Indiana Fires Football Coach Bill Lynch

Bloomington, IN, United States (AHN) – After three straight losing seasons, Indiana dismissed head football coach Bill Lynch, athletic director Fred Glass announced on Sunday.

The school’s decision came a day after the 56-year-old Lynch became the first Hoosiers coach to win at rival Purdue since 1996.

Saturday’s 34-31 overtime triumph in West Lafayette enabled Indiana to reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket from Purdue to earn its only conference victory in a third straight losing season.

Lynch, who took over as interim coach in 2007 after coach Terry Hoeppner died from complications of a brain tumor, steered Indiana to a 5-7 mark and 1-7 in the Big Ten this season.

Over the past four seasons, Lynch compiled a 19-30 record with Indiana, with three conference wins in three years.

In Lynch’s maiden year in Bloomington, the Hoosiers won seven games in 2007, the second most by a first-year coach in school history.

That year Indiana also earned its first bowl birth since 1993.

But the Hoosiers failed to carry the momentum, struggling in the following years and failing to reach another bowl game.

After a head coaching stint at Depauw in 2004, Lynch joined the Hoosiers, assuming the positions of assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach from 2005-07.

In 17 seasons as head coach at Butler, Ball State, DePauw and Indiana, Lynch compiled a 100-97-3 record in 17 seasons.

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