DiNardo fired

IU football coach Gerry DiNardo was fired Tuesday night. A press conference has been set for 2:30 p.m. at Assembly Hall in the basketball media room.\nIt didn't take new athletics director Rick Greenspan long to make his first major decision in his new post. DiNardo, just finished his third season at IU with a record of 3-8. His overall record with the Hoosiers was 8-27.\nAfter reviewing the season and evaluating the progress of the program, Greenspan decided that it was time for a change, he said in a statement.\n"This is a difficult decision made with considerable deliberation. We appreciate Gerry's dedication and commitment to the Indiana football program," Greenspan said.\nIU wasn't just plagued with losses this season, but also poor attendance. The Hoosiers didn't come close to filling up Memorial Stadium, only averaging 28,377. IU had three games where the attendance was less than 25,000, topping out at 36,041 on the season.\nFred Eichhorn, president of the board of trustees, said the declining attendance was a factor in the decision.\n"The big thing, the attendance had fallen bellow 25,000, and we are competing for schools with attendance with over 100,000," Eichoorn said. "I knew that (President Adam Herbert and Athletics Director Rick Greenspan) were considering it on Monday"\nDiNardo had two years remaining on his contract, with a base salary of $225,000. \nBefore coming to IU, DiNardo previously coached at Vanderbilt University and Louisiana State University, compiling a record of 51-49-1. He also had a brief stint in the XFL with Birmingham Thunderbolts in 2001.\n"We are determined to restore a winning tradition in IU football, while continually enhancing the academic success of our student athletes," Herbert said in statement. "The extended Hoosier family expects and deserves no less"