Brief: Hughes Relieved From Top Post After 10 Seasons With Tigers

Princeton football coach Roger Hughes has been relieved of his duties, the university announced yesterday.

Hughes, who has been with the Tigers for the last 10 seasons, was 47-52 in his career at Princeton. The highlight of his tenure came in 2006, when his Tigers went 9-1 to claim the Ivy title.

Princeton struggled this season, reeling from the loss of leaders on both sides of the ball.

Co-captain Jordan Culbreath, the league’s top returning tailback, went down in Week 2 when a sprained ankle led to a diagnosis of aplastic anemia, and co-captain linebacker Scott Britton was felled in Week 5 by a season-ending knee injury.

The Tigers rallied to a 3-4 Ivy record, good for fourth place in the conference, with wins over Yale and Dartmouth to end the season.

But the 2009 campaign was marked by inconsistency for Princeton. The Tigers took Colgate, a top team in the Patriot League, to double overtime, but they were embarrassed by Columbia (38-0), Harvard (37-3), and Penn (42-7).

When Princeton visited Harvard Stadium last month, the Crimson held the squad to just 157 offensive yards.

Hughes was the offensive coordinator at Dartmouth before joining the Tigers in 2000.

A national search has been initiated to find his successor, and the fate of the rest of the coaching staff remains unclear.

Later this week, Princeton officials say they will work out how Hughes will serve out the remainder of his contract.

—KATE LEIST