Morriss loses job at Baylor

In a move anticipated for weeks, Baylor Coach Guy Morriss was fired Sunday, a day after the Bears finished their 12th consecutive losing season with their 12th straight Big 12 loss.

Morriss, 56, was unable to produce a winning record in his five seasons, going 18-40 overall and 7-33 in conference games. He had one year left on his contract.

Athletic Director Ian McCaw said Morriss was told Sunday.

The leading candidate to replace Morriss is Baylor icon and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, a linebacker for coach Grant Teaff and the Bears from 1977 to ’80.

The Bears (3-9, 0-8 Big 12) ended their season with a 45-14 home loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

Baylor interviewed Singletary before hiring Morriss five years ago, but Singletary had no coaching experience then. He does now, serving his third season as assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He was an assistant in Baltimore two seasons before that and has interviewed for three NFL head-coaching jobs.

Other potential candidates are Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt, Houston Coach Art Briles and Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora.

Mississippi put 20 players on probation after they twice stole items from hotels.

A news release said the players have paid for the items, which included radios and pillows. Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron said in the release that the players will be on probation indefinitely, adding that, “Any actions similar to this will result in more severe penalties which may include dismissal from the team.”

It was not clear from the release when or where the items were stolen. Ole Miss stays in hotels for home and away games.