Colorado University Athletics
Dorrell Realizes 'Dream' As He Returns Home To Coach Buffaloes
February 24, 2020 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Karl Dorrell is back home.
There's no place he'd rather be.
Colorado's 27th head football coach, introduced at a Monday morning press conference by Chancellor Phil Distefano and Athletic Director Rick George, is back where he got his Division I start as a coach — and back where he and his wife, Kim, already have a home. The Dorrells decided several years ago that they would retire in Colorado when the day came, and they have since built a house in Lafayette.
"This was a unique experience for me," an obviously emotional Dorrell said in front of a packed house at the Arrow Touchdown Club. "This is a dream come true … We decided years ago that Colorado is going to be our home to stay when all was said and done. I did have that inkling in the back of my mind that getting a chance to be in this position would be a dream, and it came true."
Dorrell arrives in Boulder with the goal of providing a steady hand in what have been turbulent times over the last few weeks for the Buffaloes. The man who cut his Division I teeth under legendary CU coach Bill McCartney made it clear he has a vision for what Colorado football should be.
"The unique thing about this whole process is that we all aspire to do great things," Dorrell said. "I want our players to aspire to do great things. It doesn't necessarily mean it's in the football arena. It can be in life. That's why it's so important to know the people that you're dealing with … Our coaches and culture are going to develop our players to be tough minded, battle tested, smart, to have a love to compete and have passion for the game, to care deeply about each other, and most importantly, have one goal in mind, which is to bring a championship. We're going to get that done with our coaching staff. That's part of the vision of our program."
The 56-year-old Dorrell has spent more than three decades in the coaching business that included college stops at Washington and UCLA after leaving Colorado, then more than a decade in the NFL, with his most recent position assistant head coach/wide receivers with the Miami Dolphins.
In fact, the NFL is where Dorrell believed his next head coaching opportunity would come, and it was how he was tailoring his trajectory — until CU's George reached out late last week.
That's when a confluence of events opened a door he had never really considered as being more than an fanciful dream.
When George called, Dorrell was preparing to fly home to Colorado for a few days before heading to the NFL Combine. When CU's athletic director asked if they could meet for an interview, Dorrell told him the timing was perfect — he would be in Colorado for the weekend.
George, associate AD Lance Carl and Dorrell then met in Dorrell's home the next day.
"I fly home, we have a meeting, I get offered the job and I'm still floored — like wow this is going so fast it's unbelievable," Dorrell said with a laugh. "I tell Kim and she was shocked by it, we were all giddy about it."
Then, after a conversation with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores — who had just promoted Dorrell — he accepted the offer.
"There's no other college job I would have taken," Dorrell said. "They (the Dolphins) made it hard because they tried to keep me. 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, there was no one that was going to take me away from this job. I know I'm here for a reason and I know I've accepted the challenge of leading this program to greatness. I'm going to work tireless hours to do that because this is a place that I believe in, it's a part of my fabric, it's a part of my background and you guys are going to get the very best of me, which is going to be a very good football team."
George is no doubt pleased with how the search turned out. The process he promised would be "efficient and effective" took less than two weeks to complete — and it landed a coach who checks every box in terms of what CU needs for the position.
"I said I wanted a coach who shared the same commitment and passion that I do for our student athletes and this great university and football program," George said. "Karl shares that passion. I also said that I wanted a coach who had the same commitment that I do but also that had the same expectations that I do for our student athletes — winning in the classroom, winning in the community, and winning on the football field. Karl is that guy. What I've learned about Karl is he's someone that has impeccable character. He's got a maturity level that I think is important for our student athletes. He's got integrity, he's got this quiet, confident passion for young people, and he has great experience at the collegiate and professional level. I said I wanted someone who shared the same passion for Colorado football that I do and who believes that we can win championships with the resources we have."
It also doesn't hurt that Dorrell personally experienced Colorado football at its peak, and is someone who believes the pieces are in place to reach that pinnacle again.
"Karl coached here during a period when this program was a perennial top 25 team," George said. "He was a key part of our success at a time when Colorado football was relevant and when people came in here and knew that they were going to play a tough football team. He knows it can be done … I'm confident we found the right coach for Colorado, to not only build this program into a championship contender, but having sustained success for a long period of time."
