By Chris Marler
In a new trend of former relevant college football people running for office, former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley is running for U.S. Senate.
Dooley will join former Auburn head coach Tommy Tubberville and UGA RB Herschel Walker as former SEC stalwarts that turned to politics after football. Dooley, a native of Athens, will run against incumbent Jon Ossoff, campaigning behind a “Georgia First” slogan and mantra.
“I’m running because our state needs leadership in Washington D.C., and professional politicians like Jon Ossoff are the problem,” Dooley said. “Leadership matters. Our state doesn’t have a voice in the U.S. Senate who reflects Georgia values…”
He also brought up his experience as a head coach being valuable in who he is as a leader saying, “The foundation of football is the American Spirit.”
Dooley has been a career coach until this point in his life, beginning as a graduate assistant in 1996 at UGA. His most recent stint was as an analyst under Nick Saban’s staff from 2022 to 2023. He’s mostly remembered for his time as the head coach at Tennessee from 2010-2012 where he finished his career with a 4-19 record in SEC play.
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