Kent State fires head coach Burns following investigation

KENT, Ohio (AP) — Kent State fired coach Kenni Burns on Friday following an investigation related to his two-year tenure.

Athletic director Randale Richmond said in a statement that offensive coordinator Mark Carney would serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season with a national search taking place at the end of the year.

“At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive and competitive experience," Richmond added.

Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was fired.

Burns, who had a 1-23 record, was put on administrative leave with pay on March 27, a couple of days before the Golden Flashes began spring practices. Kent State was 0-12 last season, the fifth time in school history they had gone winless.

Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota.

Kent State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Merrimack, a Football Championship Subdivision foe.

The Golden Flashes schedule gets more difficult after that, including road games against Texas Tech (Sept. 6), Florida State (Sept. 20) and Oklahoma (Oct. 4).

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