Tech’s expert AD sends Paul Johnson yet another love note
One more year tacked onto a contract that already had six years to run won’t keep Paul Johnson from going to Notre Dame — or to Oklahoma, should Bob Stoops wind up in South Bend — should PJ want to leave. Georgia Tech will never be able to outspend the big boys. (Example: Even with Johnson’s deal having been redone twice in 11 months, Mark Richt still makes more.)
But that wasn’t the intent of the one-more-year tack. This was designed as a love note, a reminder that nobody anywhere is going to love PJ more than the folks at GT. As Dan Radakovich noted in the official release: “We remain committed to Paul in every way, and we foresee a long-term relationship with much continued success.”
We knew already that Tech has a splendid football coach. What was evident with Friday’s announcement is that the Institute’s athletics director is every bit as good. Homer Rice was a great AD. Vince Dooley was a great AD. D-Rad is cut from that same regal cloth.
Hiring a splendid coach is only half the battle. The care and feeding of that man is the trickier part. How long do you wait to renegotiate? (With PJ, D-Rad waited less than a calendar year, and that proactivity was warranted because Auburn was believed to have offered Johnson a blank check.) But Notre Dame once deemed Charlie Weis was the real deal, and now it’s facing an elephantine buyout. You have to be quick, but you also have to be right.
An AD has to read both the terrain and his constituency, and Radakovich has done that since Day 1. You’ll recall that certain of Tech’s big contributors — the Old Guard — were displeased when D-Rad was hired over Bill Curry. Within six months, those same folks could be heard to say of Radakovich, “We’ve got ourselves a star.”
Radakovich gets that Johnson isn’t just a good coach but the right coach. He’s beloved by Tech backers both old and new, and he has done in two years what Chan Gailey couldn’t do in six — he has made Georgia and Richt play catch-up ball. It was instructive that one of Radakovich’s first hires was Wayne Hogan, who as associate AD for public relations has a politician’s ear and a journalist’s nose. Between D-Rad and Hogan, Tech is rarely surprised by developments and seems to hit every grace note.
And that’s what this added year is — a grace note. It’s Tech sending another bouquet to PJ. It’s Dan Radakovich saying, “You might make more money somewhere else, but you’ll never find a better fit.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
317 comments Add your comment
Coach Paul "Gobbler" Johnson
November 21st, 2009
12:00 pm
HAHAHAHA. This is me laughing all the way to the bank. Well played, Paul, Well played. I’m playing this university for all it’s worth. This calls for my famous dance, the Gobbler Shuffle.
ACC ,, Nobody cares
November 21st, 2009
12:08 pm
Check out the crowd at the North Carolina and Boston College game. It is pathetic. The ACC should drop football.
Yellow Fuzz
November 21st, 2009
12:15 pm
Gt4ever
UGA is the BEST team we played last year too. And like last year, it won’t be an easy victory but will be a true battle royale so to speak (as it should be). The difference is that the playing field is much more level now and the dog nation just can’t handle it. At least the obnoxious dog nation members which are the ones I address here.
Win or lose, I can’t wait. I’m proud that Tech will give them more than their money’s worth for 60 minutes. Something they are just not used to. I love it!
bigdaddyj
November 21st, 2009
12:29 pm
Lets see how well they love him when Georgia stuns them and Clemson bets them…and then they lose in a bowl game. Everyone thought Tyrone Willingham was the next great coach after year two with another coach’s players.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
November 21st, 2009
12:51 pm
TIME TO BRING BIG–BOI BACK FOR THE HALFTIME SHOW….GUESS ALL THOSE TECH FANS WHO CALLED NESBITT “ROBOT” AND COMPLAINED ABOUT HIS PASSING AND SORT OF INSINUATED THAT THE OTHER BACKUP QB WAS THE ANSWER ARE EATING SOME BARBECUED CROW AS WE SPEAK…SHOWS HOW LITTLE FOOTBALL FANS REALLY KNOW ABOUT TALENT AND THE GAME OF FOOTBALL…NESBITT WAS A LOCK TO GO TO UGA UNTIL UGA SCREWED IT UP, THEN TECH GOT IN THE PICTURE…THAT ONE’S ON US IN BULLDOG LAND!!!!!! A SCREWUP OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS….
