DETROIT -- Steve Mariucci is officially headed to the Detroit Lions' den.

Mariucci was hired as coach of the Lions on Tuesday, a week after the team fired Marty Mornhinweg. ESPN.com has confirmed that Mariucci's deal is for five years and will pay him $5 million annually. He will be introduced at a Wednesday press conference, Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said.

"We are thrilled. This is a huge step for our team and organization,'' Lions chief executive Matt Millen said. "I have known Steve since he got into the NFL as an assistant, and he has continually impressed me with his knowledge of the game and his ability to handle players and people.''

Mariucci, born and raised in Iron Mountain, Mich., was fired by the San Francisco 49ers after six seasons. He becomes the Lions fourth coach in four seasons.

Mornhinweg, 5-27 in two seasons, was fired Jan. 27, a month after the Lions finished 3-13. His two-year record was the worst in team history.

Mariucci was to have earned a base salary of $2.25 million under his old contract with the 49ers, which would have been paid out over a 30-month period. His deal with the Lions, negotiated over the past four or five days by agent Gary O'Hagan, equals the one awarded Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier last year.

Mariucci was 60-43 record with the 49ers, and coached them to the playoffs four times. The 49ers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs this season, losing to Tampa Bay 31-6.

Mariucci clashed with 49ers owner John York, and was dismissed three days after the loss to the Buccaneers on Jan. 12. His postseason record was 3-4 -- the Lions have just one playoff win since winning the NFL title in 1957.

In addition to financial implications, with Mariucci set to move to new status as one of the league's highest-paid head coaches, he will have more input into football decisions than during a six-year San Francisco tenure.

Mariucci, 47, will have the title of head coach only, but the contract with the Lions will permit him to review and participate in football-related decisions.

Mariucci presided over a remarkably brief rebuilding period in San Francisco, but it wasn't enough to save his job -- even with a year left on his contract.

He was the loser in a battle of wills featuring York, general manager Terry Donahue and Hall of Fame coach-turned-adviser Bill Walsh -- none of whom was around when Mariucci was hired in 1997.

The reasons for Mariucci's departure were murky -- perhaps by design for an organization that apparently felt Mariucci wasn't the man to lead the young, talented team he helped to build from scratch.

Mariucci's flirtations with other jobs in the last offseason also didn't engender feelings of loyalty from York.

"I think it'll be good. Good for him, because he will be in a situation where he's actually wanted and appreciated," Lions defensive end Robert Porcher said Tuesday. "I think it'll be good from a team standpoint because now our general manager gets the guy that he's always wanted.

"And I think from the players' standpoint, it'll be excellent because he brings in that instant credibility with his winning record in San Francisco."

This season, San Francisco went 10-6 and reclaimed the NFC West title before making the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history to beat the New York Giants 39-38.

Mariucci repeatedly said he wanted to keep his family in the San Francisco Bay area, and he would be willing to take a minimal raise or even coach the final year of his contract without an extension.

He will be about 90 miles away from best friend Tom Izzo, Michigan State's basketball coach. Mariucci and Izzo grew up together and attended Northern Michigan. Mariucci was a three-time All-American quarterback at the university.

Mariucci has been Detroit's leading candidate since the Lions fired Mornhinweg. On Wednesday night and Thursday, Mariucci became the only coach to have an in-person interview with the Lions.

Millen never publicly named any other candidate for the job but said the Lions would do their best to comply with the NFL's policy of interviewing at least one minority candidate.

O'Hagan, also the agent for former Minnesota coach Dennis Green, refused to comment on numerous reports that Green refused to interview with the Lions because they appeared to have their sights set only on Mariucci.

Attorney Cyrus Mehri, who along with attorney Johnnie Cochran led a campaign for more minority hiring in the NFL, was disappointed with Detroit's hiring process.

"We believe this is a breach of an agreement (Lions owner) William Clay Ford made with 31 other owners,'' Mehri said Tuesday. "By essentially crowning Mariucci as the next head coach before doing a single interview, the Lions discouraged African-American coaches from putting their hat in the ring in Detroit. Millen in public and private statements could not look African-American candidates in the eye and tell them they had a fair shot. I don't blame the coaches who didn't want to be a part of a sham interview.

"We're competing for the soul of the NFL, which has been based on a good old boys network -- not fair competition for jobs. The ball is in the league's court now. If they condone this, they have ripped the heart out of 'The Rooney Plan,' because what Matt Millen has done harkens back to the good old boys days.''

The NFL's new policy, announced in late December, said owners agreed they would "seriously'' interview at least one minority candidate for each coaching vacancy. The policy was developed by a committee headed by Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney, following a report on minority hiring issued by a group headed by Mehri.

"The Lions' selection process fell short of what our committee recommends for all clubs as agreed in December,'' Rooney said in a statement Tuesday. "I will discuss this with the committee and the Lions to see what occurred and where to proceed in the future.''

Information from ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli and The Associated Press was used in this report.