TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Mike Shula felt he had the Alabama program back on track.

As evidence, he pointed to the 10-win season in 2005 and a core of young players, led by sophomore quarterback John Parker Wilson.

That wasn’t enough to overcome a 6-6 season and Shula’s fourth loss in four years to top SEC rival Auburn. Alabama athletic director Mal Moore announced his firing Monday, leaving Shula to defend his job performance.

“Our 10-2 record in 2005 was no fluke,” he said in a statement. “It was evidence of a program on the rise.”

 The Crimson Tide is in the market for its fourth head coach since 2000, with defensive coordinator Joe Kines set to serve as interim coach for the bowl-eligible Tide.

Moore didn’t name any potential candidates to replace Shula but said he was beginning a national search for a “proven winner” and hadn’t conducted any interviews as of Monday afternoon.

The most high-profile names on Tide fans’ wish list — South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and the Miami Dolphins’ Nick Saban — both said Monday they were staying put.

Meanwhile, Kines said he is “hoping and praying” the players get to play in a bowl game.

Moore said most of the candidates would likely be coaching in a bowl, and that the search could take a while.

“I will respect their ability to work with their teams,” he said. “This will take time.”

The Tide rewarded Shula, a 41-year-old former ‘Bama quarterback, with a lucrative new contract following last year’s apparent breakthrough season.

Then, the 2006 season ended with three consecutive losses. Shula went a combined 0-8 against Southeastern Conference Western Division powers LSU and Auburn, and is the only Tide coach to lose four straight to Auburn.

Moore and university president Robert Witt decided late Sunday afternoon to fire Shula.

Moore praised Shula on Monday for providing “stability for our program through four years of NCAA probation” that ends Feb. 1, 2007.

“However, we did not make progress on the field this season and have not been able to maintain the positive momentum necessary to return Alabama football to a place among college football’s elite programs,” Moore said.

Shula said he was “deeply disappointed” in Moore’s decision. He maintained he left Alabama in better shape than the program he inherited, which was weakened by NCAA sanctions, when he replaced the fired Mike Price in May 2003.

“From my very first day on this job, I had a single mission: To return the Crimson Tide to its place among the elite programs in college football,” he said in a statement. “Although I maintain that we were moving steadily in that direction, I regret sincerely that I will not be given the opportunity to finish the job I was hired to do.”

Shula’s six-paragraph statement was partly defiant but mostly complimentary of Alabama and the players. It concluded with “Roll Tide.”

Moore said he and Shula discussed the status of the program during the season, but the coach’s fate wasn’t decided until Sunday’s meeting with Witt and school trustees. He didn’t inform Shula of the decision until after the coach had already spoken to his players that evening.

“His leadership has provided our program with much-needed stability during the past four years, and we appreciate that, as our coach, he has demonstrated impeccable character and class in every way,” Witt said in a written statement. He attended an afternoon news conference but did not speak or field questions.

Shula, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, went 26-23 in four seasons.

Moore spoke to the players about Shula’s firing at noon Monday. Shula was not present, and lamented not getting the chance to break the news to the team. He believed he was keeping his job when he met with them Sunday night.

“I am sorry that our record this past year did not reflect your passion and commitment to winning,” he said, addressing his former players.

Shula received a new six-year contract in May worth $1.55 million per year. The buyout tab comes to some $4 million.

Center Antoine Caldwell seemed bemused that his coach could be fired so soon after that successful 2005 season

“I just feel like coach Shula had everything in place,” Caldwell said. “I feel like he had complete, 100 percent control of this football team. I feel like he had our program on track. It’s almost like we didn’t go 10-2, we didn’t finish ranked No. 8 in the country — like that didn’t even happen.”