Updated: Dec. 31, 2006, 3:25 PM ET
By Joe Schad
Special to ESPN.com
Minnesota has fired football coach Glen Mason and will announce it later Sunday, several sources said.
Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi has called a news conference for 6 p.m. ET Sunday "regarding the future of the Golden Gopher football program."
Minnesota (6-7) lost to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl after allowing the Red Raiders to overcome a 31-point, third-quarter deficit for a stunning 44-41 OT win on Friday night. It was the largest comeback in Division I-A bowl history.
The news release distributed by the university did not mention Mason specifically.
Mason has spent 10 seasons in Minnesota trying to rebuild a program that has long been a bottom feeder in the Big Ten.
He has made strides in several areas, turning the Gophers into one of the premier rushing offenses in the nation, but fans have been disappointed by losses in big games.
The Golden Gophers had won the last three games of the regular season to finish 6-6 and qualify for a bowl game. Mason signed a four-year contract extension worth $1.65 million annually last New Year's Eve. He led the Gophers to seven bowl games in the last eight seasons -- more than half of Minnesota's all-time 12 postseason appearances.
By Joe Schad
Special to ESPN.com
Minnesota has fired football coach Glen Mason and will announce it later Sunday, several sources said.
Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi has called a news conference for 6 p.m. ET Sunday "regarding the future of the Golden Gopher football program."
Minnesota (6-7) lost to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl after allowing the Red Raiders to overcome a 31-point, third-quarter deficit for a stunning 44-41 OT win on Friday night. It was the largest comeback in Division I-A bowl history.
The news release distributed by the university did not mention Mason specifically.
Mason has spent 10 seasons in Minnesota trying to rebuild a program that has long been a bottom feeder in the Big Ten.
He has made strides in several areas, turning the Gophers into one of the premier rushing offenses in the nation, but fans have been disappointed by losses in big games.
The Golden Gophers had won the last three games of the regular season to finish 6-6 and qualify for a bowl game. Mason signed a four-year contract extension worth $1.65 million annually last New Year's Eve. He led the Gophers to seven bowl games in the last eight seasons -- more than half of Minnesota's all-time 12 postseason appearances.
