Question for you old timers

[Sarms58]

As I recall, BB was not hugely popular among the Vol faithful. As long as his win-loss record was good he was accepted. When that slipped, and he couldn’t beat Bama, he became less and less accepted. When you listened to his interviews, he came across as not real bright but actually he was very much the opposite. He was an excellent business man.

yes, he’s a multimillionaire - very successful businessman.

 

[JohnWardForever]

That call ended it for Battle. He never recovered even thou he coached 3 more seasons.

Yeah I remember having a lead on Bama late in the fourth; Tenn couldn't move the ball, and bama drove about 50 yards like a hot knife through butter to win (Steve Bisceglia) with no time left. Too conservative; except for that bonehead call .

 

[wmcovol]

Bill Battle: 1970 (11-1), 1971 (10-2), 1972 (10-2), 1973 (8-4), 1974 (7-3-2), 1975 (7-5), 1976 ( 6-5)

You could say 3 good years with Dickey's recruits and digression every year afterwards which is all true.
Beat Alabama 24-0 his first year, then lost the next six 32-15, 10-6, 42-21, 28-6, 30-7, 20-13.
Record against Auburn was 2-5. 5-1-1 against Vandy, 6-1 against Kentucky and 3-2 against Ole Miss.
SEC records were 4-1, 4-2, 4-2, 3-3, 2-3-1, 3-3 and 2-4 in an era where the Vols played 5 SEC games in 1970 and then 6 afterwards which continued until 1989 when it went to 7 games and 8 conference games in 1992.
For my money, Battles=Majors. They did the same things in the same manner most years and had a few really good years tossed in there with the mediocre ones.


Battle's record was very Johnny Majors like. Rarely beat Alabama and Auburn. Made SEC hay against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Won a bunch of non-conference games including a few against big time programs. Doug Dickey was a better coach than Battle and arguably Majors, but was a surprisingly sound AD. There was always a contingent that wanted the homegrown Majors over Dickey of Florida and Battle of Alabama, just like there would be today.

Record wise, you are correct. Battle, thou, took over a Mercedes and turn it into a Kia. Majors took over a Kia and turned it into a Lexus (not a Mercedes but damn good)

Battle high moments ended by year 3. Majors didn’t really start until year 5 (1982 win over Bama)

 

[JohnWardForever]

Recruiting was Battle’s downfall…I remember my dad (longtime fan and season ticket holder) joking about the Tennessee teams when I was in HS (‘74-‘76) “We might be small, but we are slow”

I also remember my dad laying some of the recruiting problems on Woodruff. He used to say, and I have no idea if it was true - we didn’t have internet boards back then so it was hard to find “truth” - that because Battle was so young Woodruff “helped” Battle with recruiting by telling him who to target.

I'm beginning not to like Woodruff!

 

[JohnWardForever]

Record wise, you are correct. Battle, thou, took over a Mercedes and turn it into a Kia. Majors took over a Kia and turned it into a Lexus (not a Mercedes but damn good)

Battle high moments ended by year 3. Majors didn’t really start until year 5 (1982 win over Bama)

I'll TAKE my Lexus any day over Mercedes. DEPENDABILITY.

 

[wmcovol]

I'll TAKE my Lexus any day over Mercedes. DEPENDABILITY.

Ok. But you get the point right?

 

[wmcovol]

Recruiting was Battle’s downfall…I remember my dad (longtime fan and season ticket holder) joking about the Tennessee teams when I was in HS (‘74-‘76) “We might be small, but we are slow”

I also remember my dad laying some of the recruiting problems on Woodruff. He used to say, and I have no idea if it was true - we didn’t have internet boards back then so it was hard to find “truth” - that because Battle was so young Woodruff “helped” Battle with recruiting by telling him who to target.

I knew a couple guys Tennessee signed during those days. They were very highly recruited (ala, Aub, etc). I just think they made some bad talent evaluations. Larry Seivers was the last guy signed one year. He won as many games for Battle as anyone not named Holloway.

True story. My father was talking with an Auburn asst coach in 1973. He said “Tennessee will go down once Holloway leaves. They depend on him too much”. He was right.

 

[ArdentVol]

Yeah I remember having a lead on Bama late in the fourth; Tenn couldn't move the ball, and bama drove about 50 yards like a hot knife through butter to win (Steve Bisceglia) with no time left. Too conservative; except for that bonehead call .

which call are you referring to
only thing i can remember was going down to field in press box elevator and we heard a huge roar
when we entered the press box, bama writers were in pissy mood
then i got out and looked at scoreboard and watch stevd b's dad hand out those damn cigars

 

[Mose Phillip's Watch]

OK LOL! I would buy that Bill is worth 20-50 Million.

He sold his company for $100,000,000

 

[tnutater]

Never hire the enemy.
Does twice now finally convince UT???

Can't get the crimson stink off of them.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

He sold his company for $100,000,000

Bill was much better as a business man than a football coach. However, I like him as a person and respected his non- recruiting abilities.

 

[greenbacknative]

Go vols. Can't wait till Thursday nite.

 

[greenbacknative]

The Old T wasn't square; it had curled points.

Dang John, these look square to me...

 

[firedog28]

Battle won big with players he inherited but went down steady when he could not keep the roster up.Someone sent a moving van to his home,which I thought was un called for.I think battle is probably happy about it now,became a very rich man!

 

[ftsandersvol]

No. (a) he was from Alabama; (b) he could not beat Alabama (1-6) or Auburn (2-5).

