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By DEBI JONES
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 5, 2001
GAINESVILLE -- Florida baseball coach Andy Lopez will not return next season, athletic director Jeremy Foley said Monday.
Florida finished with a 35-27 record, seventh in the SEC, and ended with a loss to Stetson in an NCAA regional.
"We have made a very difficult decision here," Foley said. "It may be the toughest one I've had since I was athletic director. There's no finer person out there than Andy Lopez. He's a good person, a great family man and a very good baseball coach. For whatever reason here, at this point in time, it just wasn't working in the total direction I thought it needed to go in."
Lopez, 47, has been at Florida for seven seasons, posting a 278-259-1 record and leading the Gators to two College World Series (1996, 1998) and two SEC championships. He was named the Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1996. Before coming to UF, Lopez coached at Pepperdine from 1989 through 1994, leading his '92 team to the national title.
Foley said he had been evaluating the program for several years and met with Lopez on Thursday to discuss the decision.
"I felt as good about this baseball team going into (the season) as I had in a long time," Foley said. "The pieces just didn't fit. It was just a combination of things that indicated to me that a change in leadership was necessary."
Foley added that it was not one game or season that brought him to this decision.
Lopez has three years remaining on his contract.
The search for his replacement will begin immediately. Florida also is looking for new women's and men's tennis coaches.
After last season's run in the NCAA Tournament, Lopez interviewed with California-Irvine but turned down the job to return to Florida.
Lopez said he would like to remain in collegiate baseball coaching.
"Now it's time for me to take my wife and kids and go to the next destination as part of a good journey," Lopez said. "Life is a good journey. I've never taken myself seriously. I'm a baseball coach teaching a guy how to throw a strike and hit the ball to the right side."