NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Losing and disappointment turned out to be more than Vanderbilt coach Woody Widenhofer could take. But he still has his sense of humor.

Widenhofer announced Thursday night at a news conference that he would resign at the end of this year, then headed to his weekly radio show. Asked to tell listeners about his decision after nearly five years as head coach and two more years as defensive coordinator, he had a quick joke.

"I've changed my mind," he said.

Widenhofer, 58, is 15-37 with the Commodores, and said at the news conference it was in "everyone's best interest" for him to resign. He tried to read a prepared statement but stopped himself and spoke off the cuff, talking about his love for Vanderbilt and Nashville.

"I'm not a quitter," he said.

"You can only get beaten up so often and get beaten so many times."

Widenhofer is just 4-33 in Southeastern Conference play, and has just one league victory the past two seasons.

He began each of the last two years with hopes of a winning record, but clinched the program's 19th consecutive losing record with a 71-13 loss to Florida last weekend, the worst defeat since 1945. That pushed him to ask for a meeting earlier this week with chancellor Gordon Gee, vice chancellor David Williams and athletic director Todd Turner.

He asked them to buy out a contract that had been extended at the end of 1999 through the 2005 season, a deal that reportedly had a base contract of $350,000 per year.

"I've not done a great job as coach," he said.

Vanderbilt has to search for its third coach in 10 years. Widenhofer succeeded Rod Dowhower, who replaced Gerry DiNardo -- who left for LSU after the 1994 season.

Turner said he will begin a search for a replacement immediately. Turner would not mention any names, but Les Steckel, former offensive coordinator with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans, currently is a volunteer coach at a Nashville high school and has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

Widenhofer will coach the remaining three games, including Saturday's home finale against Kentucky, and stay on the job through Dec. 31.

"It was Woody's decision," Turner said. "There's never a good time. I think he felt it would take the pressure off of the team."

Quarterback Greg Zolman said Widenhofer was a great defensive coordinator and coach, but the announcement will allow the team to focus on their final games and not the speculation on Widenhofer's future.

"I respect him," Zolman said. "It was a surprise."

Widenhofer had previously been a coach at Missouri (1985-88) and the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL (1984).

He spent 17 years in the National Football League, and is perhaps best known for his 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won four Super Bowl championships during his tenure. He was the defensive coordinator of the famed "Steel Curtain" for seven of those seasons.

Widenhofer also coached four years (1989-92) with the Detroit Lions and two seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1993-94) before arriving at Vanderbilt as defensive coordinator in 1995.

In 1997, Vanderbilt led the SEC in total defense for the first time in school history.