Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb look to his players on the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

(STATS) - Mercer University announced the firing football coach Bobby Lamb on Sunday, one day after the end of his seventh season since restoring the program following a 72-year hiatus from the sport.

The Bears were 41-39 under the 56-year-old Lamb, although their 4-8 record this year, including a 56-7 loss at North Carolina on Saturday, was the low mark. They finished in seventh place in the Southern Conference with a 3-5 mark.

"We have all worked side-by-side to start and grow the Mercer football program from a dream to an actual reality. Bobby Lamb shouldered the majority of that burden and workload in that process," athletic director Jim Cole said in a university statement. "We can never thank him enough."

Mercer returned to football in 2013 in the FCS non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, going 10-2. One year later, the Bears moved to the scholarship level in the SoCon, where Lamb previously coached at Furman for nine seasons from 2002-10.

He has a 108-79 career record.

Mercer announced it has begun a national search for a new coach.