David Cutcliffe Press Conference Transcript

Dec. 1, 2004

Opening Comments
Most of you know that I was dismissed as the University of Mississippi's head football coach this morning. I have a lot of people to thank. I'd like to start with my wife, Karen, and the rest of my family for their support through all of this. We've had a wonderful experience and have met so many great people at Ole Miss. I certainly want to thank our staff and players for their efforts and terrific attitude. All of the people who work with us on a daily basis have been absolutely wonderful. It would take me forever to name every single one of them and I hope they understand that. I appreciate the opportunity Chancellor (Robert) Khayat gave me six years ago. I have had so many great memories during my six years at Ole Miss. We've had so many people who have supported us and the experience has been awfully good. This has been a tough day, but we will continue to move forward. Tough times don't last, but tough people do.

Q: What reasons were you given for the dismissal?
A: I really don't want to get into that. (Director of Athletics) Pete Boone and I just couldn't come to an agreement. We just couldn't get on the same page.

Q: What did you say to your players after the decision was made?
A: I told them to bear down academically and to bear down athletically. I told them that I would miss them and wished them the best. I hope all of the guys in this program continue to do well. This is an important time for all of them and I hope they respond like winners.

Q: College coaches getting fired seems to be a trend these days. Have you ever been dismissed before?
A: They say there are two types of coaches -- those who have been fired and those who will be fired. This is the first time that I've been dismissed.

Q: You and Pete Boone have been meeting all week. Were you aware of this final decision last night?
A: No, I wasn't. As I said yesterday, we discussed everything as thoroughly as possible. Today was a continuation of what we had been talking about on Monday and Tuesday.

Q: Was it a shock when Dr. Khayat and Mr. Boone informed you of this decision?
A: No, it was not a shock. Everyone knows we had been in discussion for a few days.

Q: Did this decision go beyond the football field? Was there a conflict in personalities here?
A: I will let Dr. Khayat and Mr. Boone answer that question. It was just a combination of things.

Q: Was your idea of success different from Pete Boone's?
A: We didn't argue on records, wins, losses and that type of thing. We just couldn't get on the same page in a variety of areas and that's how it went.

Q: Would you have any suggestions for the coach who replaces you at Ole Miss?
A: No, not really. Being a Division-I college football coach is a very demanding job. I would just tell that person to `take care of his business.'

Q: Do you think this decision will make the next coach think twice about accepting a job at Ole Miss?
A: I don't think so, but you'd have to ask the next coach that question.

Q: What kind of role did Dr. Khayat have in this whole process?
A: Dr. Khayat was very supportive. I don't have any bitterness towards anyone involved in this decision. I think he was just trying to help Pete Boone and myself in being as thorough as possible when trying to evaluat all aspects of the program.

Q: You still have three years remaining on a guaranteed contract. How will the financial aspect play itself out?
A: I don't know. We haven't gotten that far yet. I'll let the lawyers take care of that.

Q: Did Dr. Khayat and Mr. Boone give you a fair shake?
A: I'm not going there. I'm just going to say that I don't have any bitterness. I truly don't. I have had too many great experiences and have met too many wonderful people at Ole Miss for me to dwell on the negatives. This experience has been great for our family, so I tend to focus on the positives.

Q: What was your family's reaction to all of this?
A: This is a very sad time and emotional day for the Cutcliffe family.

Q: There has been a lot of public speculation on your health. Can you comment on that?
A: There are no problems there. My health is good.

Q: Do you know what your future holds at this time?
A: I really don't know. That's a hard question to answer right now. I am saying a lot of prayers about the future and hoping something works itself out.

Q: I remember you saying, "no one should ever coach football because they love football," but "they should coach football because they can't live without it." For the time being, you will have to live without football. How do you deal with that personally and emotionally?
A: I really don't know how to answer that question because I haven't been in this situation before. I made that statement (about not being able to live without football) and I stick by it. That's the type of passion it takes to be successful in college football. We will see how I feel tomorrow.

Q: Are you disappointed that you've been released less than 11 months after going 10-3 and winning the Cotton Bowl?
A: I'm disappointed that we went 4-7 this year. Things just haven't been good in 2004.

Q: Are you surprised that your past success didn't get you at least one more year?
A: Again, I will refer that question to Dr. Khayat and Mr. Boone. I wasn't shocked by this decision because we have been talking and communicating throughout the season.

Q: In your estimation, when did this process begin?
A: There have been lots of talks -- on a variety of subjects -- throughout the season. We had set up these postseason meetings, but we've been talking about the future of this program all along.

Q: Did you ever think that this day could occur?
A: I've always known that there was a chance.

Q: Have the past three days been pretty standard postseason discussions?
A: They have been a little more intense than your standard discussions.

Q: A lot of fans think the Ole Miss football program should be able to compete for national championships. Do those people have realistic expectations?
A: I sure hope Ole Miss can compete for a national championship in the near future. You are sitting in a new (Indoor Practice) facility and that shows the university's commitment to football.

Q: Do you feel like you've had the support of the fans all along?
A: Well, that's a group I should've thanked at the very beginning and I appreciate you bringing that up. Just look around and you will see how the Ole Miss faithful really support football. We set a record for season-ticket sales this year and filled the stadium with over 60,000 fans on a regular basis. I can't thank the true Ole Miss fans enough for all of their support. That's the type of support and encouragement that us coaches need to be successful. We need the fans to show up on Saturdays and be consistently behind us. That has certainly been the case with the true Ole Miss fans. I appreciate everything they have done for me and this program.

Q: Does this decision make sense to you?
A: Again, I'm not really going there right now. It doesn't matter if it makes sense to me. That's just the way it is. This is all about reality and how things are.

Q: Has coaching at the college level become much more demanding?
A: I've been in the Southeastern Conference for 23 straight years now. I think it's become much more demanding during that time, but being in the SEC is still a wonderful place to be. You don't find guys complaining about the nature of the job, but it is certainly tough to do.

Q: Did you ever feel like your job could be salvaged during the discussions this week?
A: I felt like it could be salvaged, but more talks were needed. That much I know.

Closing Comments
I want to publicly thank (Associate AD for Media Relations) Langston Rogers. I really appreciate what he's done, taking a first-time head coach under his wings. I also want to thank the members of the media who worked with us on a regular basis. You have been very good to me and very good to this program. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen everywhere. I really do appreciate all of you guys and how you've handled things. God bless you all.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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