UGA Basketball: Felton fired as coach

Sports

UGA Basketball: Felton fired as coach

A photo behind the scenes look at former UGA men's basketball coach Dennis Felton.

Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans (right) prepares to face reporters gathered for a Jan. 29, 2009, press conference in Athens announcing the firing of men's basketball coach Dennis Felton. Evans said that while he appreciated Felton's work for five-plus years, the program needed new direction.

Georgia hired Dennis Felton out of Western Kentucky in 2003 to breathe new life into a program tainted by scandal after Jim Harrick's firing over academic issues involving basketball players.

UGA's new coach quickly became known for his fiery antics on the court, aimed at motivating his players, as well as his unerring sense of style.

Felton's UGA career has been marked with ups and downs. Walk-on Kevin Brophy was killed in a 2006 wreck and Felton either suspended or released several players, including Billy Humphrey and Mike Mercer, due to violations of team rules.

Atlanta's somewhat infamous "Tornado Tournament" of 2008 brought plenty of surprises. First, a tornado hit downtown Atlanta, forcing the SEC Tourney to move to Alexander Memorial Coliseum at Georgia Tech. Then, Felton's Dogs topped Arkansas to win the SEC title.

Felton promised to shave off his trademark mustache if the Dogs won a championship. And the coach kept his word after the team won the SEC championship by having a local barber give him the shave outside the Tate Student Center on the UGA campus April 18, 2008.

During a 2007 visit to the coast of Kuwait, Felton studies a wall pock-marked with bullet holes, reportedly a result of invading Iraqi troops executing Kuwaiti naval personnel in August 1990. Felton and other coaches took part in Hardwood IV, a USO-sponsored, five-day "Hoops With the Troops" basketball tournament at Kuwait's Camp Arifjan.

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Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans (right) prepares to face reporters gathered for a Jan. 29, 2009, press conference in Athens announcing the firing of men's basketball coach Dennis Felton. Evans said that while he appreciated Felton's work for five-plus years, the program needed new direction.

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