APAs a surprise to absolutely no one, Derek Dooley‘s future at Tennessee is as murky as ever following Saturday’s multi-overtime loss to MIssouri, and rumblings that his days in Knoxville are quickly coming to and end are growing ever louder.
Saturday evening, Wes Rucker of 247Sports reported that it was only a matter of “when”, not “if”, Dooley would officially be shown the door.
Not a question of “if,” but “when” on Dooley. Don’t think they’ll announce anything until after a Vandy loss or after UK game, win or lose.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 11, 2012
Sunday afternoon, Volquest reported the exact same thing — that the primary obstacle for Tennessee was finding a time to make the announcement official, not if it should be made at all.
For what it’s worth, when asked about how yesterday’s loss affected his future with UT, Dooley replied “I don’t know.”
Obviously Tennessee hasn’t announced anything yet, so by no means should the aforementioned reports be taken as such. But if anyone has remotely followed the Vols this year, it’s not hard to see that Dooley absolutely had to win in November to even begin to control the fire placed directly beneath his keister.
There have been calls for Dooley’s job for a while now; yesterday’s loss to Mizzou might — might — have been the moment that answered them no matter the cost.
“…call him gone for he’ll be leavin’…call him gone…”
If it is true as reported that his buyout will be in the high millions (along with his staff) it will be costly for Tennessee. Boosters may initiate and pay for a lucrative departure of Dooley. Top coaches are truly a small fraternity, so best to the AD and all on the search for his replacement.
In almost 100 yrs of Tennessee football Dooley’s 2.8 seasons already account for 9.3% of Tennessee’s SEC losses.
18 losses in 2 and a half years.
193 losses in 81 years.
He is now 4-18 (.182) in the SEC. They cannot fire him soon enough. He is Mike Shula without the wins. He is Gene Chizik without the crystal football. It does not matter what it costs short term. The empty seats will cost more in the long run.
You pay big bucks to get him.
You pay big bucks to get rid of him.
It seems obvious who is favored in the contract(s).
What goes around comes around.
UT stole Dooley from La. Tech. Without Dooley, and under the guidance of Sonny Dykes, La. Tech is now 9-1, ranked in the top 20, and has lost only to Texas A&M (by two points, and I’m pretty sure A&M beat someone good recently). Perhaps UT stole the wrong Tech coach.
cometkazie says:
Nov 11, 2012 7:13 PM
You pay big bucks to get him.
You pay big bucks to get rid of him.
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UT did not really pay big bucks to get Dooley. They gave him an extension/raise following his first season (the only time UT has reached a bowl under Dooley) and I am sure they are now regretting it. Just another SNAFU hire/move by Mike Hamilton.
While I had high hopes for UT this season, the turnover in the offseason was certainly a harbinger of things to come.
Thanks, Jimbo.
Friends in Knoxville say they can’t wait to get rid of Dooley. They would be willing to contribute toward a “departure fund.” (and these are “frugal” friends) Dooley is not a favorite at all among long time alums and fans.
All the suggestions so far for his replacement are coaches who seem to be very happy where they are, but there may be some who are being overlooked.
Some alums and fans are already thinking about Dooley’s replacement so they can make suggestions to Dave Hart and the search committee which he will appoint.
Dave hart has his first big decision. I hope whomever is responsible for axing Fulmer, hiring Kifkin and then hiring Dooley is long gone.
Fulmer’s lookin’ good now, isn’t he?
“Some alums and fans are already thinking about Dooley’s replacement so they can make suggestions to Dave Hart and the search committee which he will appoint.”
LMAO I just knew the southernpontificator would show up with all his “inside” information. Friggin hilarious. At least you didn’t announce that UT was negotiating with John Gruden. haha
“Some alums and fans…blah blah” Its not like we all woke up this morning and realized Dooley had to be fired. This has been a serious topic of conversation since the Florida loss in 2012. Bad time to be hiring a new coach, not only is the UTAD losing money right now, but Dooley’s gang of carries a 9 mil price tag.
Not only are there no viable candidates for the job, anybody UT hires is immediately going to be disliked by the UT fan base. Here’s why.
Job Criteria:
1. Must be a “proven” winner. Note: Coaches from the ACC, Big 10, PAC 12, Big East, MAC, WAC, and Big 12 do not qualify as proven winners.”
2. No NFL washouts shall qualify. That would exclude the likes of Josh McDaniels and Nick Saban.
3. Must be of high character and moral fiber. Candidates like Butch Davis and Bobby Petrino will be automatically disqualified.
4. Candidates must demonstrate strong leadership skills. It is preferable that candidate have held a high ranking Pentagon position, or have held a command of a theater army, or some such equivalent.
5. No coordinators need apply, see Rule No. 1
6. Candidate shall be married, and have 2.3 children named Skip and Tommy, or Cindy and Jennifer, or any combination thereof.
Keep us posted patriot. LOL
Oh, so it’s not just me that thinks his posts are ridiculous?
haha porklift? Good handle.
Every fan base has an internet blowhard. We found the one that belongs to LSU.
@hound
Remember typing this?
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houndofthebaskervols says: Oct 24, 2012 10:52 PM
Dear totally retarded UT fans, Dooley aint going anywhere until after the 2013 season so quit yer bitching!
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You have zero credibility… calling others retarded while making a complete fool of yourself. You are a joke you ass clown.
