LAFAYETTE, La. -- The University of Louisiana-Lafayette fired football coach Jerry Baldwin Monday, citing a lack of improvement during the past three seasons.

Baldwin had a 6-27 record as head coach of the Ragin' Cajuns, who finished 3-8 this season, their first in the newly formed Sun Belt Conference football league.

Baldwin had one year left in his contract and Louisiana-Lafayette athletic director Nelson Schexnayder said the university would honor it, paying him $150,000. But Baldwin was still angered.

"I feel I've been deceived and misled," Baldwin said. "I felt I would have the opportunity to build a program. I thought I had a four-year contract ... if that was not the case, then we might have taken a different approach."

Schexnayder said the university did not mean to mislead the coach.

"A contract is a guarantee of income, not employment," athletic director Nelson Schexnayder said. "If we had seen more progress toward our goals, maybe the employment aspect would have continued.

"We made the decision because we had not seen the progress we had hoped for. Three years is long enough to show significant improvement."

No replacement has been found. To help recruiting, Schexnayder said the university hoped for a swift selection process.

"We would like to have a head coach with experience in college football, someone with ties to Louisiana and to the university," Schexnayder said. "Most important, we're looking for someone who has had success."