to discuss at length in a public forum. We are bowl-eligible and we hope to remain positioned to play in a bowl game. We remain firm in our commitment to our student-athletes. I am proud of their efforts throughout this season and we are more determined than ever to return Alabama football to its rightful place among college football’s elite.”

Shula’s contract, which was amended earlier this year, calls for “liquidated damages” of $3 million, plus $200,000 for each of the contract’s five remaining years. The buyout is to be paid in monthly installments and will be mitigated by any compensation Shula may receive from other employment in that time.

No timetable has been announced regarding the hiring of a replacement.

Tuscaloosa News executive sports editor David Wasson contributed to this story.

Cecil Hurt is sports editor of The Tuscaloosa News. Reach him at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0225.