Ken Niumatalolo fired after 15 seasons as Navy head coach

After 15 seasons as Navy’s head football coach, Ken Niumatalolo was fired on Sunday. The Midshipmen saw their season end on Saturday with a loss to rival Army, their fifth loss in the last seven meetings.

“Our sincerest gratitude to Coach Ken for what has been a distinguished and impactful legacy at the Naval Academy,” AD Chet Gladchuk said in a statement. “Navy football flourished for many years under his leadership. He will forever be remembered for the influence he has had on the lives of those who played for him. We all have great respect and appreciation for his 25 years of service to the Academy.”

Niumatalolo has worked with the program for a total of 25 years, including six seasons as assistant head coach before being promoted to replace Paul Johnson in 2007. Navy remained Independent for the first part of his tenure before joining the newly-formed AAC as a football-only member in 2015.

Since then, Niumatalolo led the team to three division titles and twice won 11 games, finishing ranked in the AP Top 25 in both of those years (2015 and 2019). Overall, he was 109-83 and finished with a 37-26 record in AAC games.

Times have changed in the last few years, however, as Navy has finished below .500 in four of the last five years (including three-straight). Niumatalolo’s teams went to 11 bowls (winning 6) but have not played in one since 2019.

The Hawaii-native is held in high regard by those in and around the program. “The Naval Academy will now move forward with continued high ambitions and embrace a new era of reaffirmed expectations for Navy football and our midshipmen,” added Gladchuk.

credit to Navy Athletics for the image