GatewayRedbirds.com

Minnesota has fired coach Tim Brewster after three and a half seasons at the school.

Athletic director Joel Maturi announced the decision Sunday, a day after Minnesota lost its sixth consecutive game. Jeff Horton, the team's co-offensive coordinator, will handle the head-coaching duties on an interim basis.


Brewster went 15-30 at Minnesota and 7-18 since November 2008. The Golden Gophers' loss Saturday to Purdue dropped them to 1-6 this season.

He will be paid a buyout of $600,000 stemming from a contract extension he signed in January. The extension ran through the 2013 season but included a lower buyout than his original deal with the school.

"While I appreciate the passion and commitment that coach Brewster has shown, it is clear that a change in the leadership of Gopher football is necessary," Maturi said in a statement. "We have high aspirations for our football program and we are not satisfied with its current direction. The results so far this season have been unacceptable and the program has simply not shown enough improvement over the past three and a half years to continue with the status quo."

Brewster was informed of the decision Sunday morning. Maturi had discussed Brewster's future with university president Robert Bruininks several times in recent weeks, and Bruininks was "in complete agreement with the decision to remove Brewster as head coach," according to a news release.