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The Dooley File

The Facts
Born: June 10, 1968 (Athens, Ga.)
Wife: Dr. Allison Jeffers Dooley
Children: John Taylor, Peyton and Julianna

Education
Clarke Central High School (Athens, Ga.)
University of Virginia, 1991
University of Georgia Law School, 1994

College Football
Wide Receiver, University of Virginia, 1987-90

Coaching Career
1996 - Georgia Grad. Asst., Defensive Backs
1997 - SMU Wide Receivers Coach
1998-99 - SMU Wide Rec./Co-Recruiting Coord.
2000-02 - LSU Recruiting Coordinator/Tight Ends
2003 - LSU Running Backs/Special Teams
2004 - LSU Asst. HC/Running Backs/ Spec. Tms
2005-06 - Miami Dolphins Tight Ends Coach
2007-09 - Louisiana Tech Head Coach
2010 - Tennessee Head Coach

The Dooley Family

Derek Dooley with his wife, Allison, and children (L to R) Peyton, Julianna and John Taylor

Derek Dooley may own a rival's pedigree, but to Tennessee fans he felt just like one of their own when the Vols introduced him as the school's 22nd head coach in January.

Dooley, 41, comes to UT after three seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech, where he also served as athletics director since March 2008. He was the only athletics director serving as head football coach on the major college level.

But it is his family lineage where Tennessee and Southeastern Conference football fans make the connection. Dooley is the youngest son of Georgia legend Vince Dooley, who coached the Bulldogs for 25 seasons and claimed six league titles and the 1980 national championship. And yet Tennessee's Dooley sounds right at home on Rocky Top.

"As most of you know, I grew up in this conference," he said. "I grew up in the SEC. It didn't take me long as a youngster to realize that Tennessee was the essence of college football. Even as a young kid, watching the team run through the 'T,' when you see checkerboard end zones and, of course, hear 'Rocky Top' - those were vivid memories as a youngster."

Dooley never accepted the predetermined path to success. He played his college football at Virginia, turning down scholarship offers elsewhere to walk on and later earn his own scholarship from Cavaliers head coach George Welsh.

As a wide receiver, Dooley earned that scholarship after his second season and went on to help the Cavaliers to three bowl appearances and the 1989 Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

In 1990, he was named first team Academic All-ACC and helped Virginia to a Sugar Bowl bid against Tennessee. During his UVa career, Dooley caught 41 passes for 604 yards and three touchdowns. His level of play was such in the 1990 season that he was invited to and participated in the Senior Bowl.

He graduated that year with a bachelor's degree in governmentand foreign affairs, and then went on to earn hislaw degree from the University of Georgia in 1994. Then after a successful start to the legal profession, Dooley switched gears and returned to his love of football. Four short years later, he latched onto the staff of Nick Saban at LSU and moved into the fast lane of the SEC. After five successful seasons that included the 2003 national championship, Dooley moved with Saban to the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

"I really thrived in his way of doing things," Dooley said of Saban. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity he gave me in wearing so many hats, coaching different positions, coordinating recruiting and coordinating special teams, assistant head coach -- he really allowed me to blossom as a young coach." But rather than remain in that comfort zone, Dooley again chose his own path toward success - a path that returned him to the state of Louisiana.

"There was a part of me that said stay in your comfort zone, sit tight, and, hopefully, one day it (head coaching job) would come," Dooley said. "That really isn't who I am, and I felt I needed to develop more to be ready when I got this opportunity."

Dooley was named to his first head coaching position by Louisiana Tech in December 2006, and immediately began laying the foundation for future success. Included in his 17-20 overall record was an 8-5 mark in 2008 highlighted by the school's first postseason victory in 30 years at the Independence Bowl. Tech finished second in the WAC that season and played in a bowl game for only the third time since joining the major college ranks in 1989.

For his efforts, the Louisiana Sports Writers' Association named him 2008 Coach of the Year.

"I am certain that I'm a better and more qualified candidate by doing what I did the last three years," Dooley said. "I did take a little bit of a risk. I took the head coaching job at Louisiana Tech. It was a program that had been struggling, it was a program that hadn't made a lot of investment in football, and I'm very proud of the improvements we made in all phases."

Tennessee Director of Athletics Mike Hamilton, always a visionary, saw in Dooley a rising star on the sidelines who could fit right away into his rugged SEC surroundings.

"Derek is one of the bright young coaches in America," Hamilton said. "He understands our league and the competitive environment in which we compete. He took a very difficult first head coaching job and made significant strides there in a short period of time.

"He is incredibly bright, a tireless recruiter and excellent on-the-field coach."

Dooley began his coaching career in 1996 as a graduate assistant at Georgia under defensive coordinator Joe Kines. He then served from 1997-99 as wide receivers coach and co-recruiting coordinator at SMU, where Dooley helped the Mustangs to the school's only winning season over a 20-year stretch.

Dooley joined the staff at LSU under Saban in 2000, serving as recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach from 2000-02 and then running backs coach and special teams coordinator from 2003-04. While LSU's recruiting coordinator, Dooley helped the Tigers land No. 1 classes in 2001 and 2003.

The Tigers won SEC championships both of those seasons, claimed the BCS national championship in 2003, and Saban promoted Dooley to assistant head coach for the 2004 campaign.

Under Dooley's tutelage, running back Justin Vincent set an LSU freshman record by rushing for 1,001 yards in 2003. He went on to be named MVP of both the SEC Championship Game as well as the Sugar Bowl, during which LSU claimed the BCS national title.

In 2004, the Tigers finished first in the SEC in rushing (193.8 yards per game), led by Alley Broussard (867 yards, 6.1 avg.) and Joseph Addai (680 yards, 6.7 avg.), a first-round draft choice of Indianapolis in 2006.

Dooley left with Saban to serve as tight ends coach for the Dolphins from 2005-06. During his two years in Miami, Dooley oversaw the continued development of tight end Randy McMichael, who ended his Dolphins career as the alltime leader in receptions by a tight end.

Before embarking on his coaching career, Dooley practiced law at a private law firm in Atlanta for two years.

Dooley is married to Dr. Allison Jeffers Dooley, an OB/GYN and Fort Worth, Texas, native. They have two sons, John Taylor (11) and Peyton (8), and a daughter, Julianna (6).

Allison is active in fundraising and leadership for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.