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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Athletics Director Pete Boone Press Conference
11/24/2007 | Football
Opening Comments
“Ed Orgeron will not be returning as Ole Miss’ head football coach next year. At 9:00 this morning, Chancellor (Robert) Khayat and I with him and we both thanked him for his tremendous work ethic, his energy, commitment and the sacrifices he has made over the last three years. There are at least five criteria I use in evaluating coaches. One is producing a fundamentally sound team. Two is the ability to motivate a team on a constant basis. Three is successful leadership of the coaching staff. Four is ability to recognize and adapt. And five is management of the game. Coach Orgeron has had some tremendous strides in some areas in his first tenure as a head football coach, but unfortunately, I don’t think it is enough to continue. We will be moving forward and looking for a new coach. That search will begin and we will use the same approach as we did with our basketball search last season.”
Q: “What were the criteria that you felt coach Orgeron failed in?”
A: “I wouldn’t go so far as to say failure. That is kind of a relative word. I have said all along that it is important to weigh the whole balance of things. All of these things are important. One is not stronger than the other. There could be strides made in some and not so much in others, but to say one was a failure, I wouldn’t say that. I would say I had to weigh all of these, and in weighing them, it was not enough to warrant going forward in that direction.”
Q: “What about the rest of the coaching staff?”
A: “All have contracts. Some expire at different times. I will be meeting with the rest of the coaching staff this afternoon. John Thompson is in the first year of a three-year contract. I believe the rest of them are either under one-year contracts or are in the last year of their contracts.”
Q: “You were initially supportive of coach Orgeron earlier in the season. At what point did that begin to change?”
A: “When the Chancellor and I originally talked to Ed, we hoped and wished for his continued success. It was all with the anticipation of his ending the season in strong fashion. That did not happen. It was not any one moment in time that this decision was made, but rather in assessment of the season.”
Q: “Did some of the things that happened in yesterday’s game factor into the decision?”
A: “I think the first quarter, the fourth quarter, last game, two games ago, the entire season was important. Based on the previous criteria and hopefully finishing strong for the last few games was the main basis for the decision.”
Q: “Do you have a timetable for hiring a new head coach?”
A: “We don’t. We will use the same format we used in hiring coach (Andy) Kennedy (Head Men’s Basketball Coach). Obviously, we will start immediately. We will use a different firm, since the other firm was geared toward basketball.”
Q: “Did the incident with the hotel have any impact in the decision?’
A: “No.”
Q: “The fan base seemed fractured at times this season. Was that a part of the decision as well?”
A: “It is certainly easier to succeed with everyone pulling in the same direction. I would hope that decisions could be made in a little more sterile environment than that, but to say that disharmony has no impact would be disingenuous. I think you have to weigh everything, but that certainly was not a major factor, although it is important.”
Q: “Could you just define the previous statement? Was coach Orgeron fired or was there a resignation? What about the search?”
A: “We, the Chancellor and myself, met with Coach Orgeron this morning and explained to him that while there was progress being made on the field, we felt that the catalyst was not good enough to move forward into next year. He understood that, took it as strong as a man as you can imagine Coach O being and that was very gentlemanly. As far as the search goes, I don’t want to be too specific. You always have plans and timeframes, but I think we need to get down the road a little before we do that.”
Q: “What are the terms of Coach Orgeron’s buyout?”
A: “It’s 75 percent of his base salary until December of 2009. His total base salary is $900,000. We will pay him 75 percent of that less what he will make at another job.”
Q: “Have the players been informed?”
A: “We have done our best to text the players. We have not gotten many responses. Our plans are to talk to them when they return to school on Sunday.”
Q: “What originally attracted you to Coach Orgeron?”
A: “He had a great resume. He was highly recommended by some of the top tier coaches. He had been in some successful programs and was an integral part of those programs. He was recognized nationally as a great recruiter. So, based on that information that we had at the time, we made the call. I would not go back and even try to second guess that. The first person I am going to look at is me and ask what I could have done better over the past three years.”
Q: “What about David Cutcliffe and his buyout? Will the two overlap?”
A: “I believe Coach Cutcliffe is all paid.”
Q: “Do you believe that this may set the program back a few years?”
A: “I would look at this as an opportunity. We have a chance to reconfirm and add energy and enthusiasm to the program. That is my approach. This is an opportunity to move forward.”
Q: “Who is the interim head coach?”
A: “I have asked Hugh Freeze, who is the head of recruiting, to be my point man, as well as John Thompson. I will be meeting with the coaches at 1:00 this afternoon.”
Q: “Do you know if any that coaches may be retained?”
A: “I hope that whoever the new coach may be that they certainly have the opportunity to talk to our current staff. They have done a good job in their areas, but it is certainly up to the new coach as to who he would want to bring in as assistants.”
Q: “Are you prepared to pay whoever the next head coach may be a more competitive salary, being that they have skyrocketed over the last few years?”
A: “We are always ready to pay what is necessary. There are a lot of factors involved over who comes. One of the things I feel very strongly about is an incentive structure. I feel very strongly about a good base pay, but I also believe you pay for performance. That is the kind of pay I like to pay here. I don’t really know how much we will have to increase the pay. A lot of it will depend on the coach and his experience. I would like a coach that wants to be paid fairly with the ability to make a lot of money based on performance. That shows me a competitive instinct in that person. I believe most of the coaches out there are competitive and would like to be measured on performance.”
Q: “How does this affect recruiting?”
A: “I have asked coach (Hugh) Freeze to do an analysis of all the player we are recruiting and look for those that are sincere about coming to Ole Miss and the ones that may not be quite as strong in that area and those that have already committed to us. And we will make those decisions somewhere along those lines this afternoon.”
Q: “Did you get the caliber of applicants the last time you conducted a search and do you expect the same?
A: “I think so. We had a good group of candidates. There are so many factors that go into a decision like this. There are some great coaches out there, but there are certain things that have to fit. There is certain culture at Ole Miss, at
