UCLA Fires Head Football Coach

LOS ANGELES, CA -- UCLA needs a new head football coach. The university announced on Sunday that it fired head football coach Jim Mora after six seasons with the team because he did not meet expectations.

Mora's firing comes in the wake of Saturday's 28-23 loss to crosstown rival USC. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will head the team for the rest of season, including Friday's game against California at UCLA's home stadium, the Rose Bowl.

"Making a coaching change is never easy, but it's an especially difficult decision when you know that a coach has given his all to our University," said Dan Guerrero, director of athletics, in a statement. "Jim helped reestablish our football program, and was instrumental in so many ways in moving the program forward. While his first four seasons at UCLA were very successful, the past two seasons have not met expectations. We thank Jim and his family for his service to our school and his unquestionable commitment to our student-athletes."

Mora sent out a letter at mid-afternoon, through UCLA, thanking the school. "Coaching student athletes at UCLA has been the most rewarding experience of my career," the statement said.

The terms of Mora's contract will be honored by UCLA Athletics, exclusively using department-generated funds.

In six seasons at UCLA, Mora compiled a 46-30 record, leading the Bruins to a pair of school record-tying 10-win seasons, winning the PAC-12 South in 2013 and taking the Bruins to four bowl games, including victories in the Sun Bowl (2013) and Alamo Bowl (2014). Under Mora, Bruin teams produced four of the top five best total offensive season outputs in school history. Twenty-five Bruins were selected in the NFL Draft during Mora's tenure.

A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately. UCLA alum and NFL legend Troy Aikman and associate athletic director Josh Rebholz will help the team find a new coach.

Guerrero said there isn't a timeline for finding a new coach.

"We will not comment on the search or candidates until we announce a hire, and I would remind our passionate supporters that speculation, rumors and innuendo are just that," Guerrero said.

Sports talk show host Benjamin Allbright said ex-Florida coach Jim McElwain and ESPN analyst and ex-football coach Chip Kelly are in the running for the UCLA gig.

Watch Now: UCLA Fires Head Football Coach

--City News Service contributed to this report

--UCLA head coach Jim Mora takes questions at the 2014 Pac-12 NCAA college football media days at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on July 24, 2014. (AP Photo)