TN football downhill slide started when Doug Dickey retired

#26
#26
VolFan..But said:
They were elite in the 50's and 60's? Other then that shame 51 title, not much there.


I-A Winning Percentage 1952-1967
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Why do people keep calling the ‘51 title a sham? I have seen that a few times around here lately.
They picked the champ before the bowls in those days, and we were undefeated. Those bowls probably resembled exhibitions with the champ already picked and the Draft around the corner - similar to how a lot of bowls look now.

We had other years where we could have been given the title and weren’t.
Everyone else claims their old titles. Why should we be different?
 
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#28
#28
MikeTheVol said:
If you want to go back to when UT football went from elite to average, Doug Dickey was a big part of that happening. With him at head coach, we had just beaten Alabama 4 years running (67, 68, 69, 70). Coach DD bolted for Florida. Enter Bill Battle, a former player under the Bear at Bama. Although, Battle defeated Bama in 70 in his first year as HC, he lost to them every time from then on until he was fired and Johnny came marching home. All in all Bama beat us 11 times in a row. It wasn't until Majors' 6th year that he defeated Bama. So, for as much good as Coach DD did at UT, he also has a huge downside.
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He left for his alma mater. What led to the downfall was the hire that followed. We had an alum at the time coaching at Iowa State who went on to win a NC at Pitt. Who knows how different the 70s would have been if Majors had come home in 1970 I stead of promoting Battle.
 
#29
#29
lonelawyer said:
Dickey was the last athletic director to have the brass to stand up to the administration. He also understood that without a successful Athletics program they would not have money for their precious research and academics.
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I disagree slightly.

He didn’t have to stand up to the administration, he and President Joe Johnson and the Board of Trusts were all on the same page, were in lock step about how important the football program is to the university and, as a result, the importance of making it as successful as it could be. Things changed altogether after Johnson retired in 1999 and Dickey in 2002.....and we’ve seen the disastrous results.
 
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#30
#30
MikeTheVol said:
If you want to go back to when UT football went from elite to average, Doug Dickey was a big part of that happening. With him at head coach, we had just beaten Alabama 4 years running (67, 68, 69, 70). Coach DD bolted for Florida. Enter Bill Battle, a former player under the Bear at Bama. Although, Battle defeated Bama in 70 in his first year as HC, he lost to them every time from then on until he was fired and Johnny came marching home. All in all Bama beat us 11 times in a row. It wasn't until Majors' 6th year that he defeated Bama. So, for as much good as Coach DD did at UT, he also has a huge downside.
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Battle was the NC in 70.
DD was 3.2.1 v Bear as UT HC.
Told me at church 30 years ago that leaving UT was the worst decision of his life.
We were about even with Alabama head-to-head when he left.
I told him I agreed.
We were right.
 
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#31
#31
When "education" has become teaching teachers to teach being more important than mastery of the subject to be taught, and producing "business leaders" who know all about being an administrator and nothing about the business, then why would anyone think a university would make actual hands on experience in managing sports programs a condition for hiring an AD.

Historically the great ADs were football coaches first; they weren't bean counters.
 
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#32
#32
WiseOlVol said:
Battle was the NC in 70.
DD was 3.2.1 v Bear as UT HC.
Told me at church 30 years ago that leaving UT was the worst decision of his life.
We were about even with Alabama head-to-head when he left.
I told him I agreed.
We were right.
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I was a freshman in '64 - Dickey's first year as UT coach. There was confidence around the campus that things would work. Dickey's first teams may have been underwhelming in overall talent, but they played over their heads.

For real perspective, everyone should think about a new coach coming here and going 3-2-0 against Saban while inheriting a program something like Dooley left.
 
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#33
#33
It don't always work boys. Hindsight is 20/20.

Dickey was lucky to get the AD job at UT after bolting to Florida - which was his alma mater. I forgave Doug's traitorous act after Daryl won the Sugar Bowl. That is one of the great sports stories in SEC history - Daryl Dickey replacing Tony Robinson and finding success.

Doug is reviled in Florida ironically as being a terrible coach which he actually was for the Gators.

Gators replacing Ray Graves with Doug Dickey was worse than Muschamp, Zook decisions - Orlando Sentinel

Dickey made a major mistake leaving the Vols and the Vols made a worse mistake passing over Johnny Majors for the 28 year old Alabama boy, Bill Battle. Both UT and UF jobs are open again - wonder who will have the better long term hire?
 
