DENTON, Texas — North Texas fired coach Todd Dodge on Wednesday, declaring its decision to put a high school coach in charge of a Division I program a failure after 3 1/2 dismal years.
Dodge was let go after a 1-6 start that left him with a record of 6-37.
"This is not based on the last seven games. This is based on a body of work of the last 3 1/2 years," athletic director Rick Villarreal said. "At this point in time, we felt like we should be further along."
Offensive coordinator Mike "Chico" Canales will be the interim head coach the rest of the season. Canales, who played quarterback for Utah State in the early 1980s, started his coaching career as an assistant at Snow College.
Dodge was hired before the 2007 season after going 79-1 and winning four state championships in his final five years at nearby Southlake Carroll High School, making North Texas the first upper-division school to elevate a head coach straight from high school since Notre Dame with Gerry Faust in 1981.
Faust's tenure at Notre Dame was considered a failure because he had a mediocre record of 30-26-1 at a tradition-rich school that expected to compete for national championships.
The Mean Green replaced Darrell Dickey with Dodge after consecutive losing seasons that followed four straight Sun Belt championships, hoping Dodge's spread offense and unprecedented high school success would energize fans while they pitched a plan for a new stadium. The $78 million project went through and will debut next year.