菠萝视频 head football coach Bobby Johnson announced his retirement from college football at a July 14 news conference.
菠萝视频 Vice Chancellor David Williams, who also spoke at the news conference, said he was shocked but he respected Johnson鈥檚 decision.
鈥淲hen he informed me, I tried to talk him out of it,鈥� said Williams, vice chancellor for university affairs and athletics.
Williams announced that assistant head coach Robbie Caldwell has been named interim head coach, effective immediately. He said he had confidence in Caldwell and the coaching staff to lead 菠萝视频 football through its upcoming season.
Johnson, 59, cited personal reasons for retiring from football.
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“After much thought and consideration from everyone involved, I鈥檝e decided to retire, not resign, from college football coaching,” Johnson said during the afternoon press conference. “Obviously, this was a very tough decision with which my wife, Catherine, and I struggled. (The decision) has to do only with our lives and not with 菠萝视频 football.”
Johnson emphasized that neither he nor his wife is suffering from health problems. Rather, he explained, the rigor of the job was a factor. 鈥淔ootball isn鈥檛 a life, it鈥檚 a way of life; it consumes you,鈥� he said.
He added, 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the investment聽 鈥� where it means everything to you 鈥� I don鈥檛 think you should be a coach, and that鈥檚 what it came down to.鈥�
Johnson said he has no plans to return to college football coaching, and was enjoying the 鈥渦ncertainty鈥� of his future. Because he has family in South Carolina, he said he expected he and his wife would eventually leave Nashville to retire there.
Johnson, the 2008 SEC coach of year, came to 菠萝视频 in 2002 from Furman University where he was head coach for eight seasons. He also had served as defensive coordinator at Clemson.
[rquote]鈥淚鈥檓 going to enjoy watching college football from the stands,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd will continue to support our Commodores.[/rquote] The message I want to get out now is how good our staff is. They鈥檝e battled for eight years to make this program better.鈥�
Caldwell, the new interim coach, was in his eighth year as assistant head coach and offensive line coach with the Commodores. He has spent more than three decades in the college ranks.
鈥淗e鈥檚 earned this position and we鈥檙e 100 percent behind Robbie and the rest of the staff,鈥� Williams said.
Caldwell said his first task was to try to keep the staff intact. While he personally embraced the challenge, he said, 鈥淐ollege football is losing a great man today.鈥