Golloway fired
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AUBURN, Ala. | Sunny Golloway's tenure on the Plains has ended.
Athletic director Jay Jacobs terminated Golloway's contract Sunday and immediately will begin a search for his replacement.
Current assistant coach Greg Norton will lead the team for now.
Golloway was notified of the decision late Saturday night. He met initially with Jacobs early nearly two weeks ago and again on Wednesday as part of an internal inquiry. The basis of the inquiry is unclear.
Jacobs reviewed information gathered during the inquiry on Friday and Saturday morning before making a final decision after the Tigers' loss to Mississippi State.
"I regret to announce that earlier today I dismissed Auburn head baseball coach Sunny Golloway with cause," Jacobs said in a statement. "My commitment will always be to provide the best student-athlete experience in the nation, and we will not accept anything less."
Golloway led Auburn to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in five years and the team posted a respectable record of 36-26. Yet for all the improvements Golloway made on the diamond, he found himself falling out of favor with repeated run-ins with players, parents and administrators.
Former basketball assistant Randall Dickey was assigned as a baseball player's advocate in June of 2014 to ensure Golloway adhered to a set of behavioral standards placed upon him.
Golloway was also involved in a dispute with the Alabama coaching staff earlier this year after initially denying them access to the batting cages before the third game of last season's series at Plainsman Park. Alabama swept Auburn that weekend including a 14-4 win on Sunday.
Golloway was hired away from Oklahoma in June of 2013 and had a 64-54 record at Auburn and a 745-391-1 overall record in 19 seasons as a head coach.
No Auburn coach has lasted more than five seasons since Hal Baird retired following the 2000 season. Golloway completed just two seasons, Steve Renfroe and Tom Slater lasted four seasons apiece while John Pawlowski made it five seasons before being fired in May 2013.
The baseball team is currently in its fourth week of fall practice.
Jacobs met with the team briefly on Saturday, though he didn't directly dicuss Golloway's future at that point. Players walked away confused about the purpose of the meeting and why rumors regarding their coach's job security weren't a topic of conversation.
