Mike London resigns as Virginia’s coach after six seasons

Mike London resigned as Virginia’s coach on Sunday, not even a day after his sixth season concluded with a 23-20 loss to rival Virginia Tech.

The university announced the decision on Sunday morning after London met with athletic director Craig Littlepage. London went 27-46 over six seasons, winning more than five games just once — in his second season, 2011, when he was also named ACC coach of the year and when Virginia was selected to participate in, but lost, the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

“I appreciate the opportunity to have been the head football coach at the University of Virginia and for the relationships that have been formed during my time in Charlottesville that will last for years to come,” London said in a statement released by the university. “I took this job to make a profound difference in the lives of young men and to re-establish Virginia football as one of the best programs in the ACC. While we were successful in the development of our players in many areas, I would have liked to have won more games for the student-athletes, coaches, fans and everyone that’s a part of the University of Virginia.”

London, whose contract was set to expire after next season, will be paid $2.7 million over the remainder of the contract. He was hired on Dec. 7, 2009 after two seasons at Richmond, including a victory in the Championship Subdivision final in 2008.

In the statement, Littlepage said there is no timeframe for concluding the coaching search.

“In our search, we will look for a coach who’s demonstrated the ability to implement his system and achieved a consistent level of success,” Littlepage said. “The coach will have experience recruiting and developing student-athletes who fit his profile for success on the field and in the classroom. We expect our football program to compete for the Coastal Division title on an annual basis, which puts us in a position to win the ACC championship and be competitive nationally. This is consistent with the expectations for each of our sport programs.”

Virginia has had just three coaches since 1982, when George Welsh took over. Al Groh replaced Welsh in 2001 and was fired after the 2009 season.