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ASU fires football coach Dirk Koetter
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Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter looks on during the second half of their game against USC in this Oct. 14, 2006 file photo in Los Angeles.
The Associated Press
The banquet, which typically is open to the media, will be closed to reporters.
Vice president of athletics Lisa Love will hold a press conference, and afterward, Koetter will read a statement to the media. He is not expected to answer questions.
Koetter, 47, has three seasons remaining on a contract that was extended two years in March. He is owed a $2.85-million buyout.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Koetter coached the Sun Devils to a 28-14 victory against archrival Arizona in Tucson. A source close to the football program told the Tribune that, during their midfield meeting after the game, Koetter told UA coach Mike Stoops that he was gone.
The Sun Devils finished the regular season 7-5 and will play in a bowl game. Koetter said on Saturday that if he was fired, he hoped to coach in the bowl.
The move was made official during a meeting between Koetter and Love on Sunday morning. The coach informed the ASU players during their regularly-scheduled day-after team meeting.
Koetter’s assistant coaches have also been dismissed; they were scheduled to depart for recruiting trips on Monday morning.
Koetter was 40-33 overall at ASU, with a 2-19 mark against top-25 ranked teams and an 0-12 record in Pac-10 games played in the state of California. The Sun Devils won four of the six games that Koetter coached against Arizona.
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