Manning silent, Blackburn never got formal interview

#27
#27
I was a huge advocate. Never deluded myself into thinking he was the only choice. Don't get who we want? TMZ whomever violates and actually accepts the job. :aggressive:

I'll be honest, I'd never heard of Blackburn when his name started being brought up here. Because I usually agree with you on most football related subjects, and you seemed to think Blackburn would be a solid choice, I leaned towards wanting him. Then I did a little research myself and thought he would be great.

When I heard Peyton was on the committee and would hold one of the most influential votes, I somehow made up in my mind that he would be in favor of Blackburn and/or Fulmer. With all of that swimming around in my mind, I was sold on Blackburn or Fulmer. I wasn't really happy with the thought of Phil, but again, thought if Peyton wanted him, I would trust him over my personal uneducated opinion.
 
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#28
#28
With Martin's players. How did he do after that?

This is exactly what he did at Illinois when he went to the Final Four. He won with Bill Self's players and then couldn't recruit Chicago and got run from Illinois. He is about to get the boot from K-State too. Weber is not a good power 5 basketball coach.

This is the one blimish on Currie's resume. He did a fantastic job raising funds and expanding their facilities and stadium.
 
#30
#30
They're evidently doing cartwheels and backflips in Manhattan, Kansas

As of today, I'm in agreement with you on this hire. As I've said more than once, Im searching for reasons to change my mind because the hire has been made and like it or not, he's the new athletic director and I want him to be a success. I'm sure you do to.

But in my humble opinion, you're taking it a little too far and some of it seems to be exaggerated pettiness.

Tifwiw.
 
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#31
#31
just this...just sick about it...the whole damn thing...I hate politics...:sick:, but, as always...

GO VOLS!
 
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#32
#32
well he came from a big 5 conference, even if its a low rated pansy school, he ran off Martin, hired his man and they haven't sniffed the tourney,,,,,, the admin is not good at UT. starts with the prez and on down,,,,he looks like hammy jr to me

If Kansas State is a low rated pansy school, what would Chattanooga be considered? I think Mrs. Davenport thought outside the box and made an awesome hire, time will tell.......Go BIG ORANGE
 
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#33
#33
Peyton's name will be forever linked to this hire. Aunt B used it enough at the presser.

Not really. She was advised to say, "I love PM." anytime she goofs up or gets heat. She knew that she was gonna catch some heat over this so she said it about 10 times. She may love PM, that doesn't mean he had anything to do with who was picked by Turnkey to be the next AD.

When CBJ picks coaches that don't come from a P5 program he gets slammed for a bad hire. When Davenport sets that as a requirement and sticks to it she gets called Aunt B(that is funny).
 
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#34
#34
Jimmy Haslam needs to write checks and get away from any decision making at Tennessee. You think he'd have his hands full with the Pilot scandal and the dumpster fire up in Cleveland.

Peyton Manning should have chaired the search committee.

Davenport obviously cracked under the pressure from how this was drug out while waiting until her formal start date.

Any proper search would have 1st established mandatory formal qualifications, as well as properly defined roles for the search committee. Those qualifications would then be posted for any potential applicants so as to narrow the pool. This way you avoid any confusion of DQ'ing a candidate over arbitrary reasons.

This would then filter into a formal interview process, that would be objective and consistent for each candidate. It's obvious ylthe left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing. It was that way before Davenport arrived and appears she was rattled by the good ole boy politicking at play.

...that being that she wanted someone from a P5 (major) school. That is why Blackburn was not seriously considered. You can argue with that criterion, but she was decisive about it.
 
#35
#35
Martin's players and the fans were on the verge of revolting against him, he was and/or is huge prick. There's a reason Miami didn't want him and why Martin ended up at a school with minimal expectations for basketball. Also, K-state is a solid program especially considering where it's at, not the best but solid and has been much closer recently to a National Championship and Heisman than we have.

Seems to me Martin left Miami just ahead of the NCAA investigation. Enough said.:ermm:
 
#37
#37
Exactly. Davenport said she wanted an AD with P5 experience, which eliminated Blackburn and Fulmer.

She got to call the shot, everybody needs to get over it. That said, pretty easy for someone at this level to come up with a variable that automatically excludes people in order to support her choice, the P5 variable did just that. C'mon guys, surely some of you being grads manage or have managed large groups and knows how this stuff goes.
 
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#39
#39
She may love PM, that doesn't mean he had anything to do with who was picked by Turnkey to be the next AD.

Peyton was on the search committee, which made recommendations directly to Davenport. Turnkey made its recommendations to the search committee.
 
#41
#41
I've never seen anything like this. Blackburn gained some kind of weird legendary status in a lot of people's minds based solely on the fact that they recognized his name.

I remember coming into a ton of threads and while I never said that Blackburn would be a bad choice, I wondered aloud why VN at large was so enamored with him. There was some backlash that I could quite figure out.

I think he was a local, obscure (to people outside of Tennessee) guy that people here recognized, and if he wound up getting the job all of those people would be able to say "See! Remember that guy I wanted to get the job that nobody knew about? They picked him! I knew it all along!"
 
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#42
#42
I've never seen anything like this. Blackburn gained some kind of weird legendary status in a lot of people's minds based solely on the fact that they recognized his name.

Why are you peddling this idea?

