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Northwestern fires O'Neil, Long and Springer

Northwestern announced on Tuesday that three members of Pat Fitzgerald's football coaching staff were being dismissed.

Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, defensive line coach Marty Long and wide receivers coach Dennis Springer will not be retained, according to a Northwestern statement.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg was the first to break the news.

The moves come three days after Northwestern lost its 11th straight game, to Illinois, to close a disastrous 1-11 season. It is the program's worst record since 1989.

The firing of O'Neil, who was hired after the 2020 season, was widely anticipated. The Wildcat defense ranked 111th in the nation against the run this season and allowed 31 or more points seven times.

While O'Neil was a newcomer to Fitzgerald's staff, Long and Springer have been mainstays. Long has been in Evanston since 2008, and Springer since 2011.

"Our entire football family is grateful for what these three men brought to our program on and off the field," Fitzgerald said in a statement. "They recruited and developed student-athletes who will be prepared for life and make our University community proud for years to come.

"Marty and Dennis have been Wildcats for more than a decade and helped lead us to two division titles and five bowl championships. Ultimately, these difficult decisions were made with the intention of putting our team in the best position for success on gameday moving forward. The process to fill these important roles on our staff will begin immediately."

More to come from WildcatReport.

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