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Nebraska fires athletic director after 5 years

Nebraska football head coach Mike Riley, right, chats with Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst, during fan day in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, July 29, 2017. Photo: Associated Press/(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)



LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has fired athletic director Shawn Eichorst, citing his failure to improve “on-field performance” by the Cornhuskers.

Chancellor Ronnie Green announced the move Thursday. Eichorst joined Nebraska in October 2012, and has about $1.7 million remaining on a contract that runs through June 2019.

Green praised Eichorst but says his “efforts have not translated into on-field performance. Green says winning “can and often does happen in concert with well-run, quality college programs.”

Eichorst and football coach Mike Riley have been under increased scrutiny with the continued mediocrity of the program. Eichorst hired Riley in 2014, replacing Bo Pelini.

Riley is just 16-13 at Nebraska, a school that has won five national championships, went to bowl games every year from 1969-2003 but has not won a conference title since 1999. The Huskers are off to a second 1-2 start in three seasons.

 

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