Who the hell is Derek Dooley? That’s a question many Tennessee fans were asking Friday when it was announced the son of former Georgia coach Vince Dooley was hired to take over the Volunteers football program.
For a candidate that wasn’t even on the radar when this feverish search began, Dooley is easily the most unlikely choice among all of the names that were tossed around.
First there was Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, then Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun. When both of them rejected Tennessee’s offer, word was that athletic director Mike Hamilton discussed the job with Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith, a former assistant to Johnny Majors.
Late Thursday, reports indicated that Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, another former Tennessee assistant, was forming a coaching staff in preparation of being named the Vols new coach.
But on Friday morning Cutcliffe withdrew his name from consideration, choosing to remain at Duke. His exit opened the door to further speculation about other candidates, including Connecticut coach Randy Edsall, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
By Friday afternoon, Dooley’s name surfaced even as Vols interim coach Kippy Brown interviewed for the position. Apparently Dooley had already accepted the job and was making plans to announce his decision to Louisiana Tech’s players.
At 9 p.m. on Friday, Dooley was introduced as the 22nd head football coach at the University of Tennessee, reportedly signing a five-year deal with a base salary of $2.4 million annually.
Dooley began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia in 1996 under Jim Donnan. He was hired as an assistant on SMU’s staff where he coached wide receivers and also served as an assistant recruiting coordinator from 1997 until 1999.
In 2000, Dooley was hired by Nick Saban at LSU as the Tigers’ recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach, serving in that capacity for two years. During the 2003-04 seasons, he coached the Tigers’ running backs and special teams.
In 2005, Dooley left LSU when Saban was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
In December 2006, Dooley was hired as the head coach at Louisiana Tech University. In his three seasons as the Bulldogs coach, Dooley compiled a 17-20 record, including a 2008 Independence Bowl win.
In 2008, Dooley assumed the duties of Athletics Director for Louisiana Tech. Among his accomplishments were the improvements made to Joe Aillet Stadium, which included a new playing turf, box seats and the addition of a videoboard.
During his introductory press conference, Dooley spoke about the history of Tennessee, calling it “the essence of college football.”
He paid homage to former Volunteers’ coaches Johnny Majors and Phil Fulmer. Dooley also spoke about his five years working with Nick Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins, saying the experience he gained from him served as a foundation of his coaching philosophy.
What Dooley didn’t say may have been just as important than the things he said. He didn’t boast about singing Rocky Top after a victory over Florida. In fact, he didn’t mention any of the Vols SEC opponents or make guarantees of any success.
But Dooley did guarantee that the Vols program was going to take a different direction under his guidance.
“Everything we’re going to do is going to be done with a foundation of integrity with every aspect of the program,” Dooley said. “We’re going to represent this institution with class on and off the field.”
Defensive end Chris Walker said some players might have considered transferring if they weren’t impressed with their new coach. After meeting with Dooley just minutes before he was introduced to the media, they seemed satisfied with their new leader.
Dooley told his players that he wants to earn their trust rather than demand it. That spoke volumes with Bryce Brown, the Vols most prized recruit in last year’s class and a leading candidate to take over as the starting tailback next season.
Dooley made it clear that the next two weeks would be hectic as he and the staff focus on recruiting. As with any successful college football program, the life-blood begins and ends with the ability to attract the most talented players.
Other than having a famous pedigree, Dooley wasn’t the flashy coach many Tennessee fans thought the school needed to hire.
Perception is just as important to a program when selecting a head coach, and the perception surrounding the coaching search was that Tennessee is no longer among the most attractive coaching jobs in the nation.
That may be true on a national level, but for Tennessee fans hiring the right coach was more important than anything else.
Vols fans take their football seriously, as well they should. Tennessee is one of the few institutions in the nation that takes a portion of its football revenue and funnels it to various academic programs at the university.
Football is everything at Tennessee, even more important than the eight-time national champion Lady Vols or the men’s basketball team that has become an annual NCAA tournament participant.
Whether Dooley is the right man for Tennessee remains to be seen. As with any coach, his ability to recruit talented players and guide them to victories that will lead to SEC and BCS championships will be the determining factor.
On the surface, Dooley seems to understand that. And for someone whose father had similar expectations placed on him, Dooley may very well be the right man for Tennessee.
[...] Derek Dooley may just be the best man for the job at Tennessee — (MoonDog) [...]