Nebraska has fired athletic director Shawn Eichorst. The school announced the decision in a release on Thursday afternoon.
"Shawn has led Nebraska Athletics in many positive ways, but those efforts have not translated into on-field performance," chancellor Ronnie Green said in a statement. "Our fans and our student-athletes deserve leadership that drives the highest levels of competitiveness, as well as excellence across all facets of Husker Athletics."
Eichorst first came to Nebraska in 2012 and is owed $1.7 million through the end of his contract in 2019.
"While I am deeply disappointed in the decision today, I am grateful for the wonderful years that my family and I have spent at Nebraska," said Eichorst of his dismissal. "I am proud of how our student-athletes, coaches and staff represented this great university and state, and I am confident that the future is bright for Nebraska Athletics."
Nebraska fans had been growing impatient with both their football and basketball programs in recent seasons, and things seemed to reach a boil following Nebraska's 21-17 loss to Northern Illinois last weekend. After the game, Eichorst called the loss "unacceptable" and said the program needed to be better.
"They have to do better," said Eichorst on Saturday. "The players have to do better, and they have to prepare for next week. Nobody is feeling sorry for anybody. There are no excuses to be made."
It seems Nebraska feels it needs to do better as well.
Eichorst's biggest move at Nebraska was his decision to fire Bo Pelini after the 2014 season. The Cornhuskers were coming off a 9-3 season and had gone 67-27 under Pelini over seven seasons. Eichorst hired Mike Riley to replace Pelini, and Riley's Nebraska teams have gone 16-13 in two-plus seasons.
News also broke last week that despite the slow start to the Riley regime, Eichorst extended Riley's contract through the 2020 season.
Nebraska says that a national search for a new athletic director will begin immediately.
