STANFORD, CALIF. ? Three years ago, Ted Leland thought he’d found the right offensive football mind for Stanford in coach Buddy Teevens.

Teevens was fired after three straight losing seasons.

“It was an extremely difficult decision, but I simply felt that the program was in need of new direction and leadership,” Leland said Monday. “It’s a tough day that we find ourselves in, a tough place, I guess. I am comfortable with the process we’ve gone through. I am comfortable with the decision.”

Leland, a close friend of Teevens, met with the coach last week after the Cardinal finished 4-7 for the second consecutive year. Stanford lost 41-6 to California in the Big Game on Nov. 20 for its fifth straight defeat, ending a season that began 4-2 with hopes of a bowl game.

The 48-year-old Teevens, who had two years remaining on his contract, is the first Stanford football coach to be fired since Jack Elway was dismissed in 1988 after going 3-6-2. Teevens learned of his fate Sunday morning, then met with his players Monday afternoon.