Auburn coach Gene Chizik applauds following a touchdown in an NCAA college football game.SEEKING SUCCESSGene Chizik became the sixth consecutive Auburn coach (minimum one full season) to post a winning record with the Tigers:COACH // SEASONS // RECORDShug Jordan* // 1951-75 // 176-83-6Doug Barfield // 1976-80 // 29-25-1Pat Dye // 1981-92 // 99-39-4Terry Bowden // 1993-98 // 47-17-1Tommy Tuberville // 1999-2008 // 85-40Gene Chizik* // 2009-12 // 33-19* — Won the national title
A day after Auburn suffered a 49-0 loss at Alabama to complete an abominable 3-9 football season, Gene Chizik was fired as coach of the Tigers.
Chizik guided Auburn to a 33-19 record in four seasons, a run highlighted by the Tigers going 14-0 and winning the 2010 national championship behind the one-year marvels of quarterback Cam Newton. Auburn fell to 8-5 last season, which matched the record of Chizik’s first year, but this season’s team lost more games than any team in program history other than the 1950 Tigers, who went 0-10.
In its last three Southeastern Conference games against Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama, the Tigers were outscored by a combined 112-7 in the first half.
“My primary consideration was doing what is in the best interest of our current student-athletes and the future of our football program,” Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said Sunday afternoon. “After some tough losses in a transition year in 2011, I had hoped our team would show improvement this season. Unfortunately, it did not.