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
November 21st, 2009
12:56 pm
PAUL JOHNSON SHOULD HAVE A LIFETIME CONTRACT AT GEORGIA TECH…WHAT’S THIS ONE YEAR ADD ON DEAL…IT AIN’T ABOUT MONEY FOR PAUL…HE’S GOT 98 CENTS OUT EVERY DOLLAR HE EVER MADE….GOT TO GET HIM TO PAY OFF HIS $5 NASSAUS WITH HIS NEW RAISE….CONGRATULATIONS, PAUL….
the real GA coast
November 21st, 2009
1:25 pm
great head coach ….now lets fix the D…..where is Tenuta?
TechMD
November 21st, 2009
1:32 pm
Let Johnson worry about the D.
GT4EVER
November 21st, 2009
1:43 pm
hey ‘ACC ,, Nobody cares’ … checkout the typical crowd size at a Vanderbilt vs Kentucky game. You SEC idiots can keep concentrating on crowd size … GT and the ACC will keep concentrating on winning ball games.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 21st, 2009
1:46 pm
BC couldn’t beat UNC if they had to and the Eagles have to. CLEMSON come get you some in TAMPA. What is that Smell? I think it is the smell of a rotting dead DAWG and willie’s butt frying on the hot seat.
UGA VII was not a good looking Bulldog. Look at pictures from the AKC of pure bred Bulldowgs and UGA VII was not a pretty dog at all. He was fat with bad musculature.
CUZ I know you are not on but I hope you and Baylie have left Augusta and are having a great day and evening in Athens.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 21st, 2009
1:50 pm
If Tech kills Willie can we find aplace to bury him in Bobby Dood Stadium at Grant Field?
GT4EVA
November 21st, 2009
1:57 pm
Yea, SEC can concentrate on crowd size while the ACC concentrates on winning ball games.
Wait….this season the SEC collectively has won 77 games….. the ACC has only won 58.
So crap…. you’re telling me they concentrate on crowd size AND winning ball games?
We are inferior once again.
Delbert D.
November 21st, 2009
2:16 pm
When did Ohio State start wearing white helmets? At least they don’t have the obnoxious little buckeye “ego” stickers on them.
Delbert D.
November 21st, 2009
2:20 pm
FSU is wearing very weird uniforms. Mary Land must be a signature game for them.
Delbert D.
November 21st, 2009
2:26 pm
Thousands of empty seats in Doak Cambell Stadium. Never seen that before.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 21st, 2009
2:39 pm
SEC 77-46 ACC 68-54 check your math. That is before todays games, but BAMA and UF are playing my sister and 30 of her friends. SEC JOKE SEC JOKE
Pi$$onaDawg
November 21st, 2009
2:45 pm
FSU throwback unis for Seniors and MICKY’s Last game. FSU went back to what they wore when Micky and Bobby cane to the school
Delbert D.
November 21st, 2009
2:46 pm
Uh-oh…the Terps scored too soon
Hey mutts
November 21st, 2009
5:31 pm
You guys keep quoteing statistics. Remember the old saying “statistics are for losers”. I’m so sorry about UGAVII. Remember another old saying”win one for the UGA”. But don’t win that last one.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 21st, 2009
5:47 pm
Why can’t the next UGA VIII have some color in him? Wait all the WHITE money fans just could not have a piece of Pepper in their Sugar. The Best player to leave UGA and go Pro is Hinds Ward and he is real mixed. Dawg fans “If he ain’t all White UGA VIII ain’t right”
Dawg Dead from the "Big One"
November 21st, 2009
5:51 pm
AMG – Fess up we know you went to frontend alignment school. Disappointed they did not have a football team – just softball?
Tech's clever AD sends Paul Johnson another love note | Mark Bradley | Breaking News 24/7
November 21st, 2009
6:08 pm
[...] original here: Tech's clever AD sends Paul Johnson another love note | Mark Bradley Share and [...]
Buckhead Bulldog
November 21st, 2009
6:28 pm
Pi$$onaDawg : Dude! Where did you pull THAT one from?
Good God…..the AJC GT/UGA blogs are gonna explode next week.
I thought his thread was about CPJ contract extension anyway? WTH?
