In a move he admitted he didn't see coming, Norm Chow was fired yesterday as offensive coordinator of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

Chow, a Punahou School alum who has been highly successful as a college offensive coordinator, was one of the names circulated as a possible head coach replacement for June Jones at the University of Hawai'i.

But Chow reportedly did not apply for the job, which went to Hawai'i defensive coordinator Greg McMackin last night.

Chow, who interviewed to become UCLA's head coach in December before withdrawing from consideration, is now back on the Bruins' radar, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel wants to talk to Chow about the coordinator's position, the Times reported.

Chow told the Times that UCLA had contacted his oldest son, Carter, who is his agent. Chow has two years left on a contract that will pay him more than $1 million a year. UCLA is believed to have between $300,000 and $400,000 available for an offensive coordinator.

Asked by the Times if he was interested in joining the Bruins staff, Chow said, "At this point in time, I''m going to sit back and stay home and walk the dog and think about some stuff. My wife and I have been apart for three years and we're going to enjoy being together."

But Chow told the Times that he was in no hurry to make a decision. He cited Pete Carroll's year away from coaching after he was fired by the New England Patriots following the 1999 season. USC hired Carroll in December 2000.

"I may take a step back for a year, try to learn and grow from being off," Chow said. "Pete did that one year. A lot of people do that."

Chow, who was offensive coordinator at Brigham Young, North Carolina State and Southern California, coached Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks Ty Detmer (BYU), Carson Palmer (USC) and Matt Leinart (USC). At North Carolina State, he tutored quarterback Philip Rivers, a first-round draft pick who starts for the San Diego Chargers. He also worked with Jim McMahon and Steve Young.

Chow, who has family in Hawai'i and a home in Los Angeles, coached at USC from 2001-04 before leaving for the Titans.

He found the adjustment to the pro game more difficult.

"This is hard. Honestly, it's harder than I thought it would be," he told the Tennessean in 2005. "Defenses are just so good, so fast. It's such a challenge to find ways to attack."

Despite reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2003, the Titans struggled to score points this past season.

Head coach Jeff Fisher said the day after the Titans (10-6) lost an AFC wild-card game to San Diego, 17-6, that improving the offense was his top priority this offseason. They ranked 21st overall in total offense and became the first team with only nine touchdown passes to reach the playoffs in a 16-game season.

After a week of evaluating the team, Fisher told Chow he would not be retained.

"I appreciate all of the hard work and contributions he made to the organization during his time here, but I have decided to go in a different direction and will start the process of finding a new offensive coordinator," Fisher said in the statement.

Chow, who turns 62 in May, told The Tennessean he was disappointed and didn't see the firing coming. He said he thought he could help develop quarterback Vince Young, who threw nearly twice as many interceptions as touchdowns this season.

"Obviously, Jeff didn't think that I could," Chow said. "That's the thing. I don't know ... but it's going to take some patience."

Fisher lured Chow from USC in 2005 knowing he would need someone to develop a young quarterback to replace Steve McNair.

That quarterback turned out to be Young, whom the Titans selected with the No. 3 overall pick ahead of Leinart in 2006.

The Titans fared well enough in Chow's second season in 2006 when Young was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. They were the only team other than San Diego to score 20 or more points in eight straight games in 2006.

But the Titans had lots of scoring help from their defense and special teams.

In 2007, the offense improved from 27th overall to 21st. But the rushing game stayed fifth, the passing game improved only marginally, and the Titans ranked last in the NFL scoring touchdowns in the red zone and were last in touchdown passes.

Some frustration bubbled up from Young after a 28-13 loss to Jacksonville on Nov. 11 when they didn't take a shot at the end zone before the end of the first half, and Young said he guessed, "The guys don't trust me."

Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press, David Climer of The Tennessean, and Gary Klein and Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times contributed to this report