Ball State fired coach Mike Neu on Saturday, ending the former Cardinals quarterback’s tenure at the school with two games left in his ninth season.
Ball State is 3-7 this year following an overtime loss to Buffalo on Tuesday, and Neu was 40-63 overall at his alma mater. He led the Cardinals to back-to-back bowl appearances in 2020 and ’21, winning the Mid-American Conference in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 and finishing 7-1 and ranked No. 23 in the AP poll.
That was Neu’s only winning season at Ball State.
Neu had one year left on a contract extension he received after the 2021 season, when the Cardinals finished 6-7 with a loss in the Camellia Bowl to Georgia State.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program,” athletic director Jeff Mitchel said in a statement. “I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits.”
According to USA Today’s coach salary database, Neu made $705,000 last season. Offensive line coach Colin Johnson, who is also a Ball State alum, will serve as interim head coach for Ball State’s remaining games against Bowling Green at home next Saturday and at Ohio on Thanksgiving weekend.
Neu played for Ball State from 1990-93, leading the Cardinals to a MAC championship in 1993. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2004.
(Photo: Steve Roberts / Imagn Images)
