What now at Vandy...Coach Johnson Retires

Bobby Johnson announced at a hastily-called press conference Wednesday afternoon that he was stepping down as Vanderbilt's head coach and retiring from coaching.

On at least two occasions, Johnson made sure to stress that he was retiring from coaching, not resigning from the Commodores. The coach who was on the precipice of coaching his ninth season at the school said there were no health concerns for either him or wife that would've forced him into this abrupt decision.

Assistant head coach/offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell has been named as Vandy's interim head coach for the 2010 season. That move becomes effective immediately, although Johnson stated in his press conference that he will officially step aside at the end of July.

"I've decided to retire, not resign," Johnson said. "I will not be coaching the Commodores in the 2010 season. It is a tough decision with which my wife Catherine and I struggle. This is a personal decision. It's about what we want to do with our lives."

Johnson first spoke to Vanderbilt officials Tuesday about his desire to retire; those officials attempted to talk Johnson out of his decision at the time, last night, and then again this morning. Even as there are just 52 days before the Commodores open the 2010 season, there was simply no talking Johnson out of his decision.

"Believe me, there's not a great time for a college football coach to retire," Johnson said. "This is the way we worked it out. It was a hard decision when to do it and where to do it."

Johnson's career record of 29-66 at the school belies just how competitive his Commodores were in the face of both a death march of a football conference and the stringent academic requirements at the institution.