coach Bobby Johnson retired abruptly Wednesday as the Commodores' head
coach for what he called personal reasons.
Vice Chancellor David Williams
announced the news in a post on the university's athletic website
Wednesday just before a news conference. Minutes later, the 59-year-old
Johnson stepped up to a podium and said he was retiring from college
football.
Johnson called it a very difficult
decision but one not prompted by health concerns for either himself or
his wife.
"Football is not life, but it's a way
of life and it consumes your life," Johnson said. "You only have so many
years to live, and you want to see a different way."
Johnson's retirement comes a week
before he was scheduled to appear at the Southeastern Conference's
preseason media days, nearly three weeks before players report for fall
practice and just seven weeks before the Commodores' opener Sept. 4
against Northwestern.
Williams announced that Robbie
Caldwell will be the interim head coach after serving as assistant head
coach.
"I am saddened by the fact Bobby has
made this decision," Williams said. "At the same token as I've said to
the staff, it's our obligation to respect his decision. I did try to
talk Bobby out of it. I tried to talk him out of it yesterday. I tried
to talk him out of it last night, and I tried to talk him out of it this
morning."
He has led Vanderbilt the past eight
seasons and went 2-10 in 2009. He went 29-66 at Vanderbilt and coached
the Commodores to their only non-losing season since 1982 in 2008 with a
win at the Music City Bowl that gave them a 7-6 record.
"This is quite a shock to us,"
Caldwell said.
Johnson had become just the third
coach in Vanderbilt history to hold the job for at least eight years,
joining Dan McGugin and Art Guepe. Johnson went 29-66 at Vanderbilt and
coached the Commodores to their only non-losing season since 1982 in
2008 by winning the Music City Bowl.
Johnson also ended losing skids to
eight other SEC teams during his tenure, including a 22-game string to
Tennessee in 2005.
But he lost the top recruit of his
incoming class in February when Georgia running back Rajaan Bennett, the
highest-rated player ever signed to Vanderbilt, was shot to death at
his home.