“I got this call asking if I was interested in the job and it floored me,” Dorrell said Monday at a news conference introducing him as CU’s 27th head football coach. “I said, ‘Absolutely’” from The Athletic.
Karl Dorrell hired at CU
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Colorado
Conference Pac-12 Conference
Record 0–0
Biographical details
Born February 18, 1963 (age 57)
Alameda, California
Playing career
1983–1986 UCLA
Position(s) Wide receiver
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1989 UCF (WR)
1990–1991 Northern Arizona (OC/WR)
1992–1993 Colorado (WR)
1994 Arizona State (WR)
1995–1998 Colorado (OC/WR)
1999 Washington (OC/WR)
2000–2002 Denver Broncos (WR)
2003–2007 UCLA
2008–2010 Miami Dolphins (WR)
2011 Miami Dolphins (QB)
2012–2013 Houston Texans (QB)
2014 Vanderbilt (OC/QB)
2015–2018 New York Jets (WR)
2019 Miami Dolphins (AHC/WR)
2020–present Colorado
Head coaching record
Overall 35–27
Bowls 1–3
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
Bob Knight was an accomplished head coach, at IU. He played at Ohio State.
Jim Harbaugh is coaching his alma mater. Not as easy as one might think.
Dan Gable is a great former coach. Again, like Bob Knight, not at his alma mater.
Dorrell, 56, spent last season as Miami’s wide receivers coach and Dolphins head coach Brian Flores recently promoted Dorrell to assistant head coach.
“I told him about the conversation that had just happened, and he was very supportive,” Dorrell said. “I appreciated that from him because he entrusted me with certain aspects of a professional organization. … And I will tell you this, I would probably still be there because of where my career was going in the NFL if it was another college job. But, because it was Colorado, my home, no one was going to take me away from this job.”
Dorrell’s career change comes on the heels of Mel Tucker’s resignation. Tucker left CU for Michigan State after just 14 months with the Buffs. Dorrell becomes Colorado’s third coach in three seasons.
His contract, which CU’s Board of Regents will need to approve, is for five years and $18 million. He could earn more by reaching incentives in his contract that were not made public. His first-year salary will be $3.2 million and increase yearly by $200,000. Also, the salary pool for assistant coaches will be $3.8 million, an increase from the $3.155 million for Tucker’s staff per The Athletic article.
Dorrell is aware of the turnover his new players are facing. On Sunday — the day before he met with the team and was formally introduced as head coach — he met with the seniors, the players who have experienced the most inconsistency.
“For them, this is their last hurrah for their career and it was a great statement of support and respect for us to do that the day prior to meeting with the team,” Dorrell said. “They were very appreciative of that and we had some really great discussions. (The kids talked about) how they want to be developed, they want to go for it all and they want to use this year as a milestone for their lives. Those are the aspirations I want young people to have … and as a supporter of that, I want to give them whatever I can to get them to attain that goal.”
Best wishes to the Buffalos new head coach. I always liked Karl Dorrell as a WR, but it is never easy coaching your alma mater.
Often, something ADs and universities are good to consider.
Karl Dorrell hired at CU
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Colorado
Conference Pac-12 Conference
Record 0–0
Biographical details
Born February 18, 1963 (age 57)
Alameda, California
Playing career
1983–1986 UCLA
Position(s) Wide receiver
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1989 UCF (WR)
1990–1991 Northern Arizona (OC/WR)
1992–1993 Colorado (WR)
1994 Arizona State (WR)
1995–1998 Colorado (OC/WR)
1999 Washington (OC/WR)
2000–2002 Denver Broncos (WR)
2003–2007 UCLA
2008–2010 Miami Dolphins (WR)
2011 Miami Dolphins (QB)
2012–2013 Houston Texans (QB)
2014 Vanderbilt (OC/QB)
2015–2018 New York Jets (WR)
2019 Miami Dolphins (AHC/WR)
2020–present Colorado
Head coaching record
Overall 35–27
Bowls 1–3
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
- Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2005)
Bob Knight was an accomplished head coach, at IU. He played at Ohio State.
Jim Harbaugh is coaching his alma mater. Not as easy as one might think.
Dan Gable is a great former coach. Again, like Bob Knight, not at his alma mater.
Dorrell, 56, spent last season as Miami’s wide receivers coach and Dolphins head coach Brian Flores recently promoted Dorrell to assistant head coach.
“I told him about the conversation that had just happened, and he was very supportive,” Dorrell said. “I appreciated that from him because he entrusted me with certain aspects of a professional organization. … And I will tell you this, I would probably still be there because of where my career was going in the NFL if it was another college job. But, because it was Colorado, my home, no one was going to take me away from this job.”
Dorrell’s career change comes on the heels of Mel Tucker’s resignation. Tucker left CU for Michigan State after just 14 months with the Buffs. Dorrell becomes Colorado’s third coach in three seasons.
His contract, which CU’s Board of Regents will need to approve, is for five years and $18 million. He could earn more by reaching incentives in his contract that were not made public. His first-year salary will be $3.2 million and increase yearly by $200,000. Also, the salary pool for assistant coaches will be $3.8 million, an increase from the $3.155 million for Tucker’s staff per The Athletic article.
Dorrell is aware of the turnover his new players are facing. On Sunday — the day before he met with the team and was formally introduced as head coach — he met with the seniors, the players who have experienced the most inconsistency.
“For them, this is their last hurrah for their career and it was a great statement of support and respect for us to do that the day prior to meeting with the team,” Dorrell said. “They were very appreciative of that and we had some really great discussions. (The kids talked about) how they want to be developed, they want to go for it all and they want to use this year as a milestone for their lives. Those are the aspirations I want young people to have … and as a supporter of that, I want to give them whatever I can to get them to attain that goal.”
Best wishes to the Buffalos new head coach. I always liked Karl Dorrell as a WR, but it is never easy coaching your alma mater.
Often, something ADs and universities are good to consider.
