Manning silent, Blackburn never got formal interview

[chargervol]

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.

He has done very well at UTC.
I did not agree with 05 that it was all just handed to him basically. What was already good, he improved. What wasn't, he changed.


But with all that said, I wasn't completely sold on him.
There had been so many good candidates mentioned, I had several choices I liked. Which brings us to GAVol's statement.
Turns out some of us aren't stupid rednecks who just created a legend in her own mind. I went through the entire list of candidates that I liked and didn't. Currie was on the 'didn't' from the first time they mentioned him and it doesn't have a damn thing to do with Blackburn.

 

[Volfan76]

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.

So let me get this straight. According to your twisted logic, Blackburn gets no credit for football championships because Blackburn didn't hire Huesman? Even though Huesman had been there for 4 seasons before Blackburn got there and won 0 championships in that time(none since 1984), BUT won 3 in a row AFTER Blackburn gets there. AND..according to the same logic Blackburn gets NO credit for the 4 women's basketball titles,EVEN THOUGH he hired the coach, because they basketball program had previous success under previous coach before he got there? Does that pretty much sum up your point?:crazy:

 

[slickmo3]

Will we ever know exactly why Blackburn never was even interviewed/considered? He was such an obvious candidate that even if he was never considered, he would have gotten the perfunctory interview. No experience at a P5 (or even an FBS football) school? Prior disputes with important people on the BoT?

Turnkey was mentioned a bunch in the opening press conference; a clear CYA move.

I'd love to see some K-State people come on here and give their thoughts about Currie? Sad to see him go? Glad to see him go? Indifferent?

Audio: Kansas St. beat writer blasts Vols AD John Currie on The Drive - FOX Sports Radio Knoxville

 

[slickmo3]

Weber won the Big 12 first season and returned to the tourney his second.

...and hasnt made the tourney since

 

[savannahfan]

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!"

Think I will change for you-----(to people outside EAST Tennessee)

 

[slickmo3]

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.

number 75 in the director's cup..but yeah, closer...sunshine pumper extraordinaire

 

[slickmo3]

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.

lol, or maybe we have these new fangled computers and Googled blackburn and saw that hes dynamic at utc...you should look into them, they're pretty cool

 

[Roustabout]

...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.

That's fine, but the way it was handled was horrible. If that was a formal criteria then the search committee could have worked from that fact. Further. If that had been listed as a criteria then the discussion and debate could have been had of whether this was really a sacred qualification. As it was, the search committee was not restricting it's candidates based on this. So, their work and existence was pointless.

 

[slickmo3]

Exactly. Davenport said she wanted an AD with P5 experience, which eliminated Blackburn and Fulmer.

quite hypocritical seeing as how she found herseld qualified to run the entire university and she HERSELF didnt come from a P5 school

 

[05_never_again]

So let me get this straight. According to your twisted logic, Blackburn gets no credit for football championships because Blackburn didn't hire Huesman? Even though Huesman had been there for 4 seasons before Blackburn got there and won 0 championships in that time(none since 1984), BUT won 3 in a row AFTER Blackburn gets there. AND..according to the same logic Blackburn gets NO credit for the 4 women's basketball titles,EVEN THOUGH he hired the coach, because they basketball program had previous success under previous coach before he got there? Does that pretty much sum up your point?:crazy:

Yes, I don't really think he deserves too much credit for the football success. The coach who is entirely responsible for the resurrection of the program was there 4 years before Blackburn. Would you give credit to an Alabama AD hired in 2011 for all of their football national titles, or do you give that credit to Saban and the guy who hired him?

Again, the basketball programs were in great shape before he got there, so yes, I think he deserves limited credit for the continued success they've had as well. UTC women's basketball has won conference titles for a very, very long time. Their run of SoCon titles is UConn-like and extends way before he got there. Any AD with a baseline level of competency should be able to continue a long history of success with those teams.

Blackburn was given the keys to a nice car that drives well and he's been able to keep it on the road. Given some of the praise he gets on here, you'd be led to believe he took a jalopy stuck in quicksand and he's turned it into a curve-hugging Ferrari going 150 MPH.

He's done a good job, but he was placed into a good situation. That's why I scratch my head at the overflowing praise on VN for him.

Again, I think he's a local guy obscure to non-Tennessee people that has done a good job at a small school, and people thought they might get a "Wow! How did y'all know he was going to be hired" response from others if he ended up getting hired.

Davenport had been saying that she wanted somebody from a P5 school, so it shouldn't be surprising he didn't get the job.

