The Failures of Mike Hamilton

[Spectator]

As we discuss the issues with Dooley as a head coach, I think it is relevant that we refocus our attention to the root of many problems we are seeing in our beloved Volnation. While there were a few positive sprinkles during Hamilton's reign at UT, he left our entire program in quite a mess. What are your thoughts as to his greatest failure?

 

[brianlsanders]

Mike Hamilton may be the worst thing that ever happened to Tennessee athletics.

 

[volswitten1]

The only good thing he did is get rid of CPF and he handled that wrong

 

[OrangeByBirth]

I never liked Hamilton. However, every criticism of his lack of management skill, failure of oversight, and decision making was met with praise of his fundraising ability. Now, it seems that even that was a facade. Hamilton is a curse of the worst kind. I would hope that they name the urinals in the visiting locker room after him.

 

[coffeecountyvol]

I want to pick more than one option.

 

[orangepeopleeater]

I believe part of the problem that really messed up Tennessee was the handling of the OC position during the Fulmer era. After Sanders, then Cutclifee, Hamilton hired a coach which it seemed Fulmer didn't even want.

 

[TrueOrange]

I have to laugh that low buyout is put there like a higher one was going to stop Lane from bolting UT like a snake oil salesman leaving in a western

 

[OuterBanksVol]

As we discuss the issues with Dooley as a head coach, I think it is relevant that we refocus our attention to the root of many problems we are seeing in our beloved Volnation. While there were a few positive sprinkles during Hamilton's reign at UT, he left our entire program in quite a mess. What are your thoughts as to his greatest failure?

Procreating w/wife.

 

[Herman Hickman]

I voted for the Dooley hire as his worst error.

But the management of the Pearl crisis, including the remarks made by Hamilton prior to the program's NCAA tournament game, was the definition of incompetent public relations.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Hamilton was horrible in a lot of ways, but I'd say the fact that the UT Athletic Department is in the worst financial shape of about any AD in the SEC is probably Hamilton's greatest failure.

His hiring of Kiffin and Dooley were basically based upon the same flawed premise: we had to find some promising young coach and be the first person to grab him. It's sort of a mindless mentality. Rather than going after the "best person" or the "most qualified person", Hamilton wanted "some unproven young guy with potential." That was the exact same premise Michael Jordan used when he drafted Kwame Brown while with the Washington Wizards.

 

[carpbc]

I believe part of the problem that really messed up Tennessee was the handling of the OC position during the Fulmer era. After Sanders, then Cutclifee, Hamilton hired a coach which it seemed Fulmer didn't even want.

It may have been that the guy from U of Richmond was the best available in the timeframe. I remember wondering why in the world Fulmer hired him.

 

[carpbc]

I want to pick more than one option.

I agree... All the things listed were pretty bad. Former NC notwithstanding, it may have been time for Fulmer to go... however, it was simply handled all wrong by Hamilton.

 

[coachkd]

Can I have more votes? One is not enough for this poll.

 

[GreveHaller]

I. All of the above

 

[golfballs]

The biggest failure was Fulmers contract.

There was little he could do after Kiffin left. At that time few people were willing to leave a team and the ones who were willing to come here wanted too much.

Our financial situation is in dire straights, the AD is pretty much insolvent. Taking the loans they did for some of the capital improvement projects weren't wise at the time. Now we're at the mercy of donors to get us out of a collapsing situation around Dooley

 

[TNRazor]

I really thought Hamilton would do a great job after he hired Bruce Pearl to energize the basketball program, and then came the Kiffin hire, then came the Dooley hire, then came the Pearl situation from beginning to end, and I think at the end of the day he has to be considered the worst AD in history of UT athletics.

 

[g8terh8ter_eric]

Hammy raised funds to buyout the coaches he hired. So, he's a great fundraiser in that observation. Yet, the AD is in a net loss, at least what they are reporting, because of his mismanagement of the AD. So, Hammy was a complete failure.

 

[oregonvol]

I have to laugh that low buyout is put there like a higher one was going to stop Lane from bolting UT like a snake oil salesman leaving in a western

I don't think anyone is saying it would have. But, if you think about it, a higher buyout would have meant more money to lure a real coach when Kiffin put us in such a tough situation (of course, we had money at the time anyway and Hamilton chose not to spend it, so it may have been moot. Still, at least a good sized Kiffin buyout could have negated Fulmer's buyout).

 

[vols-1]

I have to laugh that low buyout is put there like a higher one was going to stop Lane from bolting UT like a snake oil salesman leaving in a western

no, but TN athletics is low on cash & hurting for every dollar they can get right now.

 

[PennVol]

Ok, i'm no huge defender of Hammy, he had tons of poor mistakes, but some of these comments are embarrassing y'all.

1) Hamilton did not hire Dave Clawson, that was 100% on Fulmer as was the complete debacle of OC handlings during that era. Ignorant to blame the AD for that.

2) Can't Say Hammy was a COMPLETE FAILURE. While he had HUGE blunders, and did some really poor PR moves - you have to applaud what he did with the basketball program that Doug Dickey basically neglected. Bruce Pearl brought life to a dead program, and CM is looking more and more like a tremendous hire. Hammy needed to go, but he was not a complete failure.

3) The biggest blunder to me was how he handled contract situations. He was a complete walkover with agents and did not protect the AD. It will never make sense why he gave Fulmer a raise for winning 8 games, and why he put the himself in a bigger buyout situation. The Kiffin debacle would not have been as bad if he had bullied up a better contract. If the buyout for him had been something like 4-5 Mil after the 1st year (which is completely reasonable) or he had some OBVIOUS clause like "the buyout doubles if you want to go to USC" then 3 things would of happened: Either Kiffin sees that and decides not to accept original offer (which would of kept us from this whole situation anyway), USC looks at that in Jan 2010 and says "its not worth the buyout to bring him here", or we come away from the Kiffin situation with $10 million to go and throw at a real big name coach. He COMPLETELY failed in these situations.

4) Maybe worst decision was the panic move in Jan 2010 to "save a recruiting class" and hire someone in 4 days, as opposed to calling 2010 a wash, appoint an interim, and spend a year hiring the right guy.

 

[jarvol]

Where is button for All Of The Above?

 

[YankeeVol]

The hiring of Dooley. You don't hire him and the contract is a moot point

 

[jhall014]

Hamilton's tenure was terrible, but there was ONE good move he made...

 

[WesternKyVol]

Mike Hamilton went 2 for 2 in B-ball hires and 1-2 in football hires IMO. No way he can predict Pete Carroll resigning from USC.

 

[Merlot]

The taking seats OUT OF Neyland stadium.