People wanted Blackburn because they knew of his ties and experience during his 2+ decades of working his way up from undergrad student, to student manager, to ultimately an Associate AD. It's been know for years that David was the biggest impediment to Lane Kiffin doing even more things that would've led to even more NCAA trouble during his time here.

We've also learned in the last year or so that it was Blackburn (within the AD) who was against firing Fulmer in the manner that he was fired and that he strongly urged against the hiring of Derek Dooley, which was both the correct judgment and evidently one of the things that sealed his fate with regards to not even being interviewed for a job that he continues to be the best candidate for even now imo.

We also all know what he's done at UTC.....every decision he's made, every coach hiring decision he's made to date has turned to gold.

So you can get off the condescending high horse and opinion that all of those who wanted DB for this job are a bunch of hayseed rube no-nothings. Sorry we weren't following his career back in the 90s or early 2000s.......but a lot of former coaches, former players and media members have made sure we've known who David Blackburn is for awhile now because of their experiences and dealings with him.....and their collective belief that he was the best man for the job.
 
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#43
#43
I've never seen anything like this. Blackburn gained some kind of weird legendary status in a lot of people's minds based solely on the fact that they recognized his name.

Yeah... It couldn't be because under his leadership UTC became the first school in history to win Southern Conference league titles in football, basketball, and women's basketball in the same year..... Which was the football program's 3rd championship in a row and the women's basketball program's 4th in a row. Couldn't be because UTC was league champs in wrestling for 4 years in a row. Oh..and not to mention the athletics GPA was school record high under him.

Couldn't be any of this...just a bunch of ignorant Vol fans making things up in their minds based on his name.
 
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#44
#44
...that being that she wanted someone from a P5 (major) school. That is why Blackburn was not seriously considered. You can argue with that criterion, but she was decisive about it.

Consider, so many fans who want a "proven" Power 5 coach with conference championships, preferably NC's, so the Vols job would't be his first rodeo.

I would think Davenport's criteria and search method would have been meat & potatos for you guys. Fulmer didn't have the required administrative experience. Blackburn has not been a P5 AD. Currie did meet all the job description points listed by Davenport.

It would seem Currie would fit right up with even the most dour Nega's on VN. Except of course, his position within the Ath Dept when Fulmer was shown the door.
 
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#45
#45
Yeah... It couldn't be because under his leadership UTC became the first school in history to win Southern Conference league titles in football, basketball, and women's basketball in the same year..... Which was the football program's 3rd championship in a row and the women's basketball program's 4th in a row. Couldn't be because UTC was league champs in wrestling for 4 years in a row. Oh..and not to mention the athletics GPA was school record high under him.

Couldn't be any of this...just a bunch of ignorant Vol fans making things up in their minds based on his name.

The football hire (Huseman) he had nothing to do with.

UTC men's and women's basketball, especially women's, have been good programs for a long time. They never have had trouble attracting solid coaching when they have needed a coach. Their wrestling program has been good for a long time, before he got there. He's done a good job but I wouldn't go over-the-top with praise for him.

Blackburn has done a good job at a small school that was already in good shape before he got there. Let's put him in perspective.
 
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#46
#46
The football hire (Huseman) he had nothing to do with.

UTC men's and women's basketball, especially women's, have been good programs for a long time. They never have had trouble attracting solid coaching when they have needed a coach. Their wrestling program has been good for a long time, before he got there. He's done a good job but I wouldn't go over-the-top with praise for him.

Blackburn has done a good job at a small school that was already in good shape before he got there. Let's put him in perspective.

Seriously? you are going to try to pedal the idea that Blackburn's unprecedented success and record breaking achievements had nothing to do with him? All of the records, accolades, attendance records were because of his predecessor from 4 years prior even though his predecessor achieved none of these things? Get a clue.
 
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#48
#48
Except of course, his position within the Ath Dept when Fulmer was shown the door.

The funny part is that Blackburn was here at that time as well and was a "Hamilton" guy, but that seems to be forgotten by some on here.

I take this as Davenport showing the BoT that she's in charge and will not be bullied into making a hire she doesn't want and I'm fine with that.

Plus hey if Currie is good at fundraising as he seems to be, the AD will have a ton of buyout/hiring money for when it's needed
 
#49
#49
Seriously? you are going to try to pedal the idea that Blackburn's unprecedented success and record breaking achievements had nothing to do with him? All of the records, accolades, attendance records were because of his predecessor from 4 years prior even though his predecessor achieved none of these things? Get a clue.

What is so unreasonable about what I said?

Blackburn had absolutely nothing to do with hiring Huesman. He wasn't there yet. The attendance records, record revenues, increasing the visibility of the school, etc. have much to do with Huesman. Blackburn is (and should be) judged mostly by how his hire of Tom Arth works out.

Women's basketball has been a juggernaut for years, so when Wes Moore left for NC State the UTC job naturally attracted all sorts of qualified candidates. Give him credit for making a good hire, sure, but it is easier to make the best of an already good situation than finding diamonds in the rough.

He deserves the most credit for men's basketball, since he's had to make 2 hires there in a short period of time, but again the basketball program attracts many qualified candidates because of its history. Having men's basketball win SoCon Tournaments, while great, is expected at that job and he's hired coaches to have been able to meet the expectation.

He's done a good job. I too, like GAVol, just find it curious that he attained a kind of legendary, can-do-no-wrong status on here just because he's a local guy people recognize and he's done a good job at the small school down I-75.
 
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