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Super 6 kicks off
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www.al.com
Thursday, December 4, 2008
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TUBERVILLE OUT AT AU
KEVIN
SCARBINSKY
Auburn’s final
loss of year is
its head coach
By CHARLES GOLDBERG
News staff writer
S
ay this about the ending
to the Auburn chapter of
Tommy Tuberville’s
coaching career: The divorce
was more amicable than the
marriage.
After 10 years of a relationship that too often
looked better in front of the
neighbors than it did behind
closed doors, both sides are
better off going their separate ways.
Tuberville can take a year
off to reboot. Don’t be surprised to see him smiling
and wisecracking in front of
TV cameras as a color commentator or studio analyst.
Unlike other former
coaches we could name —
you know who you are, Dr.
Lou — he could make a
smooth transition from media-friendly to media member.
Schools such as Mississippi State have been smart
enough to express some interest in Tuberville, but it
doesn’t appear that interest
is mutual.
Meanwhile, Auburn can
go about the difficult business of trying to find a coach
See AUBURN
Page 4A
TODD VAN EMST
Tommy Tuberville resigned as Auburn’s football coach Wednesday, ending a 10-year run.
Who are five coaching candidates who may be on the Tigers’ radar? See story, 4A.
By ROBERT K. GORDON
News staff writer
The Alabama Supreme Court set five
execution dates Wednesday, one a
month for the first five months of
2009.
“It’s been too long. It’s welcomed
news,” Alabama Attorney General Troy
King said. “We have five families who
have been waiting — some more than
20 years — to see an execution date, to
see justice delivered.”
James Harvey Callahan, who has
been on Death Row for 26 years, is
scheduled to die by lethal injection
Jan. 15. Callahan was convicted of
murdering Rebecca Suzanne Howell in
Calhoun County in 1992.
See EXECUTIONS
Page 4A
Langford arrest process
unfair, SCLC chief says
By JOSEPH D. BRYANT and VAL WALTON
News staff writers
The head of Birmingham’s Southern
Christian Leadership Conference is
decrying what he calls inequitable
treatment of Birmingham Mayor Larry
Langford compared with two co-defendants named in a 101-count federal
indictment.
Langford was arrested at his office
at Birmingham Budweiser Monday
morning while his fellow defendants
— Bill Blount, a Montgomery investment banker, and lobbyist Al LaPierre
— were allowed to turn themselves in
to federal authorities later that morning.
“It appears to me and to a lot of
See LANGFORD
Page 3A
SEC
CHAMPIONSHIP
PREVIEW
COMING
FRIDAY
PLUS
We review
holiday CDs
Reaction
to Tuberville’s
early exit
News that Tommy
Tuberville no longer will
coach at Auburn sweeps
across the state, affecting
fans and recruits.
Sports, 1C
MORE CONTENT
ONLINE
y Discuss the story in Auburn
beat writer Charles
Goldberg’s Gold Mine blog
on al.com, the online home
of The Birmingham News:
blog.al.com/goldmine
y See more photos of Tommy
Tuberville’s career at Auburn
online at: al.com/
birminghamnews/photos
three people close to him he
would jump at the chance to
succeed Tuberville.
The beginning of the end
for Tuberville officially began
this week in annual seasonending meetings with Athletics Director Jay Jacobs and
university President Jay Gogue. But the groundwork for
his undoing began early in
See TUBERVILLE
Page 4A
JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSION
CD
High court schedules
5 executions for 2009
AUBURN — Tommy Tuberville’s last day as Auburn
University head football
coach was one of reflection
and tears.
Tuberville, who resigned
Wednesday after a 10-year
run that included the best
season in school history, said
he became emotional when
he told his players of his decision during a short team
meeting.
“I’m doing fine, but then
you suddenly realize you’re
not a coach anymore,” he
said. “I had a tough time with
the players. I almost didn’t
get through it.”
The search for his successor has begun. An official familiar with the early search
process said a replacement
could be named “pretty
quickly.”
The list of candidates
could include Florida State
offensive coordinator and
former Auburn assistant
Jimbo Fisher, Texas Tech
head coach Mike Leach,
Texas defensive coordinator
and former Auburn assistant
Will Muschamp, Arkansas
head coach and former Auburn assistant Bobby Petrino
and Louisiana Tech coach
Derek Dooley, son of former
Georgia coach Vince Dooley,
an Auburn graduate.
An unofficial Auburn representative has already
reached out to Leach’s camp
to gauge his interest, a source
said. Leach has told at least
INSIDE
YS
Relationship
better after
Tuberville’s
departure
Automatic
A
D
I
OL
sewer rate
increases
could end
Majority wants rule repealed
By BARNETT WRIGHT
News staff writer
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A majority of Jefferson County commissioners said Wednesday they will vote to rescind an
ordinance that automatically raises sewer rates
every Jan. 1.
That could mean sewer rates will not be increased next month for the first time in more
than a decade.
Jefferson County’s environmental services
committee voted 2-0 to rescind the ordinance
and the full commission will vote Tuesday.
Commissioner Jim Carns, chair of the committee, said ratepayers were looking at increases next month of more than 20 percent.
“This allows us not to increase sewer rates,”
See SEWER
Page 3A