#34
#34
KBVol said:
I disagree slightly.

He didn’t have to stand up to the administration, he and President Joe Johnson and the Board of Trusts were all on the same page, were in lock step about how important the football program is to the university and, as a result, the importance of making it as successful as it could be. Things changed altogether after Johnson retired in 1999 and Dickey in 2002.....and we’ve seen the disastrous results.
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You're right. It's not Fulmer's fault the football team were never a national contender after 2001. It was the administration. It's the administration's fault we had so many players arrested in the early 2000s. It's the administration's fault our special teams were as bad as they have ever been. It's the administration's fault we got blown out by Florida at home multiple times. It's the administration's fault we lost our home field advantage in the 2000s. It's the administration's fault we were ranked #3 in the preseason of 2005, only to have the administration cause us to lose 6 games. It's the administration's fault Florida hung 59 on us in 2007. In that same year, the administration let us down when we went down to eventual 6-6 Alabama, and got beat by Saban's first team there. Our administration couldn't handle the game plan that Saban threw at us that day. Our administration couldn't make adjustments to account for a mediocre receiver of theirs having the most prolific day of anyone at WR in the NCAA.

Yep, you're right. It's everyone else's fault but the coach as to the reason why we haven't been a contender since 2001:thumbsup:
 
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#35
#35
Fijivol72 said:
I couldn't agree more. Dickey was the a great AD.
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I am NOT a Doug Dickey fan based on what he did to us as a coach, it was a screw job worse than what Kiffin did exponentially for those not around Vol football then and I was a kid. However it cannot be denied Doug Dickey was a super AD at UT.
 
#36
#36
Remy said:
I am NOT a Doug Dickey fan based on what he did to us as a coach, it was a screw job worse than what Kiffin did exponentially for those not around Vol football then and I was a kid. However it cannot be denied Doug Dickey was a super AD at UT.
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He wasn't a super AD. He was pretty good and that's it. He didn't give a dam about the men's basketball program, probably because when he was at UT as a coach, he and Ray Mears didn't get along. It was said that Dickey was a l little jealous of Mears. Mears had coined the phrase "Big Orange Country" and received lots of PR as a result.
 
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#37
#37
knox73 said:
It don't always work boys. Hindsight is 20/20.

Dickey was lucky to get the AD job at UT after bolting to Florida - which was his alma mater. I forgave Doug's traitorous act after Daryl won the Sugar Bowl. That is one of the great sports stories in SEC history - Daryl Dickey replacing Tony Robinson and finding success.

Doug is reviled in Florida ironically as being a terrible coach which he actually was for the Gators.

Gators replacing Ray Graves with Doug Dickey was worse than Muschamp, Zook decisions - Orlando Sentinel

Dickey made a major mistake leaving the Vols and the Vols made a worse mistake passing over Johnny Majors for the 28 year old Alabama boy, Bill Battle. Both UT and UF jobs are open again - wonder who will have the better long term hire?
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You know there is a lesson there. Coaching success in one program doesn't necessarily mean it is transferable.

I was one of many who wanted Majors here, but I never considered him a rousing success. I do wonder what might have happened had he rather than Battle followed Dickey.

That article is misleading/wrong; Spurrier played QB at FL in 1964. Freshmen didn't play on the regular team at that time, so the single wing and 1965 comment would have had to be 1962-3 - well before Dickey came to TN. For the record Battle's offense was boring, Dickey's wasn't. The part that does ring true is the difference in how the game was played because most comments at the time having to do with Dickey's failure at FL were that he was not the coach the team wanted - a coach team mismatch.
 
#38
#38
Remy said:
I am NOT a Doug Dickey fan based on what he did to us as a coach, it was a screw job worse than what Kiffin did exponentially for those not around Vol football then and I was a kid. However it cannot be denied Doug Dickey was a super AD at UT.
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Maybe we should hire Kiffin as AD
 
#39
#39
Tin Man said:
Well, now, it was the elevation of Hamilton to AD (a job well beyond his capabilities) rather than Dickey's retirement, per se.
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exactly Hammy thought he would make a name for himself and fire a HOF coach mid-season and looked how well that has worked for us
 
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#40
#40
volcop1 said:
exactly Hammy thought he would make a name for himself and fire a HOF coach mid-season and looked how well that has worked for us
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A coach who earned his HOF status while here. Apparently it didn't appeal to other programs
 
#41
#41
114VOL said:
You're right. It's not Fulmer's fault the football team were never a national contender after 2001. It was the administration. It's the administration's fault we had so many players arrested in the early 2000s. It's the administration's fault our special teams were as bad as they the most prolific day of anyone at WR in the NCAA.

