Bob Williams out after 19 seasons at UC Santa Barbara

Bob Williams, who was by far the longest-tenured head coach in the Big West, has been fired from his position at UC Santa Barbara. The season ended with a win, but the last-place Gauchos (6-22, 4-14 Big West) failed to qualify for last week’s conference tournament.

Williams is the winningest coach in UCSB program history, with an overall record of 313-260 (.546). He became the head coach in 1998 from then-Div II UC Davis, winning the 1998 Division II National Championship in his final year.

During his tenure, Williams led the Gauchos to three NCAA Tournaments, two NITs, a CBI, a CIT and the inaugural Vegas 16 a year ago. His contract ran through the end of this year, but UCSB athletic director John McCutcheon announced Thursday that it would not be renewed.