By John Clayton
ESPN.com
The San Francisco 49ers fired coach Dennis Erickson on Wednesday, with the official announcement coming at a 5 p.m. ET news conference.
Erickson was informed of his fate shortly before noon on the West Coast after three days of short meetings with team owner John York. Erickson has three years and $7.5 million remaining on the contract he signed in 2003.
There is no word on the status of general manager Terry Donahue, who signed a four-year extension before the start of this season. There had been speculation that Donahue could also be fired, but he was still at work Wednesday.
York will make an announcement about organizational changes at the news conference.
Erickson finished 9-23 with the 49ers after two years, but he really didn't have much of a chance during his 2-14 season in 2004. The 49ers had $29 million of dead salary cap money, which restricted their payroll to $64 million, lowest in the league. His team was young at many key spots including quarterback, and didn't have the depth to handle the multitude of injuries it suffered to starters during the season.
This was Erickson's second tour in the NFL. He was 33-35 in four seasons with the Seahwks from 1995 to 1998. Considered one of the best college coaches for turning programs around, Erickson will likely be one of the top coaches considered for vacant college positions along with Butch Davis, his replacement at the University of Miami.
York likes Erickson but wanted changes on his coaching staff. Erickson has final say on all coaches on his staff and was willing to consider some changes, but that apparently wasn't enough to sway the decision.