Tony Sparano Out as Miami Dolphins Head Coach

Todd Bowles will take over as interim coach

Tony Sparano is out as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross on Monday announced that Todd Bowles would replace Sparano. Bowles was named interim head coach. He had been assistant head coach and secondary coach.

"...In the interest in the football team, in the development of this team, this is the time that we need to make a change," said Ross. "It will allow us to have plenty of time to interview and find, what I hope will be, the coach that will lead us back to the glory of the past."

Ross said he will make a full effort in looking at everyone who can really do the job until the right person is found. The search for a replacement will start immediately.

"Tony has really worked tirelessly for this team. He has built a great foundation," Ross said. "The foundation is there to build a winning team."

Sparano loves his players and is committed to the players, and he tried the best he could to develop the team, Ross said.

"I would like to find a young Don Shula if that's possible," said Ross after being asked what kind of coach he was looking for to replace Sparano.

Among those mentioned as possible candidates are Bill Cowher, Jeff Fischer and Jon Gruden.

Ross said the final decision was made Monday morning. He added Sparano wasn't very happy about it.

"I think he understood. He might have even been relieved because he's been under a tremendous amount of pressure, and you could probably see it on his face," Ross said.

The move came one day after the Dolphins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles to fall to 4-9. The defeat ended a recent surge by the Dolphins after they lost their first seven games. 

With two other teams already in the market for a new coach, Ross apparently didn't want to wait any longer to start shopping.
 
Sparano's dismissal came hours after the Kansas City Chiefs fired coach Todd Haley. Jacksonville fired coach Jack Del Rio on Nov. 29.
 
The Dolphins are assured of their third consecutive losing season, the team's longest such streak since the 1960s.
 
Bowles, in his 20th year as an NFL assistant, is among those who will be interviewed.
 
Sagging attendance helped doom Sparano, and Ross said he wants a turnaround at the ticket office as well as in the standings.
 
"Certainly when you're winning, it's a lot easier to sell tickets," Ross said. "If you win, everything takes care of itself, and that's what we're really trying to bring back."
 
Sparano began the season aware he was on borrowed time. After  Miami's late-season fade to 7-9 last year, Ross embarked on a public courtship with Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.
 
When Harbaugh instead joined the San Francisco 49ers, Ross gave Sparano a contract extension through 2013. But Ross made clear he expected substantial improvement this season, saying the Dolphins had "the nucleus of a great winning team."
 
Ross gave Sparano a vote of confidence after the Dolphins lost their first four games, but now they'll start over again. Bowles is the sixth coach since 2004 for the Dolphins, who haven't won a playoff game since 2000 and haven't reached the Super Bowl since 1984.
 
In Sparano's first season as an NFL head coach, he led the Dolphins to a surprising 11-5 record, the 2008 AFC East title and their only playoff game since 2001. He departs with a record of 29-32.
 
Shortly before he was fired, Sparano held his regular Monday news conference. When asked if he wanted to comment on reports he would be fired after the season, he said no.
 
"I want to coach against the Buffalo Bills this week. That's my sole focus," he said.
 
Sparano was popular with his players, but a dismal home record and declining attendance accelerated his departure. The Dolphins lost 12 of 13 home games during one stretch.
 
Sparano's teams tended to be dull, too. Last year Miami ranked third-worst in the NFL in scoring, and this year their offense often sputtered.
 
His departure represents further dismantling of the regime built by Bill Parcells after he joined the Dolphins in late 2007. Ross took over as owner in early 2009, and Parcells turned control of football operations over to Ireland before last season.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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