Western Michigan fires head coach Tim Lester

Western Michigan is firing head coach Tim Lester, sources tell On3.

Lester was 37-32 in six seasons as the Broncos’ head coach. The team’s 5-7 mark this year was Lester’s first losing record since being hired as Western Michigan’s coach in 2017.

The Broncos were .500 or better in MAC conference play in each of Lester’s six seasons as coach, including with a 4-4 record in conference action this season.

Western Michigan started this year 3-7 before winning its final two games, including a 20-14 victory over seven-win Toledo on Friday.

The firing comes less than a year after the school gave Lester a two-year contract extension through the 2025 season, which followed the Broncos posting an 8-5 mark in 2021. Lester, a former Western Michigan star QB, was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

“Tim Lester has represented Western Michigan University in a first class manner as a student-athlete, alum, and as our head football coach,” Western Michigan athletics director Dan Bartholomae said at the time of the contract extension announcement in January. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with him as we build off a strong season and an exciting post-season finish. With an excellent foundation in place, I am excited to partner with the leader of our football program who shares a commitment to integrity, the student-athlete experience, and championship expectations.”

Before being hired as the Broncos’ head coach, Lester was an offensive coordinator at Syracuse (2014-15) and a quarterbacks coach at Purdue (2016).

Western Michigan parting ways with Lester was first reported by ESPN.

Update (8:05 a.m. ET): Western Michigan has confirmed the firing of Lester.

“The upcoming college football playoff expansion and the incredible foundation for success we have within our football program provides an exciting national opportunity for Bronco Football,” Bartholomae said in a statement. “It is imperative that we seize this opportunity by pursuing a new direction within our football program. Western Michigan University can set the standard for football in the MAC, which in turn will position us for success in the new and evolving college football landscape. We will immediately embark on a search to welcome a leader that shares this aspirational vision.”