Nebraska fires athletic director Shawn Eichorst

Just days after the Cornhuskers’ home loss to Northern Illinois, Nebraska on Thursday fired athletic director Shawn Eichorst, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Eichorst had been the school’s athletic director since October 2012.

Nebraska is 1-2 on the season, and is coming off a 21-17 loss to the Northern Illinois on Saturday.

“Shawn has led Nebraska Athletics in many positive ways, but those efforts have not translated into on-field performance,” Nebraska chancellor Ronnie Green said in a news release, per the Omaha World-Herald. “Our fans and our student-athletes deserve leadership that drives the highest levels of competitiveness, as well as excellence across all facets of Husker Athletics.”

Nebraska football finished 9-4 in 2013, 2014 and 2016 and went 6-7 in 2015.

Eichorst hired Mike Riley as football coach before the 2015 season, and he has a 16-13 record.

“While I am deeply disappointed in the decision today, I am grateful for the wonderful years that my family and I have spent at Nebraska,” Eichorst said in a statement, per the Big Ten Network. I am proud of how our student-athletes, coaches and staff represented this great university and state, and I am confident that the future is bright for Nebraska Athletics.”

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Nebraska fires athletic director Shawn Eichorst."