New man on the Plains
Ole Miss' Tuberville officially takes over at Auburn
Posted: Saturday November 28, 1998 08:39 PM
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Through four seasons at Ole Miss, Tuberville was 25-20 with a program that was under two years of NCAA probation when he arrived in 1995 AP |
AUBURN, Alabama (AP) -- Tommy Tuberville, who turned around a
troubled Mississippi program, will now try to do the same thing at
Auburn for double the money and double the pressure.
Tuberville, 44, was introduced as the Tigers' football coach
Saturday, replacing Terry Bowden. He signed a five-year deal Friday
night worth an estimated $4.5 million.
An emotional Tuberville, wearing an Auburn tie, said the Auburn
job was the only one that could have lured him from Oxford, Mississippi.
"I was contacted by most jobs that were open. This is the only
one I considered," he said. "It's not about the money. It's about
the opportunity. I think we can win a national championship here."
Through four seasons at Ole Miss, Tuberville was 25-20 with a
program that was under two years of NCAA probation when he arrived
in 1995. The Rebels lost 26 scholarships, but Tuberville still
guided them to three winning seasons, including an 8-4 record last
year and a trip to the Motor City Bowl.
With only five seniors this year, Ole Miss went 6-5 and
concluded its season Thursday night with a 28-6 loss to Mississippi
State.
After the game, Tuberville continued to deny he was a candidate
to replace Bowden at Auburn. But by Friday afternoon he was on the
Plains, agreeing to become Auburn's 25th football coach and defect
from one Southeastern Conference Western Division team to another.
"That probably makes it tougher, to play one of my schools that
I dearly loved," he said. "But it's just part of the job."
At Auburn, Tuberville will begin his second rebuilding project.
The Tigers are only a year removed from the SEC title game, but are
now at their lowest point since Bowden took over amidst NCAA
sanctions in 1993.
Auburn stumbled through injuries and off-field problems this
season while struggling to a 3-8 record -- its worst since 1952 --
against one of the nation's toughest schedules.
Bowden, whose job security seemed to be a constant question
despite being the most successful coach in Tiger history through
his first five seasons, abruptly quit October 23 when Auburn was 1-5.
The program has resembled a free-for-all ever since. Defensive
coordinator Bill Oliver took over for Bowden and abruptly fired
offensive coordinator Rodney Allison. Accusations of a plot to oust
Bowden plagued Oliver through Auburn's final five games and he
withdrew from consideration for the head coaching job last week.
Tuberville called Oliver the second-best defensive coach in the
country, "behind me," and was interested in retaining him on his
staff.
Oliver previously had said he would not return in any other
capacity except head coach, but Tuberville said he planned to speak
with him.
Tuberville said Saturday he isn't worried about the volatile
situation he's taking over.
"These last few months haven't been fun, something these
players never should have gone through," Tuberville said. "But
they learned from it, they grew up from it, and I promise you,
they're ready to move on from it."
He shouldn't expect a quick fix at Auburn, where the recruiting
situation has been in limbo since Bowden quit. The Tigers' talent
level has been down in recent seasons, partly because of mediocre
recruiting classes.
Bowden had been criticized for poor recruiting classes, and last
year's group lost seven signees when they failed to academically
qualify. Tuberville said he planned to begin recruiting as early as
Friday night, with an emphasis on convincing high school coaches
across the South that "this university is second to none." He
said all verbal commitments would be honored.
Tuberville is expected to bring some of his Ole Miss assistants
with him, and said he'd like to have a staff of at least seven
assistants assembled by Monday. The status of Auburn's coaches is
still uncertain, and Tuberville said he didn't know if any would be
retained. Auburn assistant head coach Joe Whitt has been with the
Tigers since 1981 and has the best chance of staying with the
Tigers.
Tuberville planned to meet with the team for the first time
Monday afternoon, electing to speak with them as a group instead of
one-on-one. He said he wasn't sure how he would address the players
"because first impressions are important."
Tuberville made about $400,000 a year at Ole Miss, with an
annuity that could have been worth another $150,000. Auburn is
expected to pay Ole Miss a $100,000 contract buyout.
Ole Miss officials said Saturday they had already begun their
search for Tuberville's replacement.
"We are disappointed that Coach Tuberville has made the
decision to leave Ole Miss," athletics director John Shafer said.
"Our main concern in the coming days is to find a replacement who
is a good coach, a good recruiter, a person of character and
integrity, and, most importantly, a person who will make a
long-term commitment to Ole Miss."
Tuberville, who spent 18 years as an assistant coach, including
eight seasons at Miami, before taking over at Ole Miss, had been
one of the most sought-after coaches in the nation. Last year he
turned down an offer to take over at Arkansas.
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