Derek Dooley, son of legendary former Georgia coach Vince Dooley, did not have the kind of success his dad did in his first head-coaching stint, at Tennessee. And so, after three seasons, he was fired effective immediately, even though there is but one game left in the season.
Yes, they wanted him out that badly.
Dooley, 44, posted the storied program’s longest run of consecutive losing seasons in over a century. His teams were 15-21, including an 0-15 mark against Top 25 teams. Dooley was 4-19 in SEC competition during his three-year tenure and had lost 14 of his last 15 league games.
Dooley had four years left on his contract, which includes a $5 million buyout.
“We very much appreciate the effort and energy that Derek Dooley and his staff have poured into our football program at the University of Tennessee,” athletic director Dave Hart said in a statement. “Derek and I met early this morning, and I informed him that I believed a change in leadership, despite the positive contributions he has made to the overall health of the program, was in the best long-term interests of Tennessee football. We will immediately begin the search for the best possible candidate to assume this leadership role.”
Tennessee (4-7, 0-7 SEC) must beat Kentucky on Saturday to avoid going winless in SEC play for the first time in school history. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will serve as the Vols’ interim coach for the Kentucky game.
Tennessee’s 41-18 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday guaranteed the Volunteers their third consecutive losing season, which marks the first time they have finished below .500 in three straight years since 1909-11. Tennessee’s loss to Vanderbilt marked only the second time in 30 years that the Vols had fallen to their in-state rival.
The Vols will fail to reach a bowl in back-to-back seasons for the first time since being left out four consecutive years from 1975-78.
“I am sorry we could not generate enough wins to create hope for a brighter future,” Dooley said in a statement. “Although progress was not reflected in our record, I am proud of the strides we made to strengthen the foundation for future success in all areas of the program. During the last 34 months, I’ve given my all for Tennessee, and our family appreciates all this University and the Knoxville community has given us.”
