Written by Tasia Stone, CNN Denver, Colorado
Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre has parted ways with offensive coordinator Dave Chiaverini , a co-worker and college friend for more than 30 years.
The announcement on Monday morning came less than two weeks after the Buffaloes were eliminated from the NCAA playoffs. They finished the season with a 9-4 record and 7-2 in the Pac-12 Conference.
MacIntyre acknowledged Chiaverini’s contributions on Monday and expressed confidence in his replacement, Eric Bieniemy.
“Although I am very disappointed that we will no longer have Dave Chiaverini as our offensive coordinator, I am pleased that we have been able to get in front of the situation and put in place a plan to hopefully take the next step for our program,” MacIntyre said in a statement.
“The Buffaloes deserve excellence and I am confident that Coach Bieniemy is the right person to take us to the next level. I appreciate the tremendous effort Dave has made over the last 16 years. I am also excited for Coach Bieniemy as he and his staff take over our program.”
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MacIntyre and Chiaverini had worked together for many years. They were roommates while at Stanford in the early 1980s and both were first-round draft picks of the Oakland Raiders.
After MacIntyre was hired at Colorado in 2015, Chiaverini was put in charge of building the team’s offense.
The Buffaloes finished in the top 10 in total offense in each of the last two seasons. But, this year, the offense struggled as the Buffaloes never reached double digits in wins.
It was clear that MacIntyre and Chiaverini were not on the same page and things reached a head this season after Colorado lost to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
MacIntyre was critical of the play of quarterback Steven Montez, who was hit early and often throughout the game. He said he’d take responsibility for the team’s troubles.
CNN’s Brian Todd revealed how the Colorado Buffaloes reached their lowest point since 1960. Watch his full report here.