Bill Battle reflects on time as Vols HC and Fulmer and Pruitt

#26
#26
We (fraternity) had BB over to the house, he was making rounds to all student orgs as PR. Someone asked him straight up about recruiting.

"It's the least fun of my job. I make it easier by seeking out those young men who are Christ's servants."

Several of us got up from the couch and remarked as we left. " We're screwed." lol True story

I can't laugh about the 'young men who are Christ's servants' comment but that isn't necessarily always a great recruiting approach.
 
#27
#27
" Go, Johnny, go! And take DeVoe!" That was 88 if I remember correctly.



It would been interesting to see what Majors could have done inheriting Dickey's recruits instead of having to start over.


Yes, that is an intriguing what-if scenario. Unfortunately, Johnny also was then very early in his career as a head coach. His record, at that time, was 6-14 at Iowa State. Johnny Majors - Wikipedia
 
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#28
#28
One of the biggest requirements as a coach at Tennessee in any sport is being an elite recruiter.
 
#30
#30
Poor Coach Battle. Believe it was my Sophomore year, 1976, when a few UT alums who were not happy with Coach Battles progress, ordered a local Moving Van to his house. They knocked on his door and told him he was moving. This was news to the coach......
 
#31
#31
Yup, I was there with Battle my freshman year. I also remember the sign at The Last Lap Tavern on Cumberland: "Can't win the war 'til we lose the Battle". Now I want a sammitch at Sam & Andy's......
“Sign of the Times”, as I was fortunate to be among those who traveled with the team at the end of the ‘75 season to take on the Rainbow Warriors, and to this day, I remember a large sign hanging @ Aloha Stadium which read;
“The Battle is over , we need a Majors change”
Following that season, UT exemplified continuity with only one coaching change over the next 3 decades. The stability provided by Johnny & Phil lead to many of our fondest modern day gridiron memories.
For the first time in a very long time, I feel confident in our leadership, and I don’t have to lie to myself when I say that nowadays.
 
#32
#32
We (fraternity) had BB over to the house, he was making rounds to all student orgs as PR. Someone asked him straight up about recruiting.

"It's the least fun of my job. I make it easier by seeking out those young men who are Christ's servants."

Several of us got up from the couch and remarked as we left. " We're screwed." lol True story
Cool story bro (serious / not joking ).
I had never heard that CBB was openly religious like that but it does fill in a gap on a “cool story bro” of my own. So that was a bit before my time , I was born in 78 & first season I vividly remember following was ‘85.

Back in the day my late uncle was on the THP and was fortunate enough on several occasions to be on security detail to away games and bowl games .

He said after a controversial call @ the end of the ‘71 resulting in a close call win for the Vols that Frank Broyles said “well looks like your damned old SEC referees pulled out a win for you Battle”

Coach Battle replied “Bite my a** you sumbisch”

That’s where your story fills in a blank in my mind I always wondered about. Coach Battles response , while hilarious , always seemed to lack the flow of someone who was a proficient cusser. I mean has anyone here ever told someone to bite their ace? Kiss yes but bite ?!? Kinda like “I don’t give a hell” of “you’re a piece damn”
 
#33
#33
Poor Coach Battle. Believe it was my Sophomore year, 1976, when a few UT alums who were not happy with Coach Battles progress, ordered a local Moving Van to his house. They knocked on his door and told him he was moving. This was news to the coach......
this is so awful but I remember a story I heard all through my childhood that one or both of Bill Battles parents had died .... of embarrassment. Don’t know if his mother or father had actually passed away but that is just brutal!....., and damn he was 59-22 for a career . I know he was trending down but anybody on here that says they wouldn’t take 59-22 and 4-1 in 5 bowl games from 2012-2019 is a damn lie !
 
#34
#34
Cool story bro (serious / not joking ).
I had never heard that CBB was openly religious like that but it does fill in a gap on a “cool story bro” of my own. So that was a bit before my time , I was born in 78 & first season I vividly remember following was ‘85.

Back in the day my late uncle was on the THP and was fortunate enough on several occasions to be on security detail to away games and bowl games .

He said after a controversial call @ the end of the ‘71 resulting in a close call win for the Vols that Frank Broyles said “well looks like your damned old SEC referees pulled out a win for you Battle”

Coach Battle replied “Bite my a** you sumbisch”

That’s where your story fills in a blank in my mind I always wondered about. Coach Battles response , while hilarious , always seemed to lack the flow of someone who was a proficient cusser. I mean has anyone here ever told someone to bite their ace? Kiss yes but bite ?!? Kinda like “I don’t give a hell” of “you’re a piece damn”

lol great story

CBB recruited Chip Linebarier

Chip Linebarier, DB - Memphis (Lettered 1976, 77, 78)
SEC Academic Honor Roll - 1977


Year G UT AT TT SCK TFL FF FR PBU
1974 1 0 1 1 - - - - -
1976 8 9 5 14 - - - - -
1977 11 13 19 32 - - - - 1
1978 11 11 10 21 - - - - 3
+-----------------------------------------------+
Totals 31 33 35 68 - - - - 4


Int. Returns | Punt Returns
Year G No Yds TD | No Yds TD
1974 1 - - - | - - -
1976 8 - - - | - - -
1977 11 1 7 0 | 2 -6 0
1978 11 - - - | - - -
+----------------------------------------+
Totals 31 1 7 0 | 2 -6 0

Head of Athletes For Jesus or wtf in Memphis. Couldn't tackle a sponge. When he was offered, we actually thought that Battle was looney.
 
