Coaches’ families surprised by news

Despite the news Wednesday of Tommy Tuberville’s resignation as Auburn University head coach, wife of interior defensive line coach Don Dunn, Dona, says she and her husband still plan to retire to the Plains.

“We love Auburn, we love Auburn University, but we’re sorry it happened the way it did,” she said.

An AU spokesperson said Wednesday that all of the assistant coaches are still under their current contracts, which expire in June. Whether they stay on after that may be up to whomever steps into the role vacated by Tuberville.

Dona said she was driving home from work when she heard the Tuberville news on the radio. Don Dunn has been the defensive tackles/nose guards coach with Tuberville for the past 14 years.

“I was glad I was almost home because I thought I was going to get into an accident,” Dona said.

She said she doesn’t have any ill feelings toward anybody about the departure except for how it was handled by the university. She could have at least gotten a call from an official instead of hearing it on the radio, she said.

Dona said her son, Jonathan, an AU freshman, probably took the news the hardest. They moved to Auburn when he was just 9 years old.

“He loves Auburn football,” she said. “This is all he knows.”

Jonathan heard his dad was out of a job from another student in class Wednesday.

“He was a little angry, but we plan on him graduating from Auburn,” Dona said.

Amy Ensminger wasn’t pleased with how she got word, either. She said her daughter, Brittany, got a text message about it. Amy then called her husband, Steve, the tight ends coach for the past six years. He was in the Baltimore airport after visiting one of Auburn’s recruits, quarterback Raymond Cotton.

“He didn’t know,” Amy said. “They may have seen this coming, but he didn’t know. They’ve been trying to get Tommy out for years, but this was probably the time to do it.”

It’s unfortunate, but Amy said this is “typical” of the way Auburn has operated since the infamous “Jetgate” in 2003 when Auburn’s then-athletic director, then-president and two trustees flew to recruit Bobby Petrino to replace Tuberville.

“It’s the profession we are in, it has its ups and downs,” she said. “But this was not handled professionally.”