 

[slickmo3]

Currie is a UT man, just like Fulmer and Blackburn. I would tend to lean toward Currie having experience in the Power 5 where Blackburn didn't. I don't think Butch is keen on this hire, as Currie has a history of friction between football coaches and himself.

just saying currie is a 'ut man' doesnt change the fact that he actually isn't a 'ut man'

 

[chargervol]

quite hypocritical seeing as how she found herseld qualified to run the entire university and she HERSELF didnt come from a P5 school

She was the interim at a non power 5 school. To my knowledge, she's never been the actual hired Chancellor or president of any University, P5 or not.

 

[GAVol]

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.

My God, you've got a complex about me. I'm not talking down to anybody.

I've been very careful not to denigrate Blackburn and I would've been fine with him bring hired. I just think people fall into a trap of thinking there's only one right guy in the world for any job opening and they latch onto the idea and won't let go.

I'm sure Blackburn is a fine man. I just don't get how he was a slam dunk.

 

[05_never_again]

quite hypocritical seeing as how she found herseld qualified to run the entire university and she HERSELF didnt come from a P5 school

P5 is a sports classification and really only matters in a sports context. She's the Chancellor of the University, which is foremost an academic institution.

If she came from Harvard, would she still be a hypocrite for saying that since she didn't come from a P5 school?

 

[05_never_again]

just saying currie is a 'ut man' doesnt change the fact that he actually isn't a 'ut man'

You sound like Bammers did pre-Saban or Michigan fans since...forever. You don't want to do that. Time to grow up.

 

[slickmo3]

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.

who said peyton wanted him?

 

[Ace]

I wouldn't blame Peyton if he is unhappy, since New chancellor Beverly Davenport apparently never took his preferred candidate, Phil Fulmer, seriously.

Also it turn out Blackburn never received a formal interview.

The way this went down stinks.

Search for new Tennessee athletic director went quickly once started, Blackburn did not receive formal interview | Times Free Press

How do you know that Fulmer was Manning's preferred choice?
article does not say it
It only says Fulmer met with Turnkey and members of committee. We do not know if he was considered a serious candidate or not. We do not know Manning's level of support for Fulmer. Just because Fulmer was Manning's head coach does not mean Manning wanted him as AD.

 

[slickmo3]

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

good question, let me answer it for ya, Chattanooga is killing it. what makes you think its an 'awesome hire'? surely you have a reason

 

[GAVol]

quite hypocritical seeing as how she found herseld qualified to run the entire university and she HERSELF didnt come from a P5 school

You can't seriously say that with a straight face as it pertains to an academic. I mean, Harvard isn't a Power 5 school either. Do you think that would disqualify an administrator from Harvard from working at UT?

 

[05_never_again]

You can't seriously say that with a straight face as it pertains to an academic. I mean, Harvard isn't a Power 5 school either. Do you think that would disqualify an administrator from Harvard from working at UT?

We're on the same wavelength

P5 is a sports classification and really only matters in a sports context. She's the Chancellor of the University, which is foremost an academic institution.

If she came from Harvard, would she still be a hypocrite for saying that since she didn't come from a P5 school?

 

[Ace]

With Martin's players. How did he do after that?

The program was trash when Martin left it. Weber did a very good job his first two years. This year started good but team had set backs. KState fan base is as fickle as VN.

 

[slickmo3]

And that sounds like a solid and completely reasonable requirement to me.

hmmm, why is coming from a P5 school a 'solid and completely reasonable requirement to you'for AD but not for chancellor? seems a bit hypocritical...you didnt put these 2 incompatible thoughts together?

 

[VolFanHenry]

And that sounds like a solid and completely reasonable requirement to me.

Agreed. Tennessee is a big enough athletic department that requires someone who has had that kind of experience leading a department of relatively comparable size.

And if her requirement was P5 experience then Blackburn and/or Fulmer, despite their time and connection to UT, didn't qualify, and that's that.

I say we all just sit back, get ready for spring football, and enjoy the ride.

 

[05_never_again]

hmmm, why is coming from a P5 school a 'solid and completely reasonable requirement to you'for AD but not for chancellor? seems a bit hypocritical...you didnt put these 2 incompatible thoughts together?

Are you not reading responses to this question you have?

As GAVol and I have both said, if Davenport came from Harvard, which is not a P5 school, would she still be a hypocrite?

Being Chancellor is an academic position first and foremost. Being in a "Power 5 Conference" is an athletic classification.

 

[MikeVol44]

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.

Well said, KB!!

I am an alumnus of UTC--and what Blackburn has accomplished and maintained there is extraordinary. He would've been the home run hire....

I personally think Fulmer would've been a good hire, too, because it would have been a signal that the administration was FINALLY willing to step out of the way and let the "SPORTS-PEOPLE" actually run the dern show.

Davenport, in my opinion, just made a hire in defiance of all the recommendations of the "sports" people by hiring another pencil-neck in the mold of Hamilton. Instead of oversight, she stating clearly that she is in control.....and has now hired the "yes-man" to prove it.