Robbie Caldwell stood at the front of a big ballroom at SEC Media Days on Thursday, looking out at several hundred reporters. "I know the first question you're asking," he said, "is ‘Who's Robbie Caldwell?'"
He is Vanderbilt's interim head coach, having ascended to the position when Bobby Johnson surprisingly retired last week.
An offensive-line coach at various colleges for 30 years, the past eight at Vanderbilt, Caldwell is reveling in his unexpected opportunity to be a head coach, even if it proves to be a one-season gig, as most expect.
"I told my wife, if it's two days or 20 years, I will now be able to say, ‘Hey, I was a head coach one time,'" Caldwell said. "This is the greatest thrill of my life other than my child being born.
"I go from lining the field to being a head coach in the SEC."
Caldwell broke the tension of the SEC's preseason media event, which has been dominated by talk of improper dealings between players and agents. Caldwell's session with the media, by contrast, was full of quips and laughs as he talked about everything from his first job on a turkey farm to his anonymity in the high-profile SEC.
"I can still walk in places and nobody knows me," Caldwell said. "Last night I was opening the door for people, and they gave me a tip."
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