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| Tuesday, December 5 Donnan fired after 7-4 season Associated Press | |||
| ATHENS, Ga. -- The players wandered into Georgia's athletic
complex, expecting to talk about their bowl trip to Hawaii.
Instead, they learned their coach had been fired.
Jim Donnan was dismissed Monday by the Bulldogs despite winning
more than two-thirds of his games and receiving a vote of
confidence from athletic director Vince Dooley just three weeks
ago.
"We heard some rumors right before we went in," running back
Brett Millican said. "But you never think it's really going to
happen."
Donnan came under fire for coaching an underachieving team that
began the season ranked No. 10 and expected to win the Southeastern
Conference Eastern Division.
The No. 24 Bulldogs (7-4) lost three of their last four
regular-season games for the second year in a row, settling for a
spot in the Oahu Bowl.
Still, the dismissal was stunning in light of Donnan's overall
record: 39-19 in five seasons, plus four straight bowl invitations.
He had the third-best winning percentage among SEC coaches,
trailing only Florida's Steve Spurrier and Tennessee's Phillip
Fulmer.
"A lot of coaches would love to be able to say that," Georgia
quarterback Cory Phillips said. "I guess it came down to the fact
that he couldn't beat the big four."
For Georgia, the biggest rivals are Florida, Tennessee, Auburn
and Georgia Tech. Donnan had a losing record against all four,
going 6-14 overall.
The Bulldog Nation was especially perturbed about a third
straight loss to Georgia Tech, a streak that hadn't happened since
the early 1960s.
"It's something we can't ignore," Dooley said. "Suppose we
had a winning record against all four of those teams. Would we be
here? The fact of the matter is we would not be here if that was
the case."
With Donnan coming under increasing criticism, Dooley said Nov.
14 that had no intention of firing the coach.
"I like our coach," Dooley said at the time. "I feel like
he's putting together a good program."
Dooley wanted to give Donnan another season -- "with the idea
that next season would be extremely important." The AD changed his
mind at the behest of university president Michael Adams, who has
taken an active role in the athletic department during his
four-year tenure.
In 1999, Adams was largely responsible for the hiring of men's
basketball coach Jim Harrick.
"Once we went through the likelihood of whether or not we'd be
sitting here doing this a year from now, we became convinced ...
that it was probably fairer to coach Donnan and to the program to
go ahead and make a change now," Adams said.
Donnan raved about his team before the season, saying he had
waited his entire life to coach such a talented group.
"Part of the problem with coach Donnan in some ways was the
great optimism that he has," Dooley said. "It is great and
refreshing to everyone, but I did not think that statement served
him well."
The optimism quickly soured with an early-season defeat at South
Carolina, which had not won an SEC game since 1997.
The final blow was a loss to Georgia Tech, which cost the
Bulldogs a possible New Year's Day game.
Speculation on a successor immediately centered on Virginia Tech
coach Frank Beamer, who last week turned down a reported offer from
North Carolina for as much as $1.4 million annually.
Dooley and Adams, who will conduct the coaching search with help
from a consulting firm, wouldn't comment on possible candidates.
Georgia had 19 of 24 starters from last year's 8-4 team, but the
offense sputtered -- with Donnan calling the plays -- and quarterback
Quincy Carter missed four games with injuries.
Donnan did not immediately comment on his firing or whether he
would accept the offer to coach the bowl game for the Bulldogs. A
woman who answered the telephone at the coach's home said he was
not taking calls.
Several players hinted at a possible Oahu boycott if Donnan
wasn't the coach. Dooley, who was a coach for 25 years, downplayed
those feelings after meeting with the team.
Georgia will pay about $2.2 million to buy out the final three
years of Donnan's contract. In addition, the school still owes
$221,000 to Donnan's predecessor, Ray Goff.
Donnan has a career record of 103-40, coaching at Division I-AA
Marshall before coming to Georgia.
| ALSO SEE
Complete bowls coverageCollege coaching rumor central Division I football coaching changes VIDEO
  Georgia's AD Vince Dooley reports on the firing of football coach Jim Donnan.wav: 238 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Georgia President Dr. Michael Adams feels the decision is based on the best interest of the program.wav: 102 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 ESPN's Chris Fowler is surprised by the firing of Georgia coach Jim Donnan.wav: 388 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | ||
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