Top 25 Worst Hires

[IndianaVol]

Pruitt is only 7th and not in top 5 because the stuff he was doing at the time is now standard operation. Still though our worst hire this century due to the fact he was handing out cash and still turning in losing records.

Dooley...just not sure where to start. Oh wait, yeah I do...Mike Hamilton. Dooley's name on this list should have an asterisk because of Hamiltons ineptitude.

Only thing I'm ever going to blame Butch for is turning into a snake oil salesman just trying to keep his job after year 3...he should have been cut loose when the slogans and tag lines started flowing heavy.

 

[knox73]

I think Steele is the man that hired Rodney Garner. I say that was worth his interim paycheck from the Vols. Kevin is a Tennessee alumnus also.

 

[knox73]

Bill Battle could be on the list as well.

 

[Delmar]

Pruitt is only 7th and not in top 5 because the stuff he was doing at the time is now standard operation. Still though our worst hire this century due to the fact he was handing out cash and still turning in losing records.

Dooley...just not sure where to start. Oh wait, yeah I do...Mike Hamilton. Dooley's name on this list should have an asterisk because of Hamiltons ineptitude.

Only thing I'm ever going to blame Butch for is turning into a snake oil salesman just trying to keep his job after year 3...he should have been cut loose when the slogans and tag lines started flowing heavy.

To be fair, I think Hamilton’s hands were tied due to Kiffin bailing at such a late date. All the big names/competent coaches were already taken and the pickings were slim as I recall. And Dooley was the slimmest of slim pickings. But maybe my Partheimers is kicking in and I just can’t remember the other choices.

 

[sonofUT62]

He did a decent job while here. He just left us for his Alma mater.

He left us for Fresno State?

 

[sonofUT62]

To be fair, I think Hamilton’s hands were tied due to Kiffin bailing at such a late date. All the big names/competent coaches were already taken and the pickings were slim as I recall. And Dooley was the slimmest of slim pickings. But maybe my Partheimers is kicking in and I just can’t remember the other choices.

He could have hired Cut but got cheap with the buyout for Kippy. Also Kiffin was able to leave because Hamilton botched that buyout too. I want to say more but I’m not going to speak poorly of the dead.

 

[Firebirdparts]

Butch won a lot of games. This is a serious list and he doesn't belong on it. Worst ever means worst ever, not just "oh, shucks, I'm disappointed"

Dooley wouldn't be on it either if UT wasn't such a prominent program hiring a guy with a losing record.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Bill Battle could be on the list as well.

Not this century.

 

[Volizona]

Bill Battle could be on the list as well.

Bill Battle was 59-22-2. Just looked up his record. He shouldn’t be a candidate for “worst”.

 

[TNnative]

And really butch should be on the top 25 list.. we should have 3 “worst” hires

They were going for worst records. However, the irritation of how many times he used his favorite word? UGH!!!

They should have made it a worst 50 article. He would probably be listed then.

 

[#1fulmerite]

Pruitt is only 7th and not in top 5 because the stuff he was doing at the time is now standard operation. Still though our worst hire this century due to the fact he was handing out cash and still turning in losing records.

Dooley...just not sure where to start. Oh wait, yeah I do...Mike Hamilton. Dooley's name on this list should have an asterisk because of Hamiltons ineptitude.

Only thing I'm ever going to blame Butch for is turning into a snake oil salesman just trying to keep his job after year 3...he should have been cut loose when the slogans and tag lines started flowing heavy.

Butch won a lot of games. This is a serious list and he doesn't belong on it. Worst ever means worst ever, not just "oh, shucks, I'm disappointed"

Dooley wouldn't be on it either if UT wasn't such a prominent program hiring a guy with a losing record.

Just to show how bad of a coaching hire after CLK, he was USC’s third or fourth choice!

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Pruitt is the worst. His “stink” is still impacting the program.

Two words, Georgia State!

 

[Brave Volunteer]

He could have hired Cut but got cheap with the buyout for Kippy. Also Kiffin was able to leave because Hamilton botched that buyout too. I want to say more but I’m not going to speak poorly of the dead.

What Hamilton should have done was appoint Kippy Brown as interim head coach for the 2010 season and conducted a more proper coaching search. Instead, he made a rash decision in an effort to salvage a single recruiting class. I cannot believe that none of the "brain trusts" there at the time advised him against that!

 

[IndianaVol]

What Hamilton should have done was appoint Kippy Brown as interim head coach for the 2010 season and conducted a more proper coaching search. Instead, he made a rash decision in an effort to salvage a single recruiting class. I cannot believe that none of the "brain trusts" there at the time advised him against that!

100 percent agree.
Kippy might have even turned an interim tag into something, but that would have been a bad look for a major football school to have an interim coach...Hamilton's hubris again.

 

[05_never_again]

Butch and Dooley never had a Georgia State type loss. 3-7 was also the worst record in our history. Pruitt was the worst of the worst.

