NC State Fires Dave Doeren After 14 Years, a Day After Loss to Stanford
A long chapter in United States college football has come to an end. North Carolina State University announced on Saturday that it had fired head football coach Dave Doeren, who had held the job for 14 years.
The announcement came a day after the Wolfpack lost to Stanford 31-28 and fell to 3-4 on the season, a record well below expectations.
Athletic director Boo Corrigan thanked Doeren in a statement. He said he wanted to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to NC State and for always representing the university with pride, appreciated his leadership during his 14-year tenure and the passion he brought to the role, and wished Dave, his wife Sara and his family the best in the future.
The school said a national search for the team's next head coach will begin immediately, meaning the process of choosing a successor will not be delayed.
Doeren had been with the program since 2013, after two seasons at Northern Illinois, his very first head coaching job. He went 3-9 in his first season with the Wolfpack but turned them into a perennial bowl game participant.
The Wolfpack went to 11 bowl games in Doeren's 13 full seasons, including each of the last six. This season, however, they are 1-3 in ACC play, which increased the pressure.
After Friday's loss, Doeren took responsibility himself. He said it starts with him, that the players did not play well enough, which meant he did not have them ready.
In numbers, Doeren went 98-73 at NC State after going 23-4 with Northern Illinois. He finished above .500 in 10 of his campaigns.
Running backs coach and special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel, who has been on the coaching staff since 2019, will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
The post-Doeren era will begin on Halloween, when NC State hosts California. That game will be the first test of the team under its new arrangement.
Doeren is the second coach let go this season, after Maryland and Mike Locksley parted ways earlier this week, in another reminder of mid-season coaching changes in college football.
