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Tennessee football: Worst head coach hires in program history

By Josh Yourish

Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin calls to his players during the game against Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 at Neyland Stadium. The Vols topped the Hilltoppers 63-7 to start the Kiffin era as head coach.Utwky Atb 11995 09
Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin calls to his players during the game against Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 at Neyland Stadium. The Vols topped the Hilltoppers 63-7 to start the Kiffin era as head coach.Utwky Atb 11995 09 /
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Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley talks to kicker Daniel Lincoln as he comes off the field during the first half Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010 in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.Derek Dooley 2010
Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley talks to kicker Daniel Lincoln as he comes off the field during the first half Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010 in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.Derek Dooley 2010 /

Derek Dooley wasn’t Phil Fulmer’s replacement, but he was Phil Fulmer’s replacement’s replacement. It was like when Michael Scott left Scranton, then Robert California took the job and quit for a better one. So Derek Dooley is Andy Bernard in this analogy and he had the level of success you’d expect from a coach who equates to the Nard Dog.

Coming off a 4-8 season as the head coach of Louisiana Tech, Dooley was hired by Tennessee in 2010, and actually improved in the SEC, leading the Vols to 6-7. It was (even farther) downhill from there.

Tennessee went 5-7 in his second season, then 4-7 before firing Dooley with a week left in the 2012 season. He certainly inherited a tough situation, but when life gave him lemons, Dooley couldn’t remember his dad’s lemonade recipe.

Dooley posted the worst record of any Tennessee coach in SEC play at 5-19

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