By Dennis Georgatos
Mercury News

In a shocking move, the 49ers today fired Steve Mariucci as their coach. Team spokesman Kirk Reynolds said Mariucci was informed of his dismissal this morning by team director John York.

There was no immediate word regarding a replacement for Mariucci.

The firing comes after Mariucci had guided the team to the playoffs for the fourth time in his six seasons as coach. The 49ers reached the second round of the postseason after staging the NFL's second-greatest comeback in a 39-38 victory over the New York Giants on Jan. 5. But their season ended this past Sunday in Tampa with 31-6 blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The fate of Mariucci's 17 assistants is unclear. Eight had contracts expiring soon after the Super Bowl. General Manager Terry Donahue was scheduled to elaborate on the firing at a noon news conference today.

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