Wyoming has fired coach Dave Christensen after the Cowboys went 5-7 in his fifth season in charge.

Christensen met with athletic director Tom Burman Sunday afternoon to be informed of the decision, a source told ESPN.

"We have come to a point where our football program has not achieved at the level of success that we expect, and we know from past experience that we can be successful," Burman said in a statement released by the school. "It is with that in mind that we move forward in search of a new leader for Cowboy Football."

Christensen, a longtime Missouri offensive coordinator under Gary Pinkel, was 27-34 overall in five seasons and 16-23 in the Mountain West.

He had winning seasons in 2009 and 2011, taking the Cowboys to two New Mexico Bowls, but he was only 9-15 his past two seasons.

Christensen, who was Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2011, had three years left on his contract. Wyoming will pay him his base salary for those years, a total of $570,000.

"Wyoming Football has been successful at many periods in our history," Burman said in the statement. "When you combine that great tradition with the investment we've made in developing outstanding football facilities that are among the best not only in our conference but in the West, we believe that we can achieve great success again."

ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy contributed to this report.