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The Coach’s Office
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There is something to be said for the difficult duty of being a coach in Division I football. The life of a coach generally begins before sunrise and long after sunset throughout the course of a year. It could be said that they continue to be a student of their craft as facilitators and mentors for more than 100 young men. Derek Dooley represents this and a step beyond. But as athletic director Dooley oversees the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs’ entire athletic department. "I enjoy so many things about my job it is hard to pick just one thing," Dooley said. "I do think that it is good to be able to have a direct line to the president even as a football coach. There’s less people that get involved in getting things done. When that happens, things tend to move a little quicker. It’s worked out well. It only works when you have a great staff on both ends." "I cannot even kinda imagine doing the job," Boise State head coach Chris Petersen said. "…obviously he’s making results there." The Western Athletic Conference has become dominant with the success of BSU and Fresno State. La Tech competes with some of the toughest schools in the country – Louisiana State, Texas and Mississippi just to name a few. Dooley enjoys the team’s location. He finds it comfortable to stay in the south where he spent the majority of his collegiate experience. "I’m from the South and kinda fit in with the culture down here pretty nicely," Dooley said. "I’ve enjoyed living down here and being a part of it." The arm of his experience in college football reaches far. Vince Dooley, legendary Georgia football coach from 1964-88, is Derek Dooley’s father. His bloodline, along with a stint at LSU from 2000-05 under legend-in- the-making Nick Saban, is a pretty good start to a collegiate football career. Dooley’s knowledge of the game is very apparent. His critique and humble nature are a good first step to greatness as he treads in the paths of giants. "You try to get better each week and we’re certainly happy with the results," Dooley said. "But knowing that, we have a ton of work to do if we want to survive the WAC." The prowess developed in the WAC has created an apparent divide in the ability of teams like BSU and Fresno. Dooley is very aware of the task that lies ahead. Specifically, the Broncos. "A team like Boise State is such a phenomenal program," Dooley said. "They really don’t have any weaknesses … So there is room for improvement in all aspects of what we are doing." The road ahead will be a difficult one. The presence of the top end of the conference by a select few seems to leave room for more in the party. "Everybody in the conference is tough," Dooley said, "especially when your first game you’re going into a place where nobody in the league has won. It poses to be a little more of a challenge but also a good barometer of where the team stacks up in the league." La Tech is the farthest team to the east in the WAC by a long shot. Travel becomes an issue. It’s one that has been addressed by conference commissioner Karl Benson. Having to travel so far in comparison to other teams creates a whole new set of hurdles. "Every trip you take has its challenges," Dooley said. "The road games become tougher and tougher, the better teams you play." Some fans speak of the difficulty for some WAC teams to play in south. Dooley chuckled at the notion. "There’s no mystic about playing in the south," Dooley said. "Maybe we’re trying to feed them some fried foods to make ‘em tired. I don’t know." Dooley and the Bulldogs will travel to Boise to face BSU. The game starts at 6 p.m. Be sure to check the "color code" provided at bronco-sports.com for more details.
KIRK BELL
SPORTS COORDINATOR
