Cutcliffe to stay at Duke; turns down Tennessee

AP Photo

Duke head football coach David Cutcliffe.

By Bill Cole | Journal Reporter

Published: January 15, 2010

David Cutcliffe will stay at Duke as football coach and will not pursue Tennessee's open coaching job.

Cutcliffe said in a statement released this morning by school athletics officials that he wants to finish the job he began at Duke in the 2008 season and turn the program into an ACC contender.

"After much thought and consideration, Karen (Cutcliffe's wife) and I reached the decision that Duke is the place for our family," Cutcliffe said in the statement. "We both have family members and lifetime friends in the Knoxville community and share a deep respect for the University of Tennessee.

"Our ties to the school and the eastern Tennessee area are obvious. But before Tennessee's hiring process comes to a conclusion, I know that Duke University is where we want to coach."

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on its Web site yesterday that Cutcliffe would be Tennessee's next coach, unless negotiations broke down.

Cutcliffe told Kevin White, Duke's athletics director, this morning that he would stay and not return to Tennessee, where he worked twice for a total 19 seasons.

Cutcliffe is 9-15 overall at Duke and 4-12 in ACC play.