EWC is 0-7 following a 49-9 loss to Webber on Oct. 12. The Tigers were off  last week and have four games remaining on the schedule, three of them on the  road. EWC plays at Newport News (Va.) Apprentice School on Saturday.

Bernard, a Parker graduate who also coached at Sandalwood, Mandarin and  Raines following his college playing career at Georgia Southern, was the  offensive coordinator at Bethune-Cookman under Wyatt for 11 years. EWC had .500  records in each of Bernard’s two seasons, going 6-6 in 2011 and 5-5 in 2012.

The Tigers’ 2011 season was their first .500 record since 2004. Bernard’s  total record as the Tigers’ coach is 11-18.

“We believed it was time for a change … we didn’t see the improvement as we  expected,” said Edward Waters athletic director Johnny Rembert. “This makes a  statement that we are serious about our program. We don’t want to be a  doormat.”

Rembert said Bernard’s dismissal was mostly about the Tigers’ performance on  the field and praised Bernard for his work of the last three years.

“He had the best interests of the players at heart, I do believe that,”  Rembert said. “There was a difference in philosophy.”

Wyatt, who was brought to Edward Waters in 2012 by Bernard, is the all-time  leader in coaching victories at Bethune-Cookman with a 90-54 record from  1997-2009. A Jacksonville native like Bernard, Wyatt, 65, led his alma mater to  their first two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths in 2002  and 2003, and their first MEAC titles in the same years.

Edward Waters coordinator of public relations Dee Registre said Wyatt was  unavailable for comment. Bernard did not return a phone message and an e-mailed  request for comment.