Bobby Johnson Robert Alan Johnson ( born February 8 , 1951 ) is an American football coach and former player . He was most recently the head football coach at Vanderbilt University , a position he held from the 2002 season until his retirement in 2010 . In December 2001 , Johnson became the Commodores ' head coach , after leading Furman University to the Division I - AA national championship game . He coached the Paladins between 1994 – 2001 , leading the team to a 60 – 36 overall record during his eight years . Prior to his hiring at Furman , Johnson was also the defensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers . In 2008 , Johnson led Vanderbilt to its first winning season since 1982 . His team went 7 – 6 with a 16 – 14 win over Boston College in the Music City Bowl , Vanderbilt ' s first bowl victory since 1955 and only their second in school history . Playing career and education . Johnson was a standout in football , basketball , and baseball during his time at Eau Claire High School in his native hometown of Columbia , South Carolina . He continued his success in football at college , where he played both wide receiver and cornerback for Clemson University . In the 1971 and 1972 seasons , Johnson led the Tigers in interceptions . Johnson was twice named as an ACC All - Academic honoree . He graduated from Clemson in 1973 , earning his Bachelor of Science degree in management , before earning his master ' s degree in education from Furman in 1979 . Coaching career . Vanderbilt . On December 23 , 2001 , Johnson was officially announced as the 25th head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team . 2005 . In Johnson ' s fourth season , the Commodores finished 5 – 6 and defeated in - state rival Tennessee in Knoxville for the first time since 1975 . Jay Cutler , the team ' s offensive captain that season , was drafted # 11 overall by the Denver Broncos and named as starting quarterback during his rookie season . 2006 . In the 2006 season , Vanderbilt fell to 4 – 8 after the loss of Cutler , but did beat Georgia at Sanford Stadium . In addition , Vanderbilt lost games to Ole Miss , Alabama , SEC West champion Arkansas , and eventual national champion Florida by a touchdown or less — an impressive feat for a team normally considered a " gimme win " by SEC teams . After eight games " Atlanta Journal - Constitution " college football writer Tony Barnhart stated that Johnson " deserves some consideration " for SEC Coach of the Year , albeit based on a misstated record of 4 – 5 instead of 3 – 5 . Barnhart ' s 2006 postseason survey of ten former SEC coaches ranked the Vanderbilt job the least attractive in the SEC . Former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer summarized Johnson ' s performance : " The tough thing about the Vanderbilt job is that you can improve a lot from year to year and still finish last in the SEC East . For what he has , I think Bobby Johnson does a heck of a coaching job . " 2007 . Johnson again led the Commodores to success in 2007 , with SEC conference wins over Mississippi and South Carolina , ranked # 6 at the time of the contest . Standing with a 5 – 5 record , the Commodores then squandered a 24 – 9 third - quarter lead against in - state rival Tennessee , losing 25 – 24 after a 49 – yard Bryant Hahnfeldt field goal attempt that would have won the game glanced off the left upright . Concluding the season with an uninspired effort versus Wake Forest , Vanderbilt finished 5 – 7 and one win short of bowl eligibility . 2008 . Vanderbilt started the 2008 season on a 5 – 0 run under Coach Johnson , including SEC wins at home against South Carolina and Auburn , and an SEC road win at Ole Miss . Vanderbilt ' s fifth game , an October 4 match up against Auburn , was historic for the Commodores for many reasons . Aside from being Vanderbilt ' s first game as a ranked team in many years , it was ESPN College Gameday ' s first ever appearance in Nashville , and the 14 – 13 win gave Vanderbilt its first 5 – 0 start since the WWII - shortened 1943 season . Vanderbilt would go on to defeat Kentucky to get the sixth win and bowl eligibility for the first time since 1982 . The Commodores lost to Tennessee and Wake Forest to finish the regular season 6 – 6 . On December 10 , Johnson was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year , along with Houston Nutt , of Ole Miss , and Nick Saban , of Alabama . On December 31 , Vanderbilt defeated Boston College in the Music City Bowl to secure a winning season and their first bowl victory since 1955 . Retirement . On July 14 , 2010 , Johnson announced his retirement from coaching . Citing it as a " personal decision " , the decision was a surprise to the program and the media as it occurred less than two months away from the 2010 - 11 season . In explaining his decision , he stated : " Football is not life , but it ' s a way of life and it consumes your life . You only have so many years to live , and you want to see a different way . " His tenure at Vanderbilt was lauded for bringing a resurgence to a team that had long been dominated by its fellow members of the SEC Conference , notably guiding the Commodores their first bowl game win in 53 years and first non - losing season since 1982 as well as snapping a 22 - game losing streak to rival Tennessee . In October 2011 Coach Johnson became a coaching consultant to Charleston Man - of - War , which touts itself as " the first international football organization built on community . " In his position with that organization , Coach Johnson is helping to build a coaching staff and evaluating prospective players .