Bobby Petrino hired at Western Kentucky

Bobby Petrino was a combined 75-26 in stops at Louisville and Arkansas, but 3-10 in his brief NFL stint with the Falcons.

— Exactly eight months after being fired at Arkansas, Bobby Petrino was named head coach at Western Kentucky on Monday.

Petrino, 51, replaces Willie Taggart as the head coach of the Hilltoppers, which play in the Sun Belt Conferece. Taggart was named head coach at South Florida last week.

The school will officially introduce Petrino at a 4 p.m. press conference on its campus in Bowling Green, Ky.

According to the Bowling Green Daily News, Petrino's contract with Western Kentucky is for four years and worth $850,000 annually before incentives. If Petrino leaves the Hilltoppers during the duration of his contract, he will owe the school $1.2 million.

Petrino signed a seven-year contract at Arkansas in 2010 worth $3.56 million annually with a contract buyout worth $18 million for the first two years.

In eight seasons as a college head coach at Louisville and Arkansas, Petrino has a career record of 75-26. He is one of only three coaches to lead multiple programs to BCS bowl games.

Petrino was fired by Arkansas in April after it was discovered he hired Jessica Dorrell, a woman with whom he later admitted to having an "inappropriate relationship," to a position on his football staff. Petrino and Dorrell were involved in a motorcycle accident in rural Madison County nine days prior to his firing.

In four seasons with the Razorbacks, Petrino was 34-17 overall, including 21-5 his final two years. He led Arkansas to a win in the Cotton Bowl in his final game, tying the school record with 11 wins in a season.

Prior to accepting the job at Arkansas, Petrino spent 13 games as head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons in 2007.