Yep, you're right. It's everyone else's fault but the coach as to the reason why we haven't been a contender since 2001:thumbsup:
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1999 Tennessee 9–3 6–2 2nd (Eastern) L Fiesta† 9 9
2000 Tennessee 8–4 5–3 2nd (Eastern) L Cotton 25
2001 Tennessee 11–2 7–1 1st (Eastern) W Florida Citrus 4 4
2002 Tennessee 8–5 5–3 3rd (Eastern) L Peach
2003 Tennessee 10–3 6–2 T–1st (Eastern) L Peach 16 15
2004 Tennessee 10–3 7–1 1st (Eastern) W Cotton 15 13
2005 Tennessee 5–6 3–5 4th (Eastern)
2006 Tennessee 9–4 5–3 2nd (Eastern) L Outback 23 25
2007 Tennessee 10–4 6–2

better than our last 8 years
 
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#43
#43
volcop1 said:
1999 Tennessee 9–3 6–2 2nd (Eastern) L Fiesta† 9 9
2000 Tennessee 8–4 5–3 2nd (Eastern) L Cotton 25
2001 Tennessee 11–2 7–1 1st (Eastern) W Florida Citrus 4 4
2002 Tennessee 8–5 5–3 3rd (Eastern) L Peach
2003 Tennessee 10–3 6–2 T–1st (Eastern) L Peach 16 15
2004 Tennessee 10–3 7–1 1st (Eastern) W Cotton 15 13
2005 Tennessee 5–6 3–5 4th (Eastern)
2006 Tennessee 9–4 5–3 2nd (Eastern) L Outback 23 25
2007 Tennessee 10–4 6–2

better than our last 8 years
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And? It's a mindless argument to suggest that one thing is attached to the other. Firing Fulmer is a totally exclusive even from the subsequent hire.

This is a dumbed down nation now, so keep up the good work with that debate

Apparently you didn't read my post. We were never a national title contender after 2001. That's a fact
 
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#44
#44
114VOL said:
You're right. It's not Fulmer's fault the football team were never a national contender after 2001. It was the administration. It's the administration's fault we had so many players arrested in the early 2000s. It's the administration's fault our special teams were as bad as they have ever been. It's the administration's fault we got blown out by Florida at home multiple times. It's the administration's fault we lost our home field advantage in the 2000s. It's the administration's fault we were ranked #3 in the preseason of 2005, only to have the administration cause us to lose 6 games. It's the administration's fault Florida hung 59 on us in 2007. In that same year, the administration let us down when we went down to eventual 6-6 Alabama, and got beat by Saban's first team there. Our administration couldn't handle the game plan that Saban threw at us that day. Our administration couldn't make adjustments to account for a mediocre receiver of theirs having the most prolific day of anyone at WR in the NCAA.

Yep, you're right. It's everyone else's fault but the coach as to the reason why we haven't been a contender since 2001:thumbsup:
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Nice false flag. Who the hell said anything about Phil Fulmer? I certainly didn’t. Was simply (correctly) pointing out that the cooperation that the AD enjoyed with the UT President and BOT ceased to exist in the same capacity as it had the previous couple of decades.

You may now continue with your aimless “I hate Phil Fulmer” rant. Ready....go!
 
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#45
#45
If you think Dickey was a good AD you have a very short memory. He was good for himself.
 
#46
#46
Coach Phil Fulmer and AD Doug Dicky along with the boosters controlled the Ut athletic program pretty much untethered by the UT administration for a decade. The administration decided no one coach or AD would be bigger than the academic department and set about getting things reversed, ending in the firing on Fulmer. Now they have the continuing problem of satisfying the fans without bringing in another full control guy. This is where we have been for the last decade and why they never go after a big name coach.
 
#47
#47
Didn't we also take down the UT and put up the power T on the field, and Bob kesling took over, and put the jumbo tron up in place of the vols sign?
 
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