Arizona State fires head coach Todd Graham

A two-win improvement over last season apparently wasn't enough to satisfy Arizona State.

The university announced Sunday it has fired head coach Todd Graham after six seasons, adding that Graham and his entire staff will remain with the program through its upcoming bowl appearance.

Arizona State vice president of athletics Ray Anderson released a statement following the announcement, explaining the decision to relieve Graham of his duties:

From the moment he arrived in Tempe, Todd helped change the culture and emphasized the student in student-athlete here at Arizona State, elevating the program to unprecedented heights in the classroom and strong citizenship across the board.

However, our athletic department, university and community expect our football program to compete on the field for Pac-12 titles, be competitively consistent and qualify to participate in major bowl games on a regular basis. In evaluating Todd's body of work over a four-year period, it became clear that a change is necessary.

Graham led Arizona State to a victory over in-state rival Arizona less than 24 hours before his dismissal, but locking in a winning season wasn't enough to save his job. The Sun Devils finished the regular season with a 7-5 overall record and a 6-3 clip in conference play - good enough for second in the Pac-12 South Division behind USC.

Over his six-year tenure in Tempe, Graham coached to a 46-31 overall record, highlighted by two bowl victories (2012 Fight Hunger Bowl, 2014 Sun Bowl) and a divisional title in 2013.

The 52-year-old boasts a 95-60 lifetime record as head coach over 12 seasons.