Tennessee fires Peterson after four seasons

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Posted 7:41PM on Monday, March 14, 2005

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee fired Buzz Peterson as coach after the Volunteers failed to make the NCAA tournament during his four years at the school. Peterson was 61-59 overall, and the Volunteers finished the season 14-17 after losing to Kentucky in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament last Friday. It was Peterson's second losing season in Knoxville. ``Buzz has many of the characteristics we have looked for in a coach, but we were found lacking in the area of wins and losses in a business that measures its success according to such parameters,'' athletic director Mike Hamilton said during a news conference Monday. Hamilton said he informed Peterson of his decision Sunday evening. Peterson seemed somewhat surprised but handled the news in a ``first-class'' manner, Hamilton said. Peterson, 41, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. He was hired in April 2001 to replace Jerry Green, who was ousted after taking the Vols to the NCAA tournament four straight seasons. Peterson, whose contract package is worth $769,500 a year and runs through the 2008-09 season, was the fourth coach at Tennessee since Don DeVoe was fired in 1989. The Peterson buyout will cost UT nearly $1.4 million, and the university still owes Green a final payment of his buyout next January. Hamilton hired Champ Sports of Los Angeles to help search for a new coach and submitted a list of candidates to the firm, which he said has already made some contacts. Hamilton would not say how many coaches have been contacted. UT will pay the firm $25,000 plus travel expenses for candidates, athletic department spokeswoman Tiffany Carpenter said. Hamilton declined to specify a timetable for making a hire, saying the search will take as long as needed to find the right coach. Gov. Phil Bredesen, who as governor is chairman of the university's Board of Trustees, was asked about the firing and the expense of another UT contract buyout after touring a kindergarten program in Knoxville Monday. ``Sports programs are an important part of the university, and I have confidence in (UT president) John Petersen and his team to make the right decision on this stuff,'' Bredesen said. ``I am certainly not going to try to second guess those decisions.'' Petersen said in a statement he supported Hamilton's decision. ``I also share the appreciation of Buzz Peterson and the excellent way he has represented this university and the very high level of character he has consistently demonstrated,'' Petersen said. Before the season ended, Hamilton was lobbied by Peterson supporters, including former Tennessee athletes Peyton Manning and Todd Helton, Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Peterson's college coach Dean Smith. Football coach Phillip Fulmer said he spoke with Peterson on Monday. ``Everybody in this profession knows how volatile it can be and Buzz certainly understood that,'' Fulmer said. Peterson came to Tennessee after one season at Tulsa, where he went 26-11 and won the NIT. He spent four seasons at Appalachian State before Tulsa and took the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in 2000 and was named the Southern Conference coach of the year twice. A native of nearby Asheville, N.C., Peterson played on North Carolina's 1982 national championship team with Michael Jordan. Peterson's father, Bob, is a graduate of Tennessee and often took his son to Knoxville to watch games. Peterson, a well-liked personality off the court, has said he enjoyed coaching at Tennessee and believed the Vols can win championships. But the Vols did not even receive a bid to the NIT this season after ending the past two years with losses in the first round of the NIT. ``It's disappointing,'' Peterson told reporters after the 76-62 loss to Kentucky at the SEC tournament. ``It doesn't meet my standards at all. I've been in winning programs, where we competed for championships.'' Tennessee loses two senior starters from this year's team guard Scooter McFadgon and center Brandon Crump. Next season the Vols will return point guard C.J. Watson for his final year and guard Chris Lofton, who set the SEC mark this season for the most 3-pointers scored by a freshman. Hamilton said he met with the players on Monday and asked them to be patient. Tennessee signed three players in November forwards Tyler Smith and Matthew Dotson and center Damion Harris. Harris signed last year but is playing for Prince Avenue Prep in South Carolina. The Vols are hoping to sign guard Jamont Gordon, who's playing at Oak Hill Academy, this spring. Assistant coach Chuck Benson, who helped coordinate recruiting, was asked to manage basketball operations in the absence of a head coach. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)