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Tennessee Fires Dooley

By Matthew Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com
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In his nearly three full years at the school, Dooley only managed to lead the Vols to four SEC wins.

Following Saturday's embarrassing 41-18 to in-state foe Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee athletic department has dismissed head coach Derek Dooley.

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will serve as the Volunteers' interim head coach for the season finale against Kentucky.

Coming to Rocky Top from Louisiana Tech, Dooley's tenure at Tennessee was less than stellar. In his nearly three full years at the school, Dooley only managed to lead the Vols to four SEC wins, and exits Knoxville with a 15-21 overall record.

"I am sorry we could not generate enough wins to create hope for a brighter future," Dooley said in a news release. "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."

Tennessee will miss out on postseason play for a second consecutive season, meaning that the Volunteers can begin their head coaching search immediately.

"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 the release. "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."

Matthew Osborne - With an extensive background in both writing and high school recruiting, Matt serves as the Editor and Director of Recruiting for Southern Pigskin. Once serving as the South Region Senior Scout for a national scouting service, Matt is very familiar with the top football prospects in the south. If it is a weekend in the fall, you can rest assured that Matt is on the road watching some of the top high school and college games in the region. To keep up with all of the latest recruiting news in the south, be sure to follow Matt on Twitter: @MattOsborneSP. You can email him at matt@southernpigskin.com.