Dooley may just need to clean house and get the Vols on the right path.For Auburn / If Chizik is removed before, December 2, he will be awarded an extra $3 million in his buyout clause with a total buyout of $7.5 million.That is why Chiz will be there till Dec 3rd then imo be fired.
Amazing what can happen in 3 weeks pricecube. BTW, are you stalking me? Do I need to get a restraining order? lol
Dooley lost all support in the last two weeks. Nobody foresaw giving up 48 points and barely escaping from Troy, and certainly nobody saw us losing to a team that got beat at home by Vanderbilt {no offense intended to Vandy}.
Losing 6 games was the tipping point. Calling for Dooley’s head after losing to Alabama was retarded. And its the internet cube, nobody has any credibility, and that includes you and the pontificator.
Dear price cube, now I see who is stuffing the ballot box.
Next time you are going to use several fake accounts to pump your own post, at least try and be discrete about. Holey hell thats hilarious. 8 up votes in the span of about 2 minutes??? Hey are you sitting on the patriot’s lap and posting all this nonsense? haha
lbijake says:
Nov 11, 2012 9:14 PM
Dave hart has his first big decision. I hope whomever is responsible for axing Fulmer, hiring Kifkin and then hiring Dooley is long gone.
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He is. Mike Hamilton proved to be the gift that kept on giving for UT sports. This is the same guy who pretty much torpedoed the basketball team a few days before the NCAA tourney started a few years back by discussing “evaluations”
Southernpatriots,
You are correct in that the folks in Knoxville are at the verge of getting out the pitchforks-sad considering when Dooley came into the position he had as much (or more) goodwill from the fans than I recall any coach there (in any sport) receiving.
@hound
I know you are not going to believe me… so I am not sure why I am bothering to reply (I’ll try not to from here on)… but I have not even hit thumbs up on my own comment. Sopats and I have had several disagreements on here… I am not in their lap.
There is no conspiracy. You are delusional and clearly have problems. I recommend upping the dosage on your meds.
@hound
you’re an idiot. That really is all that need be said.
@pricecube
Wise choice, …that’s the best thing one can do about people like that.
He’s accusing you of stalking, and yet he has gone way out of his way to insult southernpatriot. I’m just wondering how long will JT and Ben allow this to continue before they finally ban him, or at least warn him to be civil and respectful.
To disagree is normal in sport but for some reason he has taken it personal against southernpatriot.
(here comes the Asian accent replies…. that’s how he has replied me when I voiced my opinion. He must’ve thought that I’ve never heard that one before).
I like Dooley as does Saban and Hart. But for Hart’s sake he must let him go after the last game. Dooley is a very good assistant and can probably get a job at Alabama with Saban as can Sunseri.
at crazy asian
Wahhhhh, how long to let what continue, calling somebody on their BS?
Patriot doesn’t have a clue whats going on in Knoxville, not a clue. And I can assure you the UT AD is not standing by a phone waiting for “some fans and long time alums” to call him to make recommendations. The search has been ongoing for close to a year. All such posts by the aforementioned individual are being strictly pulled out of his arse, as I have pointed out before. Sorry.
Where is Kevin King? Anybody seen Kevin King???
Dooley’s not his daddy, but he’s not as bad of a coach as some Vol fans are making him out to be. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him turn up in another job in a few years and have some success. As for Tennessee, Hart’s a good AD and will find a suitable replacement, but it won’t be easy. The market’s not flooded this year with coaches that have the requisite ability and recruiting skills it will take to make the Vols relevant again. Sometimes, it’s better the devil you know than the ones you don’t know. I also think Vol fans shouldn’t be surprised if some current head coaches don’t jump at the opportunity to move to Knoxville.
Hey Lakeside, Kevin is writing for Football Nation now. Dont know what happened with B/R, and he’s not posting as often as he once did.
Coach Dooley was handed a pile of mud and was told to make apple pie! It is gonna take time for us to get back to our old glory standards, be patient, let the man coach and utilize his new incoming freshman next year and in two years we’ll be in the top ten. GIVE THE MAN A CHANCE! Even if they fired him this year, it would take even longer to get a good team going. Dooley is a great coach and has a father that is a LEGEND, I promise this is a great match for TENNESSEE. Give him time…..PLEASE
Dooley came in at a bad time after Kiffin left for Southern Cal leaving Dooley with alot of nothing to show for.IMO give Dooley another season or two and with good recruiting just might turn the Vols around.Dooley is a good coach and stands behind the school and players.Hope the Vols a better season in 2013.
lyinghoundarse,
Patriot’s nephew and his family live in Knoxville. SP and his wife and family assisted his nephew when his father passed and helped to put him through medical school at UT Medical. His nephew’s office is near UT Medical. All the volunteers stay with or near his nephew when we are traveling through the area on our way to Appalachia. We all will be there in another couple of weeks. SP and his nephew are very close and speak weekly about medicine, patients, and about their favorite topic–college football.
Also, the UT-Knoxville Athletic Department knows nothing about a “search has been ongoing for close to a year.” It is you, you lying hound that think with your arse and speak through your arse, not SP. How do I know this? I telephoned the Athletic Department, as you could have and any one could have to learn you lie.
In your personal vendetta against SP and his family, you have falsely accused and outright lied. The posters on CFT know you for who you are. I doubt you are even married. I do not know of any woman who would put up with you, you slime.