Question for fans who were alive during the 90's run...

#51
#51
VFL-82-JP said:
Yeah, Brave, I find myself reflecting back on the glory days, as well.

And not just in football, but women's basketball too. When Pat Summit was coach, it just seemed pre-destination that the Volunteers were always going to be on top of that world.

Well, we fell. We fell in football, and we fell in ladies' basketball. And there is no guarantee we get to return to the top. In either place.

That was the second epiphany, the second great horror: realization that there's no guarantee we get to return. That ah-hah moment came long after the realization that we'd fallen. All through Kiffen and Dooley and Butch and the first two seasons of Pruitt, even when it became evident that this coach or that coach wasn't working out, there was still the sense that things will eventually be righted, that we will eventually come out of the darkness and return to our rightful place.

And so, a second heartbreak, to realize this might be the end of championship Tennessee football. That we might have lost that forever when the program kicked Fulmer out the door.

I don't know. The optimist in me still believes where there's a will, there's a way. We just have to keep working hard to solve it, and as long as we're willing to put smart people in the right positions to make good decisions, and give them all the resources they need to be competitive, eventually we'll find the winning formula.

Just getting harder to keep the optimist in us all alive.
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I thought after Pearl that with men's basketball we had crossed a line we'd never go back over; I thought he's put us on the map for college basketball and soon we'll be a 3 headed sports monster......yeah not so much. Although I guess with basketball it looks like Barnes has gotten us back to where Pearl left us at least. Also never thought baseball would have gotten as bad as it did after Delmonico was shown the door.
 
#52
#52
Not to over complicate things, but it’s a QB driven game.

When your QB is a threat it changes the possibilities. When the QB is inconsistent it puts too much pressure on the defense. A one dimensional QB is better than a spastic QB.

I expect HB is the answer for the long term. Give him the ball, give him the team. Let’s see if he is game.
 
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#53
#53
The 90’s made us the way we are about Tennessee Football. No reason we shouldn’t at least get back to the conversation of being a team that threatens yearly.

There is no doubt Pruitt knows football and knows the difference in a SEC player and a Butch player. He knows Defense! Our total issue is on the Offensive side! Chaney is not getting it done and it’s Pruitts fault for allowing it. Unless he is making Chaney stick with JG, but nonetheless, Chaney’s game plans have been AWFUL to say the least.
 
#54
#54
1985-2001 National winning %
Later part of Majors through better part of Fulmer

1) FSU .850
2) Nebraska .850
3) Miami FL .837
4) Tennessee .781
5) Michigan .775
6) Florida .759
7) Texas A&M .740
8) Penn State .739
9) Ohio State .706
10t) Notre Dame, Colorado, Syracuse .695
13) BYU .694
14) Washington .689
15) Auburn .687
16) Oklahoma .677
17) Alabama .669
18) Fresno State .659
19) Clemson .649
20) Georgia .642
 
#58
#58
Brave Volunteer said:
The biggest concern I have right now is the hit that losses like these have on our recruiting. We absolutely had prospects last year that peeled us off of their radar after we lost to GA State and BYU. Im concerned that after losing to GA and KY and the inevitable curb stomp we are facing against AL, its going to happen again this year.
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Yep

The UGA debacle cost them any remote shot at Mims.

Stoops can hang his hat on yesterday and make it less likely the Vols can poach any players from KY.

They can't make a legit sales pitch to prospects in GA or SC against the Dawgs or Clemson.

The inevitable blow out next week will make any prospect in Bama wonder why they are even answering the phone when TN calls. Wouldn't count on Brooks until that LOI is signed.
 
#59
#59
VolsSportsFan said:
I thought after Pearl that with men's basketball we had crossed a line we'd never go back over; I thought he's put us on the map for college basketball and soon we'll be a 3 headed sports monster......yeah not so much. Although I guess with basketball it looks like Barnes has gotten us back to where Pearl left us at least. Also never thought baseball would have gotten as bad as it did after Delmonico was shown the door.
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Yes...the ole "be careful what you wish for" is definitely in play here. I guess its human nature to look at the yard next door and want to fire MY yard man because MY yard doesn't look exactly like HIS....this year. Forget the fact I've won yard of the month for years (NOT REALLY). I've been a fan since the 60's and have seen that prevailing sentiment play out over and over again...but alas...We are destiny to repeat it I'm sure.
 
#62
#62
SmokyRiverDog said:
One word. Wyoming.
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That was, without a doubt, the most horrific game I've ever sat through. The stadium persona kinda died a little that day. BUT to be fair to Phillip, he was riding a wounded horse and the "hounds of Hades" were on his heels. Because of that I can overlook it.
 
#63
#63
But there started to be stupid let downs like a loss against Dennis Franchione and Ron Zook. Loss to Miami and notre dame and it just started spiraling out of control. It was like Tennessee made a pact with the devil for the 90s and he came to collect after 2004.
 
