The buzzer has finally rung for Fordham men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora.
After achieving a pitiful 44-106 record over five seasons at Fordham, school officials announced Wednesday that Pecora had been fired.
“The University’s men’s basketball program has regrettably not achieved the desired results or made the sustained progress hoped for under Mr. Pecora’s leadership,” officials said in a statement obtained by Fordham Daily.
“The decision was based on the fact that the University’s men’s basketball program has regrettably not achieved the desired results or made the sustained progress hoped under Mr. Pecora’s leadership, as measured by the won/loss record over five years.”
Center Ryan Canty, a senior, called Pecora “a good guy” and said playing for him was “a positive experience.”
“As far as the firing goes, I was pretty surprised,” he told Fordham Daily. “With all of the players that we have returning, I thought he was going to be back.”
Pecora was hired in 2010 to rejuvenate the struggling men’s basketball program, but he never won more than 10 games a season during his tenure and the team never finished higher than 12th in the A-10. The recruited student athlete retention rate during his tenure was also low, only 50 percent.
The Rams rallied late this season, winning five of their last 11 games due to the combined strength of Jon Severe and Eric Paschall. But this was not enough to save Pecora’s job.
Fordham said it would immediately launch a national search for a new head coach, with the help of a search firm.
Connor Ryan contributed reporting.
Connor Ryan
John Bonazzo
Fordham Daily 
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