November 21st, 2009
5:47 pm
Why can’t the next UGA VIII have some color in him? Wait all the WHITE money fans just could not have a piece of Pepper in their Sugar. The Best player to leave UGA and go Pro is Hinds Ward and he is real mixed. Dawg fans “If he ain’t all White UGA VIII ain’t right”
groundfog
November 21st, 2009
6:56 pm
Getting a little tired of this national love affair with Clemson. That trixie Heather Dinich at ESPN is going to eat her words when Tech blows them out.
Pi$$onaDawg
November 21st, 2009
6:57 pm
I like looking at dogs. Especially from the rear. Gets me excited. Is my lover Dawghater on?
Dawghater
November 21st, 2009
6:58 pm
Pi$$, you crack me up. Go Dawgs!
AMG
November 21st, 2009
7:04 pm
Dawg Dead, bite me. My diploma even if it is from a auto school, it is better than anything GA has to offer.
juvenal
November 21st, 2009
7:37 pm
how many years since they gave away dog’s?you should see how they treat dogs now..did you see how lsu’s #5 got hurt-HE WAS TACKLED FROM BEHIND< WITHOUT WARNING!!!we need to outlaw all contact below the waist, like boxing, nobody gets hurt doing that, do they…the dumbing, & wimping of America continues
juvenal
November 21st, 2009
7:48 pm
like these cu togs much better, the oranges don’t match & all purple?PUH-LEEZ!!!still, they’ve thrown them all at us…but we both have another bit of bidnes to take care uv…
NonGradTechFan
November 21st, 2009
10:32 pm
If you look at the “Chop Blocks” that Tech gets penalized for about twice a game, they are not intentially going high and low on ONE player (I know it’s all about getting a rise, but just want to clear it up). On the backside of a play, offensive linemen are supposed to “cut off” any penetration from a defender into the backfield. When a faster, 5-star-like defender slants inward to try and break through, they often engage an offensive lineman that is attempting to block another defender. As they do this, the next lineman in line blocks them at the legs as not to let them get any penetration. Its a matter of quickness and whether the defender engages an offensive lineman, so I guess what I’ve pointed out here is that one could draw a “Chop Block” penalty about every play if they wanted. They could also blow an knee or not get a tackle every play as well…Adjust.
Tech's clever AD sends Paul Johnson another love note | Mark Bradley | Drakz News Station
November 21st, 2009
11:59 pm
[...] link: Tech's clever AD sends Paul Johnson another love note | Mark Bradley Share and [...]
mansup01
November 22nd, 2009
12:09 am
McDawg – You are an idiot. Chop blocking is never legal. Cut blocking IS legal and ALL teams that have any sort of running game cut block…..including that pathetic bunch in Athens. When chop blocks occur, they are almost always unitentional at ALL levels of football….but they do happen, very often, at all levels of football. Do you even know what makes a chop block a chop instead of a cut? Do you know what constitutes a crack back? I’ll bet not.
doa1957
November 22nd, 2009
1:11 am
Contracts are made to be broken.
There is no way he finishes that contract at Tech.
buzz
November 22nd, 2009
4:55 am
I sincerely appreciate the sidewalk UGA fans. They do a fine job of handing out carts at Walmart.
Colonel Sanders
November 22nd, 2009
5:59 am
KFC
……….Kentucky Fried COX
Tampa Wreck
November 22nd, 2009
6:47 am
GT4Ever, I’m not sure UGA is better than Miami, VT, Clemson, or even, UNC. However, I definitely agree they have the talent to beat us. If they hold on to the ball and avoid the stupid penalties (something we also have difficulty with), they will give us all we want. CPJ and the team have had a great year, and all deserve the praise they have gotten, but fans need to keep this in perspective. We have won a lot of close games, and our defense is still very suspect. We are far from unbeatable, even by UGA in an admittedly very bad year.
Regarding CPJ and the extension, I agree it was a good move. William Casey said it most eloquently, and I agree, CPJ will do everything humanly possible to win games for us, and that is all you can ask of your coach. That said, I think it sis still to b seen whether CPJ can consistently keep us at the top level. Let him win 10 next year without Morgan, Burnett, Thomas, Nesbitt, and the Diesel, and then I’ll be convinced.
Weedwhacker Bowl
November 22nd, 2009
6:57 am
The Willie and Bobo Show is Shreveport bowl eligible. The armpit of the south.
