Steve Lavin, a 32-year-old assistant, will be the interim coach this year, and the school will look for a successor to Harrick during the season.
The dismissal came two weeks before the start of the season and one week before the fall signing period begins.
The university said the firing had nothing to do with the well-publicized sale of a car by Harrick's son to the older sister of a prized recruit in September.
UCLA chancellor Charles Young announced the dismissal in a news release, saying Harrick had been "terminated" for "misstatements" following a UCLA investigation.
The school, in response to an NCAA inquiry, had been looking into possible recruiting violations.
UCLA boasts one of the most storied traditions in college basketball history, having won 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year span under John Wooden ending in 1975, when Wooden retired.
Harrick, 58, leaves as the second-winningest coach in school history, behind Wooden.
Harrick was informed of the firing by Young and athletic director Peter Dalis after practice Tuesday.
"UCLA appreciates the hard work that Jim has invested in the men's basketball program during his eight years as head coach, and his program has been very successful," Young said. "However, his termination is linked to the seriousness of this situation."
Current assistants Michael Holton and Jim Saia will work under Lavin when the Bruins open play Nov. 20 against Tulsa in the Preseason NIT.
Harrick signed a five-year contract, reportedly for an annual salary of $400,000, in the summer of1995, shortly after the Bruins won their NCAA title in Seattle.
He was cleared on Oct. 21 by the school and Pacific-10 Conference of violations in the sale of a car he owned to the older sister of standout point guard Baron Davis two days after Davis orally committed to playing for the Bruins next season.
Young said UCLA's investigation has been reported to the Pac-10 and the NCAA, and the sale of the car was "completely unrelated" to the dismissal. A league inquiry turned up no evidence of wrongdoing in that matter.
"UCLA has always tried to compete within the rules and when violations are discovered, we act quickly to investigate the situation and take decisive step to solve the problem," Young said. "To our thousands of fans and supporters, I offer our promise that UCLA will continue to be vigilant in enforcing high standards of conducted in all university activities."
Harrick coached at Pepperdine for nine years before succeeding Walt Hazzard as UCLA's coach in 1988.
Harrick's record with the Bruins was 191-63. UCLA was 23-8 last year, losing to Princeton in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Bruins return all five starters and are expected to be ranked in preseason among the nation's top five teams.
Lavin became the No. 1 assistant on Harrick's staff when Lorenzo Romar left to coach Pepperdine last spring.
Lavin is about to start his sixth season as a member of the UCLA staff, but just his second as a full-time assistant. He was promoted to a full-time spot in June 1995 after spending four years as the restricted earnings coach on Harrick's staff.
In addition to committing an NCAA violation during a recruiting dinner, UCLA said Harrick violated NCAA rules regarding ethical conduct, for "refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible violation of an NCAA regulation when requested to do so by the NCAA or the individual institution."
Also, the school said, Harrick was charged with "knowingly furnishing ... false or misleading information concerning the individual's involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation."
In addition, Harrick violated university policy by filing a false expense report in connection with the dinner, the school said.
According to the university, a recruiting dinner at a local restaurant on Oct. 11 was attended by five current players even though only three recruits were present.
It's against NCAA rules for a school to provide a free meal or entertainment to a student that assists in the recruitment of a prospect during an official visit unless the student is designated as the one student host for that prospect.
On Oct. 15, the school said, Harrick filed an expense report that misrepresented who attended dinner, a breach of NCAA and UCLA policy. The report did not include the names of the extra players, but did include the names of the two guests. The investigation revealed that neither guest ate dinner at the restaurant that night, the school said.
Six days later Harrick was cleared in the sale of his car.
When questioned about the dinner by UCLA officials conducting the investigation, the school said, Harrick misrepresented significant facts on more than one occasion.
Later, when confronted by university officials who had compiled the facts of the dinner, Harrick admitted he had misled the school. reportedly for an annual salary of $400,000, in the summer of 1995, shortly after the Bruins won their NCAA title.
He was cleared on Oct. 21 by the school and Pacific-10 Conference of violations in the sale of a car he owned to the sister of point guard Baron Davis two days after Davis orally committed to playing for the Bruins next season.
Young said UCLA's investigation has been reported to the Pac-10 and the NCAA, and the sale of the car was "completely unrelated" to the dismissal.
"UCLA has always tried to compete within the rules and when violations are discovered, we act quickly to investigate the situation and take decisive step to solve the problem," Young said. "To our thousands of fans and supporters, I offer our promise that UCLA will continue to be vigilant in enforcing high standards of conducted in all university activities."
Lavin became the No. 1 assistant on Harrick's staff when Lorenzo Romar left to coach Pepperdine last spring.
Lavin is about to start his sixth season as a member of the UCLA staff, but just his second as a full-time assistant.
In addition to committing an NCAA violation during a recruiting dinner, UCLA said Harrick violated NCAA rules regarding ethical conduct, for "refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible violation of an NCAA regulation when requested to do so by the NCAA or the individual institution."
The school said, Harrick was charged with "knowingly furnishing ... false or misleading information concerning the individual's involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation."
In addition, Harrick violated policy by filing a false expense report in connection with the dinner, the school said.
According to the university, a recruiting dinner on Oct. 11 was attended by five current players even though only three recruits were present.
It's against NCAA rules for a school to provide a free meal or entertainment to a student that assists in the recruitment of a prospect during an official visit unless the student is designated as the one student host for that prospect.
When questioned about the dinner by UCLA officials conducting the investigation, the school said, Harrick misrepresented significant facts on more than one occasion.
Later, when confronted by university officials who had compiled the facts of the dinner, Harrick admitted he had misled the school.
AP PHOTO
Former UCLA basketball coach Jim Harrick was fired yesterday after allegations surfaced that he filed a false expense report and committed recruiting violations. Less than two years ago, Harrick led the Bruins to their first NCAA title since 1975. This year, UCLA was picked to be one of the nation's elite teams with all five of its starters returning and challenge for the title again.