Arizona coach Mike Stoops had been lauded for turning the program around, leading the Wildcats to three straight bowls after a decade of mediocrity. But even as Arizona was making its run to last year's Alamo Bowl, there were signs that the program had taken a step back. Combined with a lackluster start to this season, athletic director Greg Byrne had seen enough. Byrne announced Monday that Arizona had fired Stoops halfway through his eighth season, ending a run that had quickly deteriorated in the desert. "I was concerned about the direction of the program and where we were going, and felt that needed to be addressed," Byrne said. "We felt this would give everybody a fresh start for the remainder of the season." Stoops joins New Mexico's Mike Locksley as the only coaches of major college football programs to be fired since this season started. read more: http://espn.go.com/college-football...ona-wildcats-fire-mike-stoops-coach-1-5-start
