York fires Nolan for Niners’ 2-5 start

Mike Singletary is expected to take over the helm in San Francisco.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers fired coach Mike Nolan on Monday, seven games into his fourth consecutive dismal season with the club, according to FOXsports.com.

Assistant head coach Mike Singletary is expected to take over the 49ers (2-5), who got off to a 2-1 start this season before four consecutive losses culminating in Sunday’s 29-17 loss to the New York Giants.

Instead of delaying the decision until the 49ers’ open week following Sunday’s home game against Seattle, owner John York apparently didn’t wait to get rid of his choice to revive the five-time Super Bowl champions, who have endured five consecutive losing seasons and haven’t made the playoffs since 2002.

Nolan, who hadn’t been fired when he conducted his usual Monday news conference, informed FOXSports.com of his dismissal. He didn’t immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press, and several team executives and coaches didn’t return phone messages and e-mails Monday night.

Nolan is 18-37 in 31‚Ñ2 seasons with the 49ers, who hired the veteran defensive coordinator to run every aspect of the club in January 2005. Though Nolan brought back a measure of respectability to the franchise, which had the NFL’s worst record in 2004 before his arrival, the 49ers haven’t managed a winning season or made a significant impact on the league in his tenure.

In fact, Nolan might be best known for his insistence on wearing a suit and tie on the sideline for the 49ers’ home games. After protracted negotiations with Reebok, which has a contract to supply clothing to all the league’s coaches, Nolan got permission to wear his specially designed suit.

Nolan claimed his snazzy outfits were a way to project an image of authority while paying tribute to the league’s former coaching greats, including his father, Dick, who coached the 49ers and New Orleans Saints.

Nolan was the third NFL coach to be dismissed during the season, joining Oakland’s Lane Kiffin and St. Louis’ Scott Linehan. The Rams have won two straight games under interim coach Jim Haslett, and the Raiders are 1-1 under Tom Cable.

The 49ers’ fortunes have declined considerably under York, who inexplicably gave power over every aspect of his football operations to a career assistant who had never been a personnel executive. The unorthodox arrangement hasn’t thrived on the field or the front office, and Nolan ceded some power to general manager Scot McCloughan last January after the 49ers finished 5-11.

Earlier Monday, Nolan deflected questions about his job security. York and his son, Jed, attended the 49ers’ loss to the Giants, which featured a miserable offensive performance and another defensive struggle.