Charlotte to part ways with head coach Lambert

The Charlotte football program is moving on from the only head coach its ever had.

The school announced that Brad Lambert will not return as the team’s football coach next season. He will, however, coach the 49ers’ final game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

“We’ve decided to make a change in our football program,” athletic director Mike Hill said in a released statement. “It is a decision I made after an opportunity to assess my first football season here. It’s about the trajectory of the program and putting us in the best position for the future. We elected to make this decision now so that we could begin the search immediately.”

Charlotte has lost three in a row to fall to 4-7 this season.

Lambert has posted a 21-48 mark in six seasons with the 49ers, with the first two campaigns in FCS and the last four in FBS as a member of Conference USA.

The 53-year-old Lambert served as an assistant coach at Marshall, Georgia and Wake Forest before taking over with Charlotte in 2013.

“I would like to thank Chancellor (Phil) Dubois and (former athletics director) Judy (Rose) for the opportunity they gave me to start this program,” Lambert said in a statement, per the Charlotte Observer. “I would also like to thank our staff and student-athletes who poured themselves into this program for us. I could not be prouder of all the young men and all that they have accomplished on and off the field.”