The University of Tennessee made public its decision to part ways with three-year head coach Derek Dooley shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday Nov. 18.
Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart addressed the announcement with the local media at 2 p.m. in the Stokely Family Media Center at Neyland Stadium.
?As you are well aware by now, I have made a decision relative to the leadership of our football program,? Hart said. ?Derek and I visited at length very early this morning. I want to say, because it is factual nature, that I have really enjoyed the 13 months that I have worked with Derek. We have an open honest and respectful relationship and all of our conversations have reflected that as this season has progressed and it was no different his morning.
"I told Derek that we were going to move in a different direction with new leadership for our football program. He handled, as you would expect, he handles it in a mature manner, in a respectful and appreciative manner as far as him being the head football coach at the University of Tennessee for the past three years. It meant a lot to him.?
I will tell you while the results, which are very important, are not what he wanted, not what the team wanted, not what the fan base wanted, Derek Dooley did indeed improve this program. athletics director Dave HartThe decision comes following a 41-18 loss to cross state rival Vanderbilt and drops Tennessee to 0-7 in conference play. The loss cements Vols? third consecutive losing season for the first time since 1909-11.
The decision also means Tennessee will hire their third head coach in six seasons, following the 2008 dismissal of then head coach Phillip Fulmer after his second losing season in four seasons. In his 17 seasons as head coach, Fulmer compiled a 152-52 record.
??You can't ignore the results at the end of the day. As I told our football team and our staff, this team was close to having a very good season,? Hart said. ?I admired the fact that they never came unglued so to speak. They never pointed fingers or said this was your fault, my fault. They showed maturity through a very disappointing football season in terms of excruciating losses in October. I let them know that I did admire that.?
?I will tell you while the results, which are very important, are not what he wanted, not what the team wanted, not what our fan base wanted, Derek Dooley did indeed improve this program,? Hart added.? ?There is no question about that. He inherited a very, very, difficult environment.?
Dooley?s tenure finishes with a combined 15-21 record with the decision being made to name offensive coordinator Jim Chaney the interim head coach for the Kentucky game at 12:21 p.m. Nov. 24.
Meanwhile for Hart, the search for his next head coach begins. Fans of the program have taken to the message boards requesting big name hires, such as former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, while others have wondered how much Tennessee can spend.
The Vols reported a $4 million short fall at the end of the 2011-2012 fiscal year over the summer.
"We are not going to let that be a detriment to securing the best coach we can. I have talked to the Chancellor at length about that,? Hart said of the Vols financial situation. ?We have a $1.9 million reserve which in the SEC is unheard of. We complete against people who have reserves of about $50-100 million. We are in a tough position financially.
I have done this many times. People need to take a deep breath. The door is not closing on our opportunities to find the right person. athletics director Dave Hart?The Chancellor doesn't want us to be at a competitive disadvantage of any nature whether it be financial, or academic or in any other arena where we are trying to compete and get back into the top of that pyramid. We are in a tenuous position, at a crossroads with our athletics program. But, we have people who understand that and are committed to helping us overcome those obstacles.?
Hart also addressed his time frame for hiring Dooley?s successor saying that the door is not closing for the Volunteers and that hires of this nature usually take place during the month of December.
?Some of the people we will approach they won't want to engage until their season is over,? Hart said. ?Some people have a false sense that we are late, we are not, we are fine. I have done this many times. People need to take a deep breath. The door is not closing on our opportunities to find the right person."
Head-coaching experience is something that Hart says is critically important when entering into the roll in the Southeastern Conference.
?Obviously, we want a coach who knows how to be successful, who has had success and knows the difficulty of climbing the ladder in the SEC and can appreciate and identify what that takes,? Hart said.
With the program recently taking on additional NCAA penalties as a result of recruiting violations under then head coach Lane Kiffin, Tennessee also realizes that their hire needs to be a man of character.
?We want somebody with integrity. That is important,? Hart said. ?We just had our probation extended as you are well aware, we don't have a margin for error. We have to have a culture of compliance. That is the number one priority in our athletics department.
Hart does not have any plans to use a search firm at this point in time, but says he will use friendships he has developed over the years ? people that he trusts ?implicitly? ? to help him locate potential candidates and move forward in the search.
More details as the story develops will appear on TNJN.com
Source: http://tnjn.com/2012/nov/18/hart-discusses-dooleys-dismiss/
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