Miami Fires Randy Shannon

Miami fired coach Randy Shannon on Saturday night, hours after the Hurricanes finished a 7-5 regular season that began with (the all too familiar unrealistic) championship expectations.

Athletic director Kirby Hocutt made the call: “We have made a decision to seek new leadership for our football program,” Hocutt said in a release. “Our expectations are to compete for championships and return to the top of the college football world.”

Shannon received a four-year extension just before the start of the 2010 season. He was 28-22 in four seasons at Miami.

Hocutt made the decision shortly after Miami lost to South Florida 23-20 in overtime on Saturday afternoon, in a game where only about 27,000 people filled the 73,000 seats at Sun Life Stadium. A plane circled the stadium before kickoff calling for a coaching change, and players left fearing that it would be the last time they played for Shannon.