Remember back in 2012 when our biggest targets were Charlie Strong and Mike Gundy?

#6
#6
Lol it's crazy how time changes things.

I still stand by my stance that Charlie Strong would have been a rockstar hire here had we simply offered him enough money for him to not go back to Louisville to "mule it over" for 24 hours. Once he backed out and decided to stay, we panicked and rushed into hiring Butch who's only suitor was Colorado.


That was one of the main reasons he did not take the job. He was never embraced at Texas and the donor class there was on the fence with him from day 1.

Strong had an axe to grind with one of our big rivals at the time, Florida.
Strong had extensive in roads with Florida high schools for recruiting and could have likely gotten Bridgewater to transfer
 
#8
#8
I think Strong, Patterson or someone of their caliber would have been better than the path we followed over 12 years would have at least kept the program stable.
I was very die hard on landing Charlie Strong given his success at Louisville couple with the Dooley Debacle.

I don't think Dave Hart was the AD to get the deal done as we were still in that mindset of "oh my goodness we have to pay these buyouts to fire and these buyouts to hire" instead of just ripping bandaid and getting the deal across finish line.
 
#10
#10
I still stand by my stance that Charlie Strong would have been a rockstar hire here had we simply offered him enough money for him to not go back to Louisville to "mule it over" for 24 hours. Once he backed out and decided to stay, we panicked and rushed into hiring Butch who's only suitor was Colorado.


That was one of the main reasons he did not take the job. He was never embraced at Texas and the donor class there was on the fence with him from day 1.

Strong had an axe to grind with one of our big rivals at the time, Florida.
Strong had extensive in roads with Florida high schools for recruiting and could have likely gotten Bridgewater to transfer
I don’t think Strong was well suited for the CEO aspects of a head coach in a pressure cooker environment, and I also think the game was moving in a direction offensively that would have made life tough on his teams to score enough to win. Another one of those guys who would have probably been better off being the biggest fish in a small pond.
 
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#11
#11
I think Strong, Patterson or someone of their caliber would have been better than the path we followed over 12 years would have at least kept the program stable.
no doubt. our problem was we had one loose cannon with talent that bolted, then we made three sub par hires in a row. Both of above would have kept the threshold higher, for sure. That being said, our UT Admin/AD were also liabilities during these years and it leaked from the top. So, on the other side we're in such a better spot, though BVS still lurks in the background, to a small degree.
 
#12
#12
I don’t think Strong was well suited for the CEO aspects of a head coach in a pressure cooker environment, and I also think the game was moving in a direction offensively that would have made life tough on his teams to score enough to win. Another one of those guys who would have probably been better off being the biggest fish in a small pond.

Right but I also think the dynamics of Texas were vastly different than Tennessee at the time.

He was replacing one of the all time greats at Texas who needed to win titles.

Tennessee at the time went from Phil to 180 degree culture change in Kiffin to scrambling a year later and panic hired Dooley.

He wasn’t considered a savior to Texas but would have at Tennessee to be able to hire someone in that moment on Strong’s level.
 
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#14
#14
I don’t think Strong was well suited for the CEO aspects of a head coach in a pressure cooker environment, and I also think the game was moving in a direction offensively that would have made life tough on his teams to score enough to win. Another one of those guys who would have probably been better off being the biggest fish in a small pond.
Maybe, but he would’ve been much better off than what we ended up with. He thumped Florida in the Sugar Bowl at Louisville and went 12-1 the following season. None of our last three coaches could’ve done that.
 
#16
#16
Well, I wanted the pirate. Win or lose, it would have been entertaining and fun. R.I.P. coach.
All of this Charlie Strong and Mike Leach reminiscing just goes to show how everyone in TN had given up on playing for championships. We were so beat down that we would have just settled for beating Florida or Bama once every 4 years.
 
#21
#21
How in the He double hockey sticks our leadership ever hired Dooley,Jones and Pruitt. Just simply leadership malpractice.

Kuddos to the current leadership at UT it's simply excellent!
😎👍

Dooley was the beginning of the end. Kiffin bolted, Hamilton (RIP) panicked and made probably the second worse hire in Tennessee history after Pruitt. Dooley knew that we were desperate and negotiated a nice deal for himself. He always knew that he was in over his head but took advantage of the situation. I can't blame him, but I still despise him for it. Should've just made Thompson the interim, sucked it up for a year and targeted a real coach while the job was still desirable.
 
#22
#22
Lol it's crazy how time changes things.
Mike Gundy
Kirk Ferentz
Charlie Strong
James Franklin
Hugh Freeze
Bobby Petrino
Dan Hawkins
Chris Petersen
Rich Rodriguez
Tommy Tubberville
Mike Leach
Scott Frost
Kevin Sumlin
Frank Beamer
Justin Wilcox
Chip Kelly
Kalen DeBoer
Lance Leopold
Dan Mullen
Dave Aranda
Deion Sanders
Tony Elliott
PJ Fleck
Troy Calhoun
Sam Pittman
Dave Doeren
Billy Napier
Tee Martin
Hal Mumme
Mike Norvell
Jimbo Fisher
Guz Malzahn
Bryan Harsin
Alex Golesh


It never fails what the board thinks is a "great coach for UT" in the last 20 years....a bunch of mediocre coaches who haven't won anything that matters..and it's hilarious that Heupel wasn't the most hyped HC but he clears them all easily.
 
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#23
#23
Mike Gundy
Kirk Ferentz
Charlie Strong
James Franklin
Hugh Freeze
Bobby Petrino
Dan Hawkins
Chris Petersen
Rich Rodriguez
Tommy Tubberville
Mike Leach
Scott Frost
Kevin Sumlin
Frank Beamer
Justin Wilcox
Chip Kelly
Kalen DeBoer
Lance Leopold
Dan Mullen
Dave Aranda
Deion Sanders
Tony Elliott
PJ Fleck
Troy Calhoun
Sam Pittman
Dave Doeren
Billy Napier
Tee Martin
Hal Mumme
Mike Norvell
Jimbo Fisher
Guz Malzahn
Bryan Harsin
Alex Golesh


It never fails what the board thinks is a "great coach for UT" in the last 20 years....a bunch of mediocre coaches who haven't won anything that matters..and it's hilarious that Heupel wasn't the most hyped HC but he clears them all easily.
Uh…


TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 24: Peyton Manning
 
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