LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- UCLA football coach Bob Toledo Monday was fired as coach of the Bruins, one day after the school accepted a bid to play New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas Day.
"This was an extremely hard decision to make but one I felt was necessary for the future of the program," said Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. "That being sad, I believe that in order to revitalize our program and move it forward, a change of leadership is required."
UCLA is 7-5, but saw its defense fall apart in its final two games, losing 52-21 to USC, and 48-27 to Washington State.
Ed Kezirian, currently the Director of Academic Services and an assistant coach from 1982-92, was named interim head coach while a search for a permanent replacement begins.
Toledo, 56, will not coach team for its bowl game. The gameplan for that contest will be developed by its coordinators and current staff members.
UCLA has played the second half of the season without injured quarterback Cory Paus, forcing Toledo to use Matt Moore and freshman Drew Olson.
Toledo has six years left on his contract. The contract buyout consists of one year of the full package of $578,000, and five years at a base salary of $153,000.
In 2001, UCLA won its first six games, but a late-season collapse that included four straight losses put Toledo on the hot seat entering this season.
The program also endured several off-the-field problems, including a drunken driving conviction of Paus.
"The circumstances over the past four years, both on and off the field, created an environment that, in my opinion, hindered long-term success," Guerrero said. "During the last five months, I developed a very good relationship with Bob and learned to have respect for all that he has accomplished at UCLA. This made the decision even more difficult. In the final analysis, when I looked at all of the factors on both sides of the ledger, I felt that for UCLA football to take the next step, we needed a fresh start."
The Orange County (Ca.) Register pointed out that former star running back DeShaun Foster committed an extra benefits violation, Paus has two alcohol-related driving arrests, 15 players were caught using handicapped parking permits. and four current players are in legal trouble stemming from fights.
In seven years at UCLA, Toledo was 49-32, including a school-record 20-game winning streak in 1997 and '98, but he has just a .500 record in his last 48 games.
"I have met some super people during my time here, and I've made some great friends," said Toledo. "I want to thank the coaches who have worked with me and the players that have played for me. We've done some outstanding things during my time here, and we've won some big games. I have enjoyed my time at UCLA and wish the players the best of luck in the future."
Toledo won two Pac-10 titles to go along with the winning streak. He also had some major victories, including Texas twice, Alabama twice, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Southern California three times.
Toledo came to UCLA as offensive coordinator in 1994, and was hired to replace Terry Donahue two years later.
