Steve Addazio is out as Colorado State football coach after two seasons, the school announced Thursday.
Colorado State finished 3-9 this season and lost its last six games. Addazio was ejected from the season-ending, 42-point loss to Nevada because of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
“The decision we have made today is not one we take lightly,” Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker said in a statement. “I am grateful to Steve Addazio and his coaching staff for their steadfast commitment to our student-athletes, both athletically and academically, to developing men of high character, and reinvigorating our locker room with a culture of toughness and accountability. However, after a thorough review of where our program stands today and our outlook for the future, looking at the totality of factors, I felt this was a necessary step.”
Addazio’s buyout dropped from $5 million to $3 million on Thursday. Colorado State was 1-3 in Addazio’s first campaign in 2020, a season shortened because of COVID-19 issues.
The school said senior associate head coach Brian White would serve as Colorado State’s interim head coach while it undergoes a national search for Addazio’s replacement.
Addazio was previously the head coach at Boston College (2013-19) and Temple (2011-12). He was a part of Urban Meyer’s staff at Florida for the Gators’ national championships in 2006 and 2008.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.