The University of Arkansas has fired head football coach Sam Pittman following Saturday's (September 27) blowout loss to Notre Dame.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who had previously served as the Razorbacks' head coach from 2008 to 2011, will take over as the interim.
“I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” said Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director Hunter Yurachek in a statement shared by the athletic program. “From Day 1, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful. The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship. As we move forward in the process of finding our next head coach, I am certain we will be able to provide the necessary resources to our staff and team to reach our goals. We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately and that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job.”
Pittman, 63, went 32-34 (14-29 SEC) during six seasons as Arkansas' head coach and entered the season on the hot seat. The Razorbacks dropped to 2-3 with Saturday's loss, their third consecutive after starting the season with wins against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State.
Petrino went 51-34 during his first stint as Arkansas' head coach, but was fired for cause after he attempted to mislead then-Vice Chancellor and Director Jeff Long and the public about his relationship with student-athlete development coordinator Jessica Dorrell following a motorcycle crash. The veteran coach has a 119-56 FBS career head coaching record, which also includes multiple stints at Louisville and one year at Western Kentucky.