Biggest Villian in modern Tennessee football history

#127
#127
Smokymtnbullet said:
Fulmer,he got complacent and started the 20 year slide.He did well with Cutcliffe and Chavis but when Cut left it all unraveled.He hired the worst football coach in history..Pruitt.Also hired Kevin Steele for 10 days at around 86,000 dollars a day(anybody thinks Danny White would do that put your crack pipe down now!)
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The Steele thing irritates me greatly

That being said, I can kind of see WHY it was done. That day of the press conference was like a funeral man. Actually it was probably worse than a funeral-at least at those you can talk about the good times. There were really no good recent times to talk about in early 2021.

Any coach touching that mess right at that moment was going to be radioactive for a while. Steele was retiring (if he was not retained as HC I suppose) so he had no worries.

Basically an inflated payment to someone to take a few bullets for you-from everyone. Press, players, fans-for a week he was really the only face of the UT program.
 
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#128
#128
feathersax said:
You have a sick agenda.
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You guys that say Fulmer was a villain for Vols football are the true villains . My gosh did you not watch a game from 1993 till 2008. Mike Hamilton was the idiot that starter the slid when he fired Fulmer. The administration let people like Hamilton ruin the program for 15 years. Check your stats instead of just writing what you have seen for only 5 or 10 years. Take it from someone that has listened to watched and known many of the players and coaches since 1956, the blame for the downfall has a lot of villains don’t blame just one.
 
#130
#130
zjcvols said:
I will disagree. He didn't hire Tony V but he took some massive steps to help give everything the baseball program needed to succeed and was able to keep Vitello when a lot of attractive jobs were open. And while Heupel has done a very good job, White's ability to help transition into the new era of college football has been vital in turning the program around. Barnes didn't need much help and the jury is out on Caldwell, that is correct. Danny pinches every penny he can, that is annoying. But his leadership has been critical in turning around the AD.
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Yeah, that's why I said he's just a little overrated. He's done a good to very good job with the things he's been able to control, namely 1) hiring Heupel and 2) being able to keep Tony V. With #2, the hard part was already done though (having the superstar coach on your payroll to begin with). And he doesn't have anything to do with basketball's success. Hence he's a "little" overrated.

Overall, he had really good timing on basketball and baseball (although yes, he did do a lot to ensure that baseball stays good), which was luck.
 
#135
#135
Big Orange Captain said:
1. Kiffin
2.Fulmer
3. Mike Hamilton
4. Pruitt
5. Saban
6. Butch
7. Nico
For me personally it’s always been Kiffin his leaving in the midnight hour after just one season kick started a series of chain reactions of terrible decisions and coaching hires. Which pretty much nuked our football program into the wasteland of irrelevancy for a decade plus. So yea Kiffin will always be numero uno of the legion of doom villains to UT football.
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Just going in a different direction for discussion... How about Mount Cody. He blocked the field goal attempt at Tuscaloosa in Kiffin's one year. If we make that kick, Kiffin may have stayed. He has proven to be a recruiter and has revived the program at Ole Miss. Who knows where that may have lead.

I am not a Kiffin fan. I am glad he is not our coach. But we would not have Dooley, Jones, and Pruitt. Those were some painful times except for watching Josh Dobbs.
 
#140
#140
Jimmy Cheek. Once he retired and Plowman came on the scene, things instantly got better.

Honorable mention: Sal Sunseri. By far the worst defense I have ever seen in my life. If we had a SHRED of defense that year, with the offense we had, we could have really made some noise. Nope.
 
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#145
#145
NeylandX5 said:
Just going in a different direction for discussion... How about Mount Cody. He blocked the field goal attempt at Tuscaloosa in Kiffin's one year. If we make that kick, Kiffin may have stayed. He has proven to be a recruiter and has revived the program at Ole Miss. Who knows where that may have lead.

I am not a Kiffin fan. I am glad he is not our coach. But we would not have Dooley, Jones, and Pruitt. Those were some painful times except for watching Josh Dobbs.
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Kiffin was gone one way or another man. Him engineering a defeat f Bama would have just gotten him a bigger check from USC.

I remember that afternoon when the Seahawks fired their coach-I think was Jim Mora Jr. Read it on ESPN sitting in my office and was filled with dread. I still smoked then and remember going outside for minute right after that. One of the guys I used to talk CFB with at work was also outside. I told him the news and that I had a weird feeling this was all gonna impact UT somehow.

When Sneaky Pete bolted from USC everyone knew the Vols were screwed

Sad thing is I really don't blame Kiffin. In his shoes, would I have done the same thing for my "dream job" Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know

Doesn't mean I have ever have to like him after he ditched us.
 
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#146
#146
Ki
Big Orange Captain said:
1. Kiffin
2.Fulmer
3. Mike Hamilton
4. Pruitt
5. Saban
6. Butch
7. Nico
For me personally it’s always been Kiffin his leaving in the midnight hour after just one season kick started a series of chain reactions of terrible decisions and coaching hires. Which pretty much nuked our football program into the wasteland of irrelevancy for a decade plus. So yea Kiffin will always be numero uno of the legion of doom villains to UT football.
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Kiffin was here for a cup of coffee, hardly an afterthought with me.
 
#147
#147
Kirby Smart. Muschamp. Mark Richt should also be on here, if you ask me. UT started declining hard when he took over at UGA. Took 20 years to field a team another 11 win team after 2001 (Richt’s first year).
 
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#148
#148
vavolfan6 said:
In the mid to late 2010's, I thought the fanbase was it's own worse enemy. The toxicity was at an all time high. It seemed like our program lost it's appeal to prospective coaches becuase of how rabid the fanbase was and the instant gratification mindset so many had. The pressure was intense as we were sick of losing to Bama and Florida 10+ years in a row. It got so bad that even mediocre ACC coaches were turning us down.

It took us getting to all time lows before we could be thankful when Heupel pulled us out the ditch. Thankfully now spirits are so much better!
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imo fanbase had nothing at all to do with the bad years. All fan bases have those who are negative on the team. There were even bama fans wanting saban fired
 
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