Dooley contract extension denied

ATHENS - Vince Dooley wanted to stay as Georgia's athletic director. University president Michael Adams decided it was time to go.

So, one of the most beloved figures in the history of Georgia athletics will be forced into retirement next year, a decision that drew howls of protest among Bulldog fans.

``After 40 years, he deserved that respect to go out how he wants to,'' said Dee Matthews, president of the Albany Bulldog Club in south Georgia. ``What's two or three more years?''

Adams, who has feuded with Dooley often since coming to the school in 1997, rejected Dooley's request for a contract extension during a terse meeting Thursday.

``I told him I was disappointed in his decision, but it's his decision,'' the 70-year-old Dooley said. ``We shook hands, and that was the end of the meeting.''

Adams insisted they stick to a deal reached in 2001 that will end Dooley's 25-years as athletic director on June 30, 2004 four decades after the drawling former Auburn quarterback came to Georgia as football coach.

``In any endeavor there comes a time when a transition to new leadership is appropriate,'' Adams said. ``It is now time for new leadership in the UGA athletic department.''

During a quarter-century as coach, Dooley guided the Bulldogs to six Southeastern Conference championships and the 1980 national title. He retired from coaching after the 1988 season.

Adams said Dooley could stay on for a year as a fund-raising consultant, with no change in his approximately $300,000 salary. The president also announced the formation of a search committee for a new athletic director, with plans to bring in Dooley's successor by the end of this year.

Dooley, who will not be involved in the search, said losing his job ``will probably be more emotional for other people.''

``I usually take things pretty much on balance,'' he said.

Despite their earlier agreement, Dooley asked Adams two months for a four-year contract extension. On Thursday, Dooley amended that request to two more years as AD, then two years as a fund-raising consultant.

Adams turned him down, a move that did not sit well with many Georgia fans.

``I think fans will be incensed,'' said Tim Forshee, president of the Thomasville Bulldog Club. ``Vince Dooley has done more for the athletic department than Michael Adams could even think of.''

Tom Nash, who played for Dooley from 1969-71 and is an emeritus member of the Georgia athletic board, also protested Adams' decision.

``I think coach Dooley should be allowed to remain as athletic director as long as he wants to stay in that position,'' Nash said. ``It will be very, very difficult to find anyone in the country as qualified, and as competent and as respected to be the athletic director as coach Dooley.''

The forced retirement epitomized the acrimonious relationship between Adams and Dooley.

They publicly disagreed over the firing of football coach Jim Donnan in 2000 Dooley thought he should stay; Adams wanted him ousted.

A year earlier, Adams overruled Dooley and chose Jim Harrick as men's basketball coach, and Harrick led Georgia to its most successful three-year stretch ever.

But this year, Harrick and his son, an assistant coach, were forced out amid an academic fraud scandal. Adams and Dooley pulled the team out of postseason play.

Then, several football players were disciplined for various violations this spring, including marijuana possession and selling their 2002 SEC championship rings.

The schism between Adams and Dooley was never more evident than when the president issued a stern warning to the athletic program after the selling of the rings, saying his patience ``is exhausted over this continuing improper behavior by athletes.''

Dooley rushed out his own statement to say he supported coach Mark Richt and trusted his handling of team discipline.

Adams wasn't pleased when Dooley asked for a contract extension not long after the allegations against Harrick damaged the president's reputation.

``We were in a meeting, and I told him that I wasn't really ready to retire, and that there were a lot of things that I wanted to get done,'' Dooley said.

In a letter to Dooley on Thursday, Adams said that although their relationship had been perceived as tense, they ``have been in agreement far more times than not.''

``Let me assure you that I value your friendship and welcome your continued involvement in the life of the university,'' he wrote.

With less than 13 months left, Dooley said he still has a lot of things he wants to accomplish, such as overseeing the expansion of Sanford Stadium, improvements to Stegeman Coliseum and a new fund-raising campaign.

``I will work just as hard my last day on the job as I did my first day on the job,'' he said.

Although the football team struggled under his successors, Dooley was credited with strengthening other sports especially the school's highly successful women's teams. He also was praised for hiring Richt, a former Florida State assistant who led the Bulldogs to their first SEC football championship in 20 years this past season.

``I think you're going to hear a lot of arguments over Adams sticking his nose into the athletic department, which I suppose is his right to do, but you're going to hear about it from the fans,'' said Mike Stone, president of the Columbus Bulldog Club.

Dooley insisted that he wasn't bitter about Adams' decision.

``I have had a wonderful, wonderful relationship with the University of Georgia,'' Dooley said. ``I have grown to love the people of this state. I am not going to let a decision spoil that.''