Yellow Fuzz
November 22nd, 2009
7:48 am
Good morning dog nation,
Wow. Talk about “fair weather” and “bandwagon” fans! With 2:10 to go in the game, down by ONE score with THREE time outs left and the stadium exits were packed with the dog nation fans?
The same dog nation fans that lecture me here on having CLASS? hahaha.
You azzholes are spoiled rotten and deserve everything negative that comes your way.
In the final 2 minutes:
Bobby Dodd = 50,000 fans in their seats supporting their team
Sanford = 50,000 fans in their exits supporting themselves
No wonder all your better players ALSO bolt for the exit (NFL) after 3 seasons.
You guys are impossible to play for!
Yellow Fuzz
November 22nd, 2009
7:56 am
A few facts about Sanford Stadium (and the dog nation)
1. Seating capacity 92,678
2. Exit row capacity (in the final 2 minutes of a close game) 49,821
3. Talk about a “lack of discipline”
4. 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 Cokes, and 40,000 fans turning their backs on their team!
GT David
November 22nd, 2009
7:56 am
Y’all need to hush about any nat’l championship. First,we beat uga (no, I will NOT capitalize it). Then we worry about clemons. If we take the next right step consistently, championships will happen. THWG
St. Simons
November 22nd, 2009
8:09 am
Dear dd:
Kentucky 34…Dawgs 27….bummer…..where was UGA when you needed him?
Ph.D. of Pigskinology
November 22nd, 2009
8:21 am
How ’bout them Cats!!!
Ph.D. of Pigskinology
November 22nd, 2009
8:22 am
The King and Ealey running tandem was absolutely dominating against Kentucky. Georgia Tech in real trouble…
Yellow Fuzz
November 22nd, 2009
10:01 am
Preseason Number 1
Alabama
Florida
Georgia Tech
Oklahoma State
Louisiana State
Tennessee (not Tech)
Florida
Kentucky
Georgia Tech
Papa John
BOOGIE MAN FROM HARTWELL GA
November 22nd, 2009
10:05 am
IF I DIDNT KNOW BETTER I COULD SWEAR THAT WAS REPLAY FROM LAST YEAR LAST NIGHT VS TECH. TOUGH WEEK LOSING UGA VII, THEN IMPLODING VS. KENTUCKY LAST NIGHT.
BOOGIE MAN FROM HARTWELL GA
November 22nd, 2009
10:06 am
Enter your comments here
Del Boland
November 22nd, 2009
10:07 am
Mark,
Thank you for your articles. I can appreciate them in a new way since moving to the Chicago area 4 years ago. Unfortunately, college football in the Midwest is relegated to a 2 inch by 4 inch Top 25 standings in the Trib and perhaps an occasional page dedicated solely to the Big 10. Otherwise, professional football is given much more attention.
As a Tech fan and a resident of Atlanta for 23 years, I often criticized the AJC for the biased reporting. While there may be some bias toward Georgia, you guys at least make an effort to provide Georgia Tech with some semblance of a home town newspaper. It (the AJC) remains the best source to read about my Yellow Jackets.
As for the blog, I really liked the quote from Coach Bobby Dodd. I wish more folks could appreciate the big picture. Yes, it’s fun to have the banter, but I mostly enjoy the posts that show a little class. For over 100 years, college football has become of a way of life for certain parts of our country. I, for one, believe it should continue to exemplify good sportsmanship and class to remain distinguished from the glitz, pomp and “smack” that is professional football today. Similarly, I think rating and talking about college football like the minor league to the NFL is a bit degrading. That is, I think we are headed down a slippery slope when we aspire to be like the NFL. Instead, the NFL should aspire to be like college football. I wonder how long college football will last when money and attitude rate higher than honor, pride and respect?
Del
Yellow Fuzz
November 22nd, 2009
10:11 am
Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye
Forty Five Forty Two, In Athens, goodbye
Papa John Bowl, versus Rutgers, goodbye
Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye
Yellow Fuzz
November 22nd, 2009
10:21 am
Nah, nah, nah, nah, Irrelevant, goodbye
Nah, nah, nah, nah, Gimmick option, goodbye
Nah, nah, nah, nah, High school offense, goodbye
Nah, nah, nah, nah, Papa John Bowl, goodbye
GT4Ever
November 22nd, 2009
10:28 am
Don’t you doggie fans have something else to cry about?