I was not that old at the time, but my friend across the street was an Auburn fan and I had to listen to his crap all the time. So, I remember the situation from the perspective of a 12-year old and from my Dad who bled orange. He would throw the newspaper in the trash on Sunday morning when they lost (then dig it out to read by the end of the day).

Not being able to beat Bama caused his demise. That was back when beating Bama was the life blood of the coach.

 

[Backwards K]

Do you think Tn would have keep Bill Battle as head coach if Johnny Majors wasn't so successful at Pitt ? His record wasn't that bad

Just a little before my time

Battle had to go. He took over what was arguably the best football program in the SEC at the time and quickly let the talent run dry. He made the comment that he didn't particularly like to recruit and it showed. The talent was so thin in some area that the year after Battle left, the Vols had to play a 200 lb defensive tackle at times. Battle was an impressive man but at 28 was not ready for that job. Tennessee would have been much better off it they had hired Majors when they hired Battle. Several on the Athletics Board wanted to do that but Bob Woodruff talked them out of it.

It took the Vols a long time to get the program back to where Dickey left it.

 

[wmcovol]

On the video “100 Years of Volunteers”, Colonel Tom Elam, chairman of the Athletics Board, said he wanted Majors to replace Dickey but Woodruff wanted Battle. Elam didn’t want to override the AD so he agreed with Woodruff.

 

[MAD]

Battle had to go regardless of Majors success. Bills' demise was caused by his lack of recruiting and each year he was there his won loss record was progressively worse than the year before.

I think there was 50-50 chance he could have stayed but Johnny coming home sealed the deal.

 

[Remy]

He and Steve Sloan were very similar in personality. Both Bear boys. Neither were real successful as head coaches but fine men.

You may want to check lumping Sloan into the same category as Battle. Sloan was a very good coach and produced a winner at Vandy, unheard of at the time. He also had a knack of selecting coaching talent. One of those on his Vandy staff was none other than The Big Tuna/Bill Parcels. I had an acquaintance that played for those guys at Vandy back then, an offensive lineman. He told me the only guy that scared him while he played was none of the opponents on the field. He said Bill Parcells was a scary dude, scariest he ever came across.

 

[jim pique]

Woodridge was an opionated,bigot who loved his old number7a little too much.Kicked am29 year.old.javelin thrower named Bill Skinner off the track team because he wouldn 't shave his mustache.Also tried to run off a IT running back because the girl he was dating,Woodruff thought she was white.He ran the show back then.

 

[jsc1973]

When Johnny Majors wrote (or had someone ghostwrite) a book after the '85 season, his comment about the Tennessee team he inherited going into the 1977 season was that its talent was no better than Iowa State when he got there, or Pitt when he took them over and they had just gone 1-10. The '76 Tennessee team had some outstanding seniors but still barely had a winning season. What was left was not enough to compete even in the "down" SEC of the mid-1970s.

I don't remember Bill Battle as a coach, I was too young for that. The first UT team I remember well was the one in 1979. But Doug Dickey left a Ferrari in the garage and Battle wrecked it, that's obvious from what happened. Bama should have given the guy an award for his outstanding contributions to Crimson Tide football in the 1970s.

 

[macrovol]

Battle was a good coach but a terrible recruiter. As Dickey's players left the program his record got worse and worse. Then out of desperation he started making bad coaching decisions. His departure was inevitable.

 

[feathersax]

No, Battle's last team was senior dominated with great players like the late Andy Spiva at LB, Mickey Marvin at OG, Stanley Morgan and Larry Sievers at WR, etc yet they finished limping home with a 6-5 record. Tennessee admin really didnt want to get rid of Battle but the program had fallen so far (Remember Tennessee had won 2 of the last 3 SEC championships, had the Bear on the run and was pretty much the top program in the SEC when Dickey left) from Battle's first 11-1 season #4 ranking. I dont think even if Majors hadnt been successful at Pitt that Colonel Elam and Woodruff could have sold Battle to the fan base. Who knows who would have been a candidate. Bowden & Switzer were rising stars then and that was always Woodruff's method of operation.

THIS! Bill Battle was a fine fellow & his former players praise him to this day. Recruiting took a nosedive each year with him, however, & the surge for Johnny to come "marching home" became an Orange tidal wave.

 

[Ledzepvol]

Not necessarily an Old Timer, but I was born in 1967 and became a fan in 1972, Condredge Holloway time period. I remember my Dad liked Coach Battle, but I remember as I got older during his tenure as the Vols coach we got progressively worse, etc. In looking at Tennessee football history, we should have hired Coach Majors from Iowa State in 1970. I echo prior comments saying that Coach Majors being hired should have been the move at that time for the Vols, especially since he had made Iowa State better, which was truly a testament to his coaching ability.

 

[wmcovol]

You may want to check lumping Sloan into the same category as Battle. Sloan was a very good coach and produced a winner at Vandy, unheard of at the time. He also had a knack of selecting coaching talent. One of those on his Vandy staff was none other than The Big Tuna/Bill Parcels. I had an acquaintance that played for those guys at Vandy back then, an offensive lineman. He told me the only guy that scared him while he played was none of the opponents on the field. He said Bill Parcells was a scary dude, scariest he ever came across.

Yeah, Sloan won 7 games one year at Vandy, went to Texas Tech and I believe won 10 games there one year but only 6 & 7 the other two seasons there. Then he took the Ole Miss job, never had a winning season and that was pretty much the end of him. Granted he never took over a big winner (Tech was a pretty good program under Jim Carlen before Sloan got there) like Battle did but Battle always won at least 7 games except for his last season. 7-8 wins was pretty much the tops (1 exception) for Sloan.