Larry Fedora Fired as North Carolina Head Football Coach After 6-Plus Seasons

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistNovember 25, 2018

CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Larry Fedora of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team against the Pittsburgh Panthers during their game at Kenan Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 38-35. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels fired head football coach Larry Fedora on Sunday, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.

Fedora will still walk away with a handsome buyout, per Brett McMurray of Stadium:

Brett McMurphy @Brett_McMurphy
Larry Fedora will receive $3 million per year buyout from North Carolina for each of the next four years

Athletic director Bubba Cunningham released a statement on the firing, per Andrew Carter of the News & Observer:

Andrew Carter @_andrewcarter
UNC makes it official, firing Larry Fedora after seven years. Fedora will be owed a buyout of $12 million. Statement from athletic director Bubba Cunningham: https://t.co/Iz1vIFPr8Y

Fedora, 56, took over as the program's head coach in 2012 at a tumultuous time, when the school was given three years probation and a bowl ban for the 2012 season in the wake of a number of NCAA violations. Nonetheless, he led the team to four winning seasons in his first five years and took North Carolina to four straight bowl games between 2013-16.

But in the last two seasons, North Carolina went a combined 5-18, falling to the cellar of the ACC and putting Fedora firmly on the hot seat. Given the team's swift descent, his firing felt somewhat inevitable.

In all, he finished 45-43 for the Tar Heels.

The team also fired defensive coordinator John Papuchis and offensive coordinator Chris Kapilovic, according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com. The team's search for a new head coach will now commence.

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