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Donnan Out

Jim Donnan is out at the behest of the University of Georgia president, who went over AD Vince Dooley's head.

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 5, 2000

ATHENS, Ga. -- Jim Donnan won more than two-thirds of his games as coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. He lost his job Monday largely because he didn't win the ones that mattered most.

In a stunning move, Donnan was fired three weeks after athletic director Vince Dooley gave the coach a vote of confidence.

The firing was made at the behest of university president Michael Adams, who will conduct the coaching search.

Adams took his case to the executive committee of the athletic board in a hastily called afternoon meeting.

"I don't believe the program was headed in the right direction," he said. "This is not just about wins and losses or Xs and Os. There were several facets," he said.

The move was made despite the objections of Dooley, who coached the team for 25 seasons and led the Bulldogs to a national title in 1980.

The Bulldogs began the season ranked No. 10 and favored to win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. After an early defeat at South Carolina, Georgia lost three of its final four regular-season games to finish 7-4.

Donnan went 5-6 in his first year at Georgia after arriving from Marshall but put together four straight winning seasons and was 39-19. However, the Bulldogs were 6-14 against their biggest rivals: Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida.

"Obviously, he's a good coach," quarterback Cory Phillips said. "I guess it came down to the fact that he couldn't beat the big four."

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 wouldn't comment on possible candidates.

Adams questioned the teaching ability of Donnan and staff while making vague references to behind-the-scene problems. However, an NCAA report released last week showed Georgia had the second-highest graduation rate among SEC football programs.

Dooley admitted he wanted to give Donnan another season, "with the idea that next season would be extremely important." The AD changed his mind after hearing the concerns of Adams and the athletic board.

After meeting the players, Dooley said he wanted Donnan to coach the Oahu Bowl Dec. 24.

Donnan did not comment on his firing or whether he would remain with the Bulldogs through the bowl game.

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