ATLANTA --Chan Gailey was hired Saturday as football coach at Georgia Tech, which is looking to get past the embarrassing revelations that George O'Leary lied about his background.

Gailey, offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, is a former head coach at Dallas who led the Cowboys to the playoffs two straight years.

He received a five-year guaranteed contract that will pay him $900,000 this season, with bonuses that could raise his salary to more than $1.2 million annually. The deal also includes a 4 percent raise each year but no buyout clause that would prevent him from taking another job.

Athletic director Dave Braine described Gailey as a quiet man who exudes confidence. He likened him to Bobby Dodd, who won 165 games during a 22-year coaching career at Georgia Tech.

"I told him it was important to be like that," Braine said. "Obviously, he's not coach Dodd, but he's an awful lot like him."

"I can't believe you mentioned me in the same sentence with Bobby Dodd," Gailey told Braine. "I've got to earn that. Hopefully, I will."

Gailey succeeds a coach who guided the Yellow Jackets to five straight bowl appearances, then left Dec. 9 to take his dream job at Notre Dame. Five days later, O'Leary was forced to resign after athletic and academic discrepancies on his resume came to light.

Georgia Tech never considered taking back O'Leary. Instead, the Yellow Jackets turned to Gailey, a coach with a proven record at the pro and college level.

Gailey made a quick trip to Atlanta for a morning news conference, then flew back to Florida. He will remain with the Dolphins for the rest of the season, which includes two more regular-season games and probably the playoffs.

Miami can clinch a postseason spot by beating the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He'll fly back-and-forth to Atlanta on weekends for recruiting visits but will devote most of his attention to the Dolphins until their season ends.

Braine said the buyout clause for another job was one of the first issues he raised with Gailey, who insisted he was at Georgia Tech for the long haul.

"Obviously, when you're a high-profile offensive coordinator in the NFL, you wonder if a guy is going take the next NFL job that comes along," Braine said. "He said he would not. That was good enough for us."

Gailey has bounced around a lot during his 26-year coaching career, working for three colleges and five professional teams. But he said he plans to settle down in his native state.

"When I tell you I'm going to stay," he said, "I'm going to stay."

Braine also made sure Gailey's background didn't contain any discrepancies. "One of the first questions we asked him was his Social Security number so we could run a check," the AD said, smiling.

Gailey was a three-year letterman at Florida who graduated from the school in 1974 with a degree in physical education. O'Leary claimed he was a three-year letterman at New Hampshire but it turned out he never played a game. Also, O'Leary said he had a master's degree from New York University, which was inaccurate.

Gailey pointed out right away he didn't have an advanced degree, though he did begin his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida. "I basically took enough classes so I could coach," he said.

Gailey, who turns 50 next Saturday, fit Georgia Tech's desire to land a former head coach. He guided Troy State to a Division II title in the 1980s, spent two years with Birmingham in the ill-fated World League of American Football and coached the Cowboys in 1998 and '99.

Dallas went 18-14 during Gailey's tenure, including an NFC East title and two straight trips to the playoffs. Each time, the Cowboys were blown out in the first round.

Owner Jerry Jones fired Gailey with three years left on his contract, saying he didn't think the coach got the most out of aging stars Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman.

Gailey was asked if he learned anything from his coaching experience in Dallas.

"Yes," he replied, followed by a few seconds of awkward silence. Asked if he would elaborate, he said, "No."

After firing Gailey, the Cowboys plummeted to 5-11. They are last in the NFC East this season with a 4-10 mark.

Before his Dallas stint, Gailey spent four years on Bill Cowher's staff in Pittsburgh -- the last two as offensive coordinator. In 1997, he helped transform Kordell Stewart from a novelty -- the "Slash" who could run, pass or catch -- into a legitimate pro quarterback.

In Miami, Gailey runs a low-risk, run-oriented offense built around a collection of castoffs, including Jay Fiedler at quarterback and Lamar Smith at running back. Occasionally, Gailey has been criticized for conservative play-calling.

"I grew up believing you had to run the football, stop the run and play great special teams," Gailey said. "Those things are imbedded in me. ... But I'm about to come around to this passing game."

To prove his commitment to Georgia Tech's high-scoring offense, Gailey announced he would retain coordinator Bill O'Brien. He'll also keep another holdover from O'Leary's staff, running backs coach Glenn Spencer, who will probably move to a defensive position.

Gailey takes over a team that began the season ranked in the Top 10 but saw its championship hopes fade with overtime losses to Clemson and Maryland. The Yellow Jackets closed the regular season with consecutive losses to Georgia and Florida State before upsetting No. 11 Stanford 24-14 in the Seattle Bowl on Thursday.

Mac McWhorter served as interim coach for the bowl and was among those interviewed by Braine, who also talked with Boston College coach Tom O'Brien, New York Giants assistant Jimmy Robinson and Maryland offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe.

Gailey has strong ties to the state, which should help in recruiting. He was born in Gainesville and grew up in Americus, the same town where Falcons coach Dan Reeves spent his formative years.

The two have remained close friends. Gailey worked on Reeves' staff with the Denver Broncos from 1985-90.