Tennessee coaches - 1st 60 games

[Carl Pickens]

What CJH walked into and the SEC as a whole being the strongest it’s ever been from top to bottom, his winning % is big time impressive.

And yet every Saturday and Sunday we have clowns up in here talking about him getting fired.

 

[CAVPUT]

I mean...rightfully so. He finished outside the top 25 his first 8 seasons here before that breakthrough with the Sugar Vols.

Johnny had a really, really long leash as head coach that was both a product of his deep ties to UT and the fact that fanbases were generally a more patient bunch then. There are a bunch of legendary coaches who probably would have been fired at some point had expectations been what they are today, including Bear Bryant.

Yeah so??

 

[Pride85]

Can you imagine what Heupel’s record would be if he had walked into Fulmer or Battle’s situation, that would’ve been wonderful for Vols players and fans.

We would already have a natty or two.

 

[Pride85]

Not a very good list to be trying to compare people. The game has changed throughout the decades. So has the competition

No, not entirely true. Each stage of development of the game had its expectations. Until a new guy comes along. UT was Uber conservative, and I mean even Fulmer, until Spurrier and the fun and gun came around. Then the game began morphing into a more offense oriented expectation.

 

[hbjordan]

I mean...rightfully so. He finished outside the top 25 his first 8 seasons here before that breakthrough with the Sugar Vols.

Johnny had a really, really long leash as head coach that was both a product of his deep ties to UT and the fact that fanbases were generally a more patient bunch then. There are a bunch of legendary coaches who probably would have been fired at some point had expectations been what they are today, including Bear Bryant.

So there really wasn't a Top 25 back then. The polls only had the Top 20. The '85 championship was a big surprise but the program had been steadily building back. There were a lot, a whole lot, fewer bowl games back then and getting a bowl bid marked a good season. Majors had gotten the Vols reestablished as a regular bowl team starting in '79 with Jimmy Streeter team. '80 was derailed by a super tough non-conference schedule that included Pitt and USC plus Georgia and the Herschel Walker game in conference but the climb was pretty steady heading into '85. The '83 team, Reggie White's senior year, is one my all time favorites. Finished off a 9-3 year beating ACC champion Maryland and quarterback Boomer Esaison (and Frank Reich) in the Citrus Bowl. If there had been a Top 25 back then, that team would have made it.

 

[UTblood4life]

Which coach went a whole recruiting cycle without recruiting 1 offensive lineman? Was it Dooley or Butch?

Dooley

 

[barknoxbrawler]

Baboons*

Spittoons

 

[TheRealUT98]

Baloons*

Cartoons*

 

[Jaxon_Vol2017]

Don't do it Cav....don't be that guy.

You definitely are

 

[macrovol]

Battle was a good coach and an excellent person. He was a horrible recruiter, so it took a little time for the wheels to come off. I remember my aunt, who knew very little about football, saying to me when he was hired, "he's awfully young for that job."