SMU head coach June Jones tendered his resignation on Monday after a seven-year stint as the football team's head coach.

"This afternoon, I talked to my staff and players and notified them that I have decided to resign as SMU head football coach effective immediately," Jones said in a statement released by the school. "It was a very difficult decision for me to make, as you can imagine. I have devoted my life for the last 50 years to playing and coaching this game and it has been a great journey. This job has a lot of demands, as you know, and along with that journey comes a price that is paid. I have some personal issues I have been dealing with and I need to take a step away so I can address them at this time."

Defensive coordinator Tom Mason will serve as the interim coach for the rest of the season.

At a press conference Monday evening, SMU president R. Gerald Turner and athletic director spoke about Jones's resignation.

"Coach Jones was one of the most influential people in the program on the Hilltop since 1989. He did a tremendous job," Hart said. "His decision to resign was his own. It wasn't a decision he reached easily."

"As you can imagine when we talked to the team earlier today they were saddened. They gave coach Jones a standing ovation and deservedly so. It was very emotional but I know that they'll be ready to get back out to practice tomorrow. We're asking that all of Mustang Nation pull together and offer them support for the last ten games of the season."

Hart said that Jones' decision was not an "overreaction" to the two early-season losses to Baylor and North Texas and that Hart was not aware of the extent of Jones' personal issues prior to the start of the season.

"He was a great university citizen as well as a great football coach," Turner said. "I don't think anyone will forget the excitement of going to Hawaii and being a big underdog and winning that game so decidedly against the University of Nevada-Reno. We wish June the very best."

"Right now what is at hand is making sure coach Mason and all his players have support during this transition period."

Hart and Turner also spoke about the search for the next head coach.

"At the appropriate time, we will conduct a national search for the next head football coach at SMU," Hart said. "There is no urgency to get that underway but we'll certainly do that the right way at the right time. We'll look for a coach that shares our vision to be the best football program in our conference."

Hart did not rule out the possibility of Mason staying on as head coach after the season but he did say that it would be a "national search," they would hire a consultant to assist in the search and that he was open to an established name or a young coach taking over the job.

"The qualities (for the next head coach) are going to be similar. I think one of the major differences is the quality of pool we expect to attract because June made this a good job," Hart said. "A lot of that groundwork has been laid and people are going to see that. You can't go and create Dallas anywhere, you can't go create a top-60 university anywhere, you can't just go create a beautiful campus anywhere."

"We feel like because of June and his impact and the progress our program has made under his leadership that this is a great job and that we're going to attract some of the best coaches that are available."