Dorrell obviously has plenty on his plate because of the timing. New coaches are usually hired in December; he comes to the position roughly two months later. CU's spring ball session — which he said may be tweaked — is set to begin in late March, and he must assemble a staff between now and then, as well as get to know his players, his support staff and begin attending to the multitude of administrative duties that come with being a head coach.
But there are some things about which Dorrell is already certain — beginning with his coaching philosophy. He saw what was successful at CU when he worked under McCartney, and he believes that basic foundation for success can be built again.
"The cornerstone of our program was our defense," Dorrell said. "I'm an offensive coach, a wide receiver coach, quarterbacks, passing game, all that stuff. But I know from the very heart of hearts that the program came from a cornerstone that was our defense. Whether it was Alfred Williams, Kanavis McGee, Chad Brown, Deon Figures … it was the cornerstone of the team. I still believe in that as an offensive coach because if I had a great defense, they're turning the ball over and giving me more turns on offense. That's what an offensive coach wants is more turns, because you get more points."
Not that Dorrell was part of an offense that had trouble moving the ball. He coached two of CU's most prolific receivers ever in Michael Westbrook and Charles E. Johnson, both of whom went on to become first-round NFL Draft picks.
"We're a 3-4 base defense right now, we're kind of built for that," Dorrell said. "The last time I was here we were a 3-4 team. I'm good with that because it's a great defense to adjust to with these offensive sets that coaches do. It's a good foundation for our defense."
Dorrell also made it clear he wants a balanced offense — and once again, he harkened back to the CU teams that featured a Heisman Trophy running back in Rashaan Salaam and an All-American receiver in Westbrook.
"I'd say that's a pretty good offense," he said. "It just depends on where our strengths are, but I think the goal is that we want to be balanced. We definitely want to have a run threat and be able to run the football, but we're going to be able to throw the ball as good as anybody."
Dorrell addressed a number of other topics at his morning press conference, including:
On his time as UCLA's head coach (five years, five bowl games, 35-27 record): "It was a challenge that I think I really embraced. There were a lot of different things that were in and around the program that were very challenging to fix, and we were able to do. I think from that experience alone, it told me that it's really important that you really build your program with the right coaches and getting to know your players at an intimate level from day one … The biggest thing I would say is our players are our number one asset. Everything goes through them for their success, and I'm at an academic institution which provides the players with the resources to do the things well in the classroom and on the playing field. So, those things go hand in hand and it's really the main important factor of everything that we've done."
His recruiting philosophy: "We're going to recruit nationally in the areas that have been really productive for us. Obviously, our state is important. We want the foundation of the best players in our state to stay here, so we need to do a great job of taking care of home. That's kind of the heartbeat of your team, right here from home, so we want to keep our best players here … California has always been big in our history of having success, Texas has been big, Louisiana, so I would say the western region of the country, which is where our conferences, is probably our main primary base … The type of player — we're going for the best players. We have a lot of proud history of great players from this team and from this program. We have a good history of talent to display with some of our family about why this place is a special place. We're going to get back to recruiting the best players."
On developing and forming his staff: "Our staff will consist of great teachers. I consider myself a teacher. I've been very fortunate in my whole career to be able to be led by a number of people from my (UCLA) coach Terry Donahue. Bill McCartney was an instrumental piece of that and Mike Shanahan was an instrumental piece. There's a number of really great coaches, and legends in the game that have given me the opportunity to grow and to learn this great game. I'm very thankful for them to be part of my background. Our staff has to be great teachers. That's first and foremost. The number one asset for any university is the students within it. We need to understand that as football coaches. We're going to develop them to be the best person that they can be so that we get the best player on the field. That's our standby. I believe that success can be sustained consistently, year after year, if we're able to get these things done. I know for a fact we can."
Dorrell also said he will meet with the remaining current members of the CU staff.
"I do need to work fast on building the staff. I feel it's fair for me to get a chance to visit with them first and then we'll kind of go from there. It'll probably be a process of over this week. I want to meet with my players individually as well, so it's going to be a busy time where I'm going to be burning the midnight candle a little bit, but I need to meet with those players individually for a time period as well. So, I want to get that done and there's a number of players to do that with."
How the confluence of events brought him back to Boulder: "Everything is aligned for me to be where I'm at right now, today. It's funny how the Lord gives you those blessings and gives you an opportunity like this that is right there in front of me. Especially for 32 years of hard work that's culminated in an opportunity like this. You're going to get from me the very best of me. You're going to get a guy that's here for the long haul. I built a home to prove it, prior to getting this job."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
