With no new contract in sight, O'Toole announced he was beating the axe wielder and that his days leading the Stags were done. The "resignation" was backed up by school officials.

In other words, both sides agreed that the coach had been fired.

It came as no surprise.

The negative numbers were all there -- O'Toole was 112-120 in his eight seasons at the school. He took the Stags to one NIT, in 2003 (the two coaches before him both made NCAA appearances), but had little success at a school that has one of the big budgets in the MAAC.

Attendance was also down -- the Stags averaging 2,386 at the 9,500-seat Arena at Harbor Yard, which is actually in Bridgeport.

"Our goals for men's basketball at Fairfield have long been to compete regularly for conference championships and being competitive year in and year out," said AD Gene Doris. "Given the resources we have added over the past eight years, the program did not achieve the goals to which we remain committed and believe to be achievable."

Former Virginia and Providence coach Pete Gillen, who would certainly bring some life with him, has been mentioned as a possible successor to O'Toole.

The end came when the eighth-seeded Stags lost to No. 7 Niagara in the first round of the MAAC Tournament, finishing the season 9-19. Fairfield lost its last four and five of its last six.

With no new contract in sight, O'Toole announced he was beating the axe wielder and that his days leading the Stags were done. The "resignation" was backed up by school officials.

In other words, both sides agreed that the coach had been fired.

It came as no surprise.

The negative numbers were all there -- O'Toole was 112-120 in his eight seasons at the school. He took the Stags to one NIT, in 2003 (the two coaches before him both made NCAA appearances), but had little success at a school that has one of the big budgets in the MAAC.

Attendance was also down -- the Stags averaging 2,386 at the 9,500-seat Arena at Harbor Yard, which is actually in Bridgeport.

"Our goals for men's basketball at Fairfield have long been to compete regularly for conference championships and being competitive year in and year out," said AD Gene Doris. "Given the resources we have added over the past eight years, the program did not achieve the goals to which we remain committed and believe to be achievable."

Former Virginia and Providence coach Pete Gillen, who would certainly bring some life with him, has been mentioned as a possible successor to O'Toole.

The end came when the eighth-seeded Stags lost to No. 7 Niagara in the first round of the MAAC Tournament, finishing the season 9-19. Fairfield lost its last four and five of its last six.