Colorado Fires Football Coach Karl Dorrell Fired
Despite an impressive record as a coach, Colorado Fires Football Coach Karl Dorrell is not a popular coach. The team lost their first two games by a combined seventeen points, and Dorrell apologized for slapping a news media camera. Despite the disappointing start, the team went on to finish 4-8.
Chris Wilson
Karl Dorrell was fired after a disappointing season in Colorado. The Buffaloes have suffered through 0-5 starts three times and are headed to their fifteenth straight losing season. They’ve also lost the last two games by at least 25 points. As a result, the Fires are looking for a new head coach and defensive coordinator.
A four-year head coaching career in the NFL brought Dorrell back to Boulder. Previously at UCLA, Dorrell was an assistant coach and went 35-27. He won two games while at the Bruins and a single game at Colorado. Colorado has now fired three full-time head coaches in five years, most recently Mike MacIntyre with one game remaining in 2018. The team settled for a $7.238 million buyout.
Gerald Chatman
Dorrell joined the Colorado Fires after spending two seasons as the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins. The team went 4-2 in his first year in Boulder, and he earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. Previously, Dorrell worked with the New York Jets’ wide receivers. He was fired in February 2020, but was subsequently hired as receivers coach by Michigan State.
Dorrell replaced six assistants, four on the offensive side of the ball. He brought in former Gophers offensive play-caller Mike Sanford, who had been let go by Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, but did not work out with the Buffaloes in his first season. The offensive play-calling rotation included Brendon Lewis and J.T. Shrout, and Dorrell also put true freshman Owen McCown in the offense for conference tests against UCLA and Arizona. In both of those games, the Buffs surrendered at least 673 yards to the Wildcats, but they didn’t allow the Wildcats to score.
Clay Patterson
Former UCLA defensive coordinator Karl Dorrell has stepped down as the head coach of the Colorado Fires. The 58-year-old took over the program after Mel Tucker left for Michigan State. The season was postponed because of the COVID pandemic. After the pandemic passed, the regular season resumed. Dorrell previously served as the head coach at UCLA from 2003 to 2007. His teams went 35-27, and he coached in four bowl games.
Dorrell’s replacements have been announced. In addition to Patterson, the team has also made changes in the offensive and defensive line coaches. Former offensive line coach Chris Wilson is the new defensive coordinator, while former tight ends coach Gerald Chatman is the new defensive line coach. The three new coaches are expected to be in place for the start of the 2020 season.
Mike Sanford
Karl Dorrell’s contract expired at the end of this season, which means Sanford will replace him. Sanford has been the defensive coordinator for the Colorado Fires since 2011. He will take over the defensive scheme of the team from Dorrell, who will move to the head coaching position.
While Dorrell had an excellent first season with the Fires, he failed to turn things around during his tenure as head coach. The offense is only averaging 13.2 points per game, while the defense has allowed more than 40 points in four of the last five games. Dorrell had two winning seasons and reached the Alamo Bowl in his first season, but has failed to improve the program the last two seasons.
Karl Dorrell
After a disappointing 43-20 loss to Arizona on Saturday, Colorado has fired head football coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson. Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford has been named interim head coach. After five straight losses, Colorado is now 0-5 overall. It has allowed 43.2 points per game and scored 13.4 in that span.
Dorrell’s contract is set to run until the 2024 season. He has spent most of his career coaching at the college level. He served as head coach of UCLA from 2003-07. During that time, the Bruins had an impressive 35-27 record, including five straight bowl appearances.