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#35
#35
lol great story

CBB recruited my cousin, Chip Linebarier

Chip Linebarier, DB - Memphis (Lettered 1976, 77, 78)
SEC Academic Honor Roll - 1977


Year G UT AT TT SCK TFL FF FR PBU
1974 1 0 1 1 - - - - -
1976 8 9 5 14 - - - - -
1977 11 13 19 32 - - - - 1
1978 11 11 10 21 - - - - 3
+-----------------------------------------------+
Totals 31 33 35 68 - - - - 4


Int. Returns | Punt Returns
Year G No Yds TD | No Yds TD
1974 1 - - - | - - -
1976 8 - - - | - - -
1977 11 1 7 0 | 2 -6 0
1978 11 - - - | - - -
+----------------------------------------+
Totals 31 1 7 0 | 2 -6 0

Head of Athletes For Jesus or wtf in Memphis. Couldn't tackle a sponge. When he was offered, we actually thought that Battle was looney.
so he played for Battle & Majors huh? Awesome
 
#37
#37
Both, Majors used him as a 3d down "Monster" back sorta a hybrid strong safety. They were so piss poor in talent it was insane.
He ever make any big / memorable (even if just to your family ) plays ? Good or bad ? I’m assuming by when you said that you were @ UT that you saw him play?
 
#38
#38
He ever make any big / memorable (even if just to your family ) plays ? Good or bad ? I’m assuming by when you said that you were @ UT that you saw him play?

I was gone from school but came to games including the Ole Miss debacle of 1977 @ Memphis. We lost 43-14 and were lucky to get 14 and to only give up 43. Majors was throwing his headset, mad as hell, the whole game.

Chip was smallish, slowish, whitish but loved Jesus. He was also an All-American Scholastic...whereupon he flunked his MeDCat twice before he finally gave up lol. Another CBB master accomplishment. But why am I telling you this? Aren't you a 78 grad?
 
#39
#39
I was gone from school but came to games including the Ole Miss debacle of 1977 @ Memphis. We lost 43-14 and were lucky to get 14 and to only give up 43. Majors was throwing his headset, mad as hell, the whole game.

Chip was smallish, slowish, whitish but loved Jesus. He was also an All-American Scholastic...whereupon he flunked his MeDCat twice before he finally gave up lol. Another CBB master accomplishment. But why am I telling you this? Aren't you a 78 grad?
Good stuff man & nah. I was BORN in ‘78.

Now my 92 year old VFL grandfather rode a bus from Sparta to Knoxville in 1945 @ age 15 to his first game to see the Vols demolish Vandy 45-0. He bought his first season tickets in ‘64 in Q34 . At one point he was very well connected in UTAD from donations and as a kid I no crap remember him having upwards of 30 tickets to every game .

I’ve been making donations and buying the tickets for over 10 years & still sit in the Q34 seats . I have 3 pairs of better seats but out of sentimentality still sit in those seats every year . Seen very good and bad memory since I can remember from there & they are also great seats. I know all manner of “valuable facts “ about Vol history from Doughety to
Dobbs though .
 
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#40
#40
Financially, getting fired by Tennessee was the best thing that ever happened to Bill Battle. Bear Bryant liked him and started him off in two businesses and now he is a multi-multi millionaire. I'm sure he has way more money than even Nick Saban.
 
#41
#41
Financially, getting fired by Tennessee was the best thing that ever happened to Bill Battle. Bear Bryant liked him and started him off in two businesses and now he is a multi-multi millionaire. I'm sure he has way more money than even Nick Saban.

How much of his great fortune did Battle give back?
 
#42
#42
It would been interesting to see what Majors could have done inheriting Dickey's recruits instead of having to start over.

It sure would, I think Johnny was in his prime in '70, and could have built an SEC championship around Dickey's players and recruited well enough to keep it going. We saw what he did at Pitt, and I think he could have kept UT at a high level if he started in '70 instead of '77.
 
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#43
#43
I only remember that he inherited a stacked football team, which he managed to do well with. As Dickey's boys left, the program began to go downhill. We lost to Duke, then Rutgers. I knew it was over for him, at that point. He salvaged a 7-5 season, by beating Maryland, and Randy White, in the Liberty Bowl, 7-3.
 
#44
#44
I only remember that he inherited a stacked football team, which he managed to do well with. As Dickey's boys left, the program began to go downhill. We lost to Duke, then Rutgers. I knew it was over for him, at that point. He salvaged a 7-5 season, by beating Maryland, and Randy White, in the Liberty Bowl, 7-3.

Froze my beard off for that one.
 
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