Navy parted ways with football coach Ken Niumatalolo after 15-plus seasons on Sunday.
His tenure ended with Midshipmen’s 20-17 double-overtime loss to Army on Saturday in Philadelphia.
That defeat capped a second straight 4-8 season for Navy and left Niumatalolo with a 109-83 record. He is the winningest head coach in the history of the U.S. Naval Academy.
“Our sincerest gratitude to Coach Ken for what has been a distinguished and impactful legacy at the Naval Academy,” athletic director Chet Gladchuk said in a news release. “Navy football flourished for many years under his leadership. He will forever be remembered for the influence he has had on the lives of those who played for him. We all have great respect and appreciation for his 25 years of service to the Academy.”
Niumatalolo, 57, was promoted to head coach on Dec. 8, 2007 and lost in the Poinsettia Bowl that season.
The Middies went 6-5 in bowl games and posted three seasons with double-digit wins (2009, 2015, 2019) under his direction.
He was the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2019 but Navy produced only one winning season in the past five years.
“The Naval Academy will now move forward with continued high ambitions and embrace a new era of reaffirmed expectations for Navy football and our midshipmen,” Gladchuk said.
Before replacing Paul Johnson as head coach, Niumatalolo worked as an assistant coach at Navy (1995-98, 2002-07) and UNLV (1999-2001).
–Field Level Media