#64
#64
VolPack22 said:
I wish they would replay a random 90s game against the team we are playing that week in place of the live game. Everyone in the country would be shocked that we actually used to beat Alabama and Georgia on a regular basis. Georgia was an automatic win. We won more than we lost with Alabama and the ones we did lose in the early 90s were tight ballgames. We could at the very least expect to beat Florida 3 times within a 10 year period. My how times have changed...
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I still don’t think of UGA as above us on the totem pole because I really became a big fan in the 90’s when I was between 10-18 yo. UGA was an afterthought. The only time they really came close to beating us was 95 and then things changed in 2000 when Richt got to town.
 
#65
#65
The 90's was great. But I remember thinking we wouldn't have football this year and thought I just want to see us play and for 2 and a half games we was winning went into half time with a great goal line stop on D and momentum but for some reason that team is still in the locker room and the last game and a half we have been destroyed. This year is like a NFL schedule and just about any team could win week to week this year so don't let the last 6 quarters bother you and let's keep moving forward there is going to be alot of SEC teams with 3 to 4 loses this year.
 
#67
#67
Brave Volunteer said:
Are any of you like me in that you are reflecting back on that decade now and saying "damn I wish would've realized and appreciated just how fragile this all is"? Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed every single moment of that ride and became drunken on Tennessee's success in the 90's. However I dont think it ever crossed my mind, not one time, that there would come a day where we would not be at least a relevant factor in the SEC. I always assumed being a top 3 or 4 team in the SEC and a top 10-15 team nationally would just be an annual thing. A foregone conclusion. I always thought our program was too big to fail. Boy was I naive! I never appreciated what a rare and fragile flower that time period was and how lucky I was to be alive to experience it. I'm 49 now and I have to be honest, I'm really starting to doubt if I will live long enough to see it happen again.
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I'm 44. I lived every one of your words. This sucks...
 
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#68
#68
Brave Volunteer said:
The biggest concern I have right now is the hit that losses like these have on our recruiting. We absolutely had prospects last year that peeled us off of their radar after we lost to GA State and BYU. Im concerned that after losing to GA and KY and the inevitable curb stomp we are facing against AL, its going to happen again this year.
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My thoughts as well. We did have recruits stay with us last year when we came so close to a Bama win and showed progress the rest of the year after the embarrassing start. But if this year keeps going like it is headed, we can say goodbye to that top 5 class...a lot of those 4 and 5 star guys will move on for sure.
 
#69
#69
SmokyRiverDog said:
The collapse was DURING Fulmer.
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It started in the latter years of his tenure. Its an inconvenient fact a lot of people don't want to see. But a fact none the less.
Phil had a great run but by the end of it UT was going one way while several SEC programs were going the other.
 
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#72
#72
ALLVOL 4LIFE said:
The 90’s made us the way we are about Tennessee Football. No reason we shouldn’t at least get back to the conversation of being a team that threatens yearly.

There is no doubt Pruitt knows football and knows the difference in a SEC player and a Butch player. He knows Defense! Our total issue is on the Offensive side! Chaney is not getting it done and it’s Pruitts fault for allowing it. Unless he is making Chaney stick with JG, but nonetheless, Chaney’s game plans have been AWFUL to say the least.
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Actually the late 60s and early 70s made me the way I am about UT football. We were great in the 90s, but were usually out of the national championship picture after our yearly beatdown from Florida
 
#74
#74
Brave Volunteer said:
Are any of you like me in that you are reflecting back on that decade now and saying "damn I wish would've realized and appreciated just how fragile this all is"? Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed every single moment of that ride and became drunken on Tennessee's success in the 90's. However I dont think it ever crossed my mind, not one time, that there would come a day where we would not be at least a relevant factor in the SEC. I always assumed being a top 3 or 4 team in the SEC and a top 10-15 team nationally would just be an annual thing. A foregone conclusion. I always thought our program was too big to fail. Boy was I naive! I never appreciated what a rare and fragile flower that time period was and how lucky I was to be alive to experience it. I'm 49 now and I have to be honest, I'm really starting to doubt if I will live long enough to see it happen again.
Click to expand...
I am 70 and very much doubt I will see it again..... I remember the excitement of Alabama coming to Knoxville in the 60s and though we did not win many we thought we had a chance.....not this year....so depressing....been waiting 3 yrs for Pruitt to leavel
 
#75
#75
Last time we beat a top 5 team was '04 against UF. If you're not beating Rio teams, and not winning those that you're supposed to be beating, you need to look inside at the reasons why. It starts with Seniors (Butch"s Boyz). They have no leadership. When you have a Sophomore (Henry T) as your Captain, should tell you all you need to know about your Seniors.
 
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