Northern Colorado fires Downing as coach

Northern Colorado football coach Scott Downing has been fired after five seasons and a 9-47 overall record.

Athletic director Jay Hinrichs said that the firing was effective immediately.

Hinrichs said in a prepared statement that Downing did a good job building a Division I program under challenging conditions, but that improvements haven't been made on the field.

Downing was hired in December 2005 after stints as an assistant at Wyoming, Purdue and Nebraska. The Bears were 5-35 in conference play during his tenure.