Tuberville out as coach at Auburn

Dec 4, 2008 - 1:42 AM AUBURN, Alabama (Ticker) -- Tommy Tuberville's tenure as Auburn head coach is over.

The team announced on Wednesday that Tuberville has resigned after 10 seasons at the helm. A press conference will be held on Thursday to officially discuss the move.

"The last 10 years have been a great time in my life, both professionally and personally," Tuberville said. "It's been a great place to coach and live, and we've had a lot of success along the way. I'm going to remain in Auburn and help the Auburn family however I can."

After winning 42 games over the last four seasons, Tuberville and the Tigers stumbled to a 5-7 mark in 2008, failing to qualify for a bowl for the first time since 1999.

This brings an end to a tumultuous season for Auburn, which also fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin in October. The Tigers were 110th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging just 17.3 points per contest.

Auburn's season came to a disappointing end Saturday with a 36-0 loss to top-ranked and rival Alabama. That loss ended the Tigers' six-game winning streak over the Crimson Tide.

In his 10-year tenure at Auburn, Tuberville compiled an 85-40 record, including 52-30 within the Southeastern Conference. Auburn finished second in the nation during its undefeated 2004 campaign, which culminated with a 16-13 victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

"We appreciate everything Tommy has done for this program, this university and the Auburn community over the last 10 years," athletics director Jay Jacobs said. "He has established a strong foundation to build upon and we thank him for the standard he set."

The school said in its statement that Tuberville's buyout will be fulfilled.

Tuberville leaves as the fourth-winningest coach in school history. He also had the fourth-longest tenure at Auburn, behind Ralph Jordan's 25 seasons, Mike Donahue's 18 and Pat Dye's 12-year stint.

"I will begin the search immediately for Auburn's next head football coach," Jacobs said. "We will move as quickly and efficiently as we possibly can, but we're going to be thorough and strategic with our search to find the best fit for Auburn."