GrantDawg
08-18-2004, 09:31 PM
Dooley being mentioned as possible Auburn AD candidate By CHIP TOWERS ([email protected])
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 8/18/04
ATHENS -- Vince Dooley may get his wish to be an athletics director again after all. Only this time, it would be at Auburn.
The longtime Georgia athletics director issued a statement Wednesday denying he had been contacted by Auburn about its vacant AD's position. Reached Wednesday night, Dooley was asked whether he was interested in the job.
"I can't say anything about that," Dooley said. "All I can say is I haven't been contacted by anybody from Auburn."
Dooley's statement did little to clarify his position.
"I want to make it clear from the outset that I have not been contacted by Auburn or the search firm regarding the position," the statement read. "Since I have the greatest respect for Auburn and since any future statement I make might be construed the wrong way, I believe it would be best for all concerned that I make no further comment until such time as the search process runs its course."
Dooley issued the statement after several Alabama newspapers listed him as a candidate to succeed David Housel as Auburn's AD. Dooley graduated from Auburn, where he also played football and basketball and served as an assistant football coach before becoming Georgia's coach in 1964. He was both AD and football coach at Georgia from 1979 to 1988 and remained AD until July 1 of this year.
"Because Auburn is my alma mater and I spent 12 years there . . . and since I stepped aside as athletics director at Georgia, it is not too surprising that there might be speculation about my name being mentioned among others as a potential candidate," Dooley said.
Dooley, who will turn 72 next month, was forced into retirement after UGA president Michael Adams declined repeated requests to extend his contract. Dooley remains with the athletics department as a "special assistant for fund-raising," but he is essentially operating on a handshake agreement. He no longer has a contract. Only a letter from Adams, dated June 22, 2004, stipulates his terms of employment (through June 30, 2005) and compensation ($311,410).
Auburn's current athletics director, David Housel, hastily retired this past January. He had come under fire for his role in arranging to fly to Louisville to interview Bobby Petrino for Auburn's head coaching position the week the Tigers were preparing to play rival Alabama. William Walker resigned as Auburn's president over the incident. Coach Tommy Tuberville remains Auburn's football coach.
Housel remains AD until Jan. 1, 2005, but is not playing a role in naming his successor. That job fell to senior associate AD Hal Baird, who has hired the search firm of Carr Sports Associates to locate candidates. Auburn President Ed Richardson has said they would like to settle on a new AD by the end of September.
This is not the first time there have been overtures between Dooley and Auburn. In 1980, just after the Bulldogs completed an 11-0 regular season, he was flown to Auburn and offered the Tigers' head football coach and athletics director positions. Dooley turned them down and later led Georgia to the national championship with a win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Pat Dye, a Georgia graduate then coaching at Wyoming, eventually accepted the Auburn job.
Auburn's search officially got under way Tuesday when FDIC Chairman Donald Powell was flown in for an interview. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Powell met with Tuberville after the team's morning practice session, then spent the afternoon at the athletic complex meeting with several university and athletic administrators.
Other individuals who have been mentioned as candidates include Birmingham-Southern athletics director Joe Dean Jr., Auburn senior associate athletics director Jay Jacobs and Birmingham businessman Mike Kolen, a former Auburn football player.
Auburn officials could not be reached for comment.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 8/18/04
ATHENS -- Vince Dooley may get his wish to be an athletics director again after all. Only this time, it would be at Auburn.
The longtime Georgia athletics director issued a statement Wednesday denying he had been contacted by Auburn about its vacant AD's position. Reached Wednesday night, Dooley was asked whether he was interested in the job.
"I can't say anything about that," Dooley said. "All I can say is I haven't been contacted by anybody from Auburn."
Dooley's statement did little to clarify his position.
"I want to make it clear from the outset that I have not been contacted by Auburn or the search firm regarding the position," the statement read. "Since I have the greatest respect for Auburn and since any future statement I make might be construed the wrong way, I believe it would be best for all concerned that I make no further comment until such time as the search process runs its course."
Dooley issued the statement after several Alabama newspapers listed him as a candidate to succeed David Housel as Auburn's AD. Dooley graduated from Auburn, where he also played football and basketball and served as an assistant football coach before becoming Georgia's coach in 1964. He was both AD and football coach at Georgia from 1979 to 1988 and remained AD until July 1 of this year.
"Because Auburn is my alma mater and I spent 12 years there . . . and since I stepped aside as athletics director at Georgia, it is not too surprising that there might be speculation about my name being mentioned among others as a potential candidate," Dooley said.
Dooley, who will turn 72 next month, was forced into retirement after UGA president Michael Adams declined repeated requests to extend his contract. Dooley remains with the athletics department as a "special assistant for fund-raising," but he is essentially operating on a handshake agreement. He no longer has a contract. Only a letter from Adams, dated June 22, 2004, stipulates his terms of employment (through June 30, 2005) and compensation ($311,410).
Auburn's current athletics director, David Housel, hastily retired this past January. He had come under fire for his role in arranging to fly to Louisville to interview Bobby Petrino for Auburn's head coaching position the week the Tigers were preparing to play rival Alabama. William Walker resigned as Auburn's president over the incident. Coach Tommy Tuberville remains Auburn's football coach.
Housel remains AD until Jan. 1, 2005, but is not playing a role in naming his successor. That job fell to senior associate AD Hal Baird, who has hired the search firm of Carr Sports Associates to locate candidates. Auburn President Ed Richardson has said they would like to settle on a new AD by the end of September.
This is not the first time there have been overtures between Dooley and Auburn. In 1980, just after the Bulldogs completed an 11-0 regular season, he was flown to Auburn and offered the Tigers' head football coach and athletics director positions. Dooley turned them down and later led Georgia to the national championship with a win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Pat Dye, a Georgia graduate then coaching at Wyoming, eventually accepted the Auburn job.
Auburn's search officially got under way Tuesday when FDIC Chairman Donald Powell was flown in for an interview. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Powell met with Tuberville after the team's morning practice session, then spent the afternoon at the athletic complex meeting with several university and athletic administrators.
Other individuals who have been mentioned as candidates include Birmingham-Southern athletics director Joe Dean Jr., Auburn senior associate athletics director Jay Jacobs and Birmingham businessman Mike Kolen, a former Auburn football player.
Auburn officials could not be reached for comment.
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