PROVO -- Nearly four years after becoming the 13th head football coach at Brigham Young University, Gary Crowton has announced he will resign his position, effective immediately. Crowton coached four seasons at BYU, posting a 26-23 (.531) overall record.
"We appreciate Gary for his hard work, dedication and service to this University," Senior Associate Athletics Director Tom Holmoe said. "Following a recent evaluation of the football program, however, we recognize the need to move the football program in a different direction."
In his first season as head coach at BYU, Crowton guided the nation's top-ranked offense, leading the Cougars to a 12-2 record. With a run of 12-0 to start the season, the Cougars became the first team in Mountain West Conference history to claim the MWC Championship with an undefeated league record. Following the 2001 campaign, Crowton was named the MWC Coach of the Year.
Following the 2001 campaign, Crowton posted a combined record of 14-21 over the past three seasons. With a 52-21 loss to fifth-ranked Utah on Nov. 20, the Cougars finished the 2004 season with a 5-6 record. The loss marked the first time in 40 years the Cougars had posted three straight losing seasons.
"BYU has a great deal of football tradition to rely on and live up to," Holmoe said. "We want to move in the direction to re-affirm our place among the nation's top football programs. Gary is leaving the program in a position where I think we will have the ability to do that."
Crowton, a native of Orem, Utah, came to BYU after a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears. Prior to his NFL experience, Crowton served as the head coach at Louisiana Tech where he guided the Bulldogs to a 21-13 record over three seasons, including a 9-2 mark in 1997. Crowton also has coaching stops at Georgia Tech, Boston College, New Hampshire, Western Illinois and Snow College (Utah).
Holmoe said a search for Crowton's replacement would begin immediately. In the interim, Associate Head Coach Lance Reynolds, who has been a member of the BYU coaching staff for the past 22 seasons, will oversee the day-to-day responsibilities of the football program.
"We are in the process of compiling a list of possible candidates," Holmoe said. "Obviously it is important to move forward as quickly as possible; however, it is critical that we conduct a thorough search and find the right person that will lead this program."