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One-time GCC standout Andy Reid fired as Eagles coach

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After 14 seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, which included a trip to the Super Bowl, Andy Reid’s tenure ended Monday when he was fired.

Reid, a former Glendale Community College football player from 1976-77, was let go by Philadelphia owner Jeffrey Lurie after Philadelphia’s season came to a close Sunday with a 42-7 road loss against the rival New York Giants. The Eagles finished a disappointing 4-12 after going 8-8 in 2011, when they were picked as a prohibitive favorite to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl trophy after acquiring several high-priced players.

Lurie met with Reid on Monday to announce the Eagles were heading in a different direction.

Reid, a former NFL Coach of the Year, went 130-93-1 during the regular season since taking over the franchise in 1999. Reid, 54, led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances in that stretch, winning six division crowns and reaching five NFC Championship Games. Philadelphia lost to the New England Patriots in the 2004 Super Bowl. The Eagles last won a postseason contest in 2008.

Reid, who is set to make $6 million in 2013 — the final year of his contract — might be in line to look for another head-coaching job in the NFL. He’s the franchise leader in all-time wins (140) and winning percentage (.578).

A posted video on PhiladelpiaEagles.com showed Lurie and Reid gathering with team employees Monday.

“I have a hard time standing before people without a few boos involved. But I’m taking it, I’m taking it all in,” Reid said in the video. “These have been the greatest 14 years of my life.

“Sometimes change is good. ... I know the next guy that comes in will be phenomenal. The ultimate goal is a Super Bowl. Everybody in this room, I wish you a big ring on the finger in the near future. Hail to the Eagles, baby.”

Aside from team troubles, Reid encountered tough times off the field when his oldest son, Garrett, died at the team’s training venue following a lengthy battle with drug addiction.

Reid was one of seven NFL coaches fired Monday, the day after the final week of the regular season. Philadelphia began its season 3-1 before losing 11 of its final 12 games. That proved to be the final straw for Reid, prompting Lurie to search for the franchise’s next coach.

“Andy Reid is a gem of a person who was incredibly dedicated to making the Eagles the organization we have been,” Lurie said at a press conference Monday. “He had the love and respect of every individual in this organization, and I look forward to the day when we will welcome him back and introduce him as a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame, because that’s inevitable.”

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