Lane Monte Kiffin signed a memorandum of understanding with UT on November 30, 2008, and was introduced as head football coach, to succeed the fired Phillip Fulmer, on December 1. Bringing with him his father, Monte, storied defensive guru of the National Football League; Ed Oregeon of the New Orleans Saints, formerly head coach at Mississippi; and others, Kiffin said he had a plan for Tennessee. His contract called for a $2 million payment in the first year, with an $800,000 payment to UT if he left in the first year. He had most recently been fired as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, following a 5-15 record, touching off an acrimonious exchange that resulted in his filing a complaint against the Raiders. He had gone to the Raiders from USC, where he installed a winning offensive system.
After accusations aimed at other SEC coaches, a flurry of secondary violations, and a 7-6 record in 2009, Kiffin resigned as head coach January 12, 2010, less than a month before national signing day to accept the head coaching job at USC, saying he was leaving to accept his “dream job.” Coach Kippy Brown was named interim head coach. The terms of his contract required that UT be paid $800,000 over three years if he left the program after one season.
Kiffin’s players learned of his decision from press reports, and crowds of students and fans gathered outside Neyland-Thompson in disgust and protest and moved on to Neyland Stadium in what was characterized as a “near riot” situation. The sculpture on the pedestrian mall was damaged.
There was wide disapproval and outrage at Kiffin’s sudden departure. Within minutes of his announcement, several anti-Kiffin Facebook pages were established and within a few hours had more than eight thousand members and numerous scathing comments. Within days Republican House Speaker Kent Williams asked members of the Tennessee House of Representatives to hold a voice vote on whether to issue the traditional annual congratulatory resolution to the UT head football coach for the prior season’s accomplishments. The response was a unanimous “NO!”
Local attorney Drew McElroy soon filed paperwork with the Knoxville City Council’s Public Properties and Facilities Naming Committee to rename a waste water treatment plant the Lane Kiffin Sewage Center, saying that naming only part of the plant—perhaps a cesspool—for Kiffin would be sufficient.
To the delight of UT fans, Kiffin was fired by USC in the early morning hours of September 29, 2013, after returning from a blowout loss to Arizona State.