The 3-7 season was also during the shortened COVID year and was an SEC-only schedule, so at least he won 3 conference games that year. IMO the worst season in school history was 2017 under Butch; winless in conference play for the only time in school history.

I'd have Dooley ahead of Pruitt on this list. It's a low bar, but Pruitt at least got the team off the mat after starting 0-2 in 2019 and won 7 regular season games and then a bowl game, admittedly against not great competition (but we weren't good either). By comparison the high point of Dooley's tenure was probably beating NC State in the 2012 season opener, or beating Vandy in OT in 2011. That makes me sick to my stomach to even type that.

They each brought their bad mark to the table. The worst overall coach of the three was Dooley. The single-worst season was under Butch (2017). The single-most embarrassing loss was under Pruitt (Georgia St).

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

Bill Battle was 59-22-2. Just looked up his record. He shouldn’t be a candidate for “worst”.

Yes and no on him. He inherited a talent loaded team from D. Dickey and when that talent all graduated and he was left with his recruits it went downhill fast. Bill was an overall good guy and deserved better but was just not a good recruiter. But he was not even close to being in the same company as Pruitt, Dooley.

 

[zjcvols]

I know I’m in the minority, but if Dools had hired a DC that was worth a damn (and he could galvanize a locker room) I think his story ends a little differently. I could be wrong. Of our coaches the last 20 years I dislike him the least.

DC wouldn't have mattered. He couldn't manage a college football program. It would never have worked.

 

[zjcvols]

IMO, that was Fulmer angling to still have influence in the program in the event he was fired. He and Steele are buddies and go way back.

The writing was on the wall at that point for Pruitt, and Fulmer surely suspected his job was also at risk if the head coach he hired was about to be fired. So he brings a buddy onto the staff with a guaranteed contract as something of a poison pill, but the admin just took the hit and bought him out when they hired Heupel. Plowman did sign off on the hiring of Steele though, so I guess they were OK with it.

I truly believe they did it so they thought Phil would think he was going to be okay and start the AD search in secret. Remember they got Danny done within 3-4 days. If Phil gets to bring in Steele and hire him as interim coach, he doesn't sniff around, that gave them time to garner support for Danny.

 

[zjcvols]

What Hamilton should have done was appoint Kippy Brown as interim head coach for the 2010 season and conducted a more proper coaching search. Instead, he made a rash decision in an effort to salvage a single recruiting class. I cannot believe that none of the "brain trusts" there at the time advised him against that!

He should have hired Cutcliffe and let him hire his staff as intended. Yeah, we don't win any titles, but we needed 3-5 years of stability and discipline in the program after Fulmer and Kiffin left. Dooley cost us another hiring process because he left the program in such awful shape, the pool of candidates wasn't strong. Charlie Strong backed out because he had friends that told him it wouldn't work. Dave Hart was good friends with Kirby and Kirby wouldn't even interview because his agent told him the infrastructure was too messy. Cutcliffe would have made the job more attractive.

 

[05_never_again]

I truly believe they did it so they thought Phil would think he was going to be okay and start the AD search in secret. Remember they got Danny done within 3-4 days. If Phil gets to bring in Steele and hire him as interim coach, he doesn't sniff around, that gave them time to garner support for Danny.

Yeah, could be. Plowman/Boyd seem to be chess players rather than checkers.

 

[EtowahVol]

You got that right

He got a free be for being Sabans bitch.

 

[05_never_again]

I know I’m in the minority, but if Dools had hired a DC that was worth a damn (and he could galvanize a locker room) I think his story ends a little differently. I could be wrong. Of our coaches the last 20 years I dislike him the least.

The most it would have done was bought him another year. His offense would have been (and still was, under Butch) awful in 2013. Plus he was just horrible as the leader of the program. Players didn't like him, etc.

With a decent defense the 2012 season does become a lot more interesting though. They still had depth issues, but they would have had a chance to beat UF. They probably would have beaten UGA in Athens (who was #5 at the time), Miss St in Starkville (#19), and USCjr in Columbia (#17). He could have had 3 road wins against ranked teams. If they could have pulled off even just 1 or 2 of those games, perhaps the give up games against Mizzou and Vandy don't happen (although Vandy was pretty good that year).

 

[IndianaVol]

He should have hired Cutcliffe and let him hire his staff as intended. Yeah, we don't win any titles, but we needed 3-5 years of stability and discipline in the program after Fulmer and Kiffin left. Dooley cost us another hiring process because he left the program in such awful shape, the pool of candidates wasn't strong. Charlie Strong backed out because he had friends that told him it wouldn't work. Dave Hart was good friends with Kirby and Kirby wouldn't even interview because his agent told him the infrastructure was too messy. Cutcliffe would have made the job more attractive.

Wasn't this about the time Cut was headed to Notre Dame and had health issues, then turned around and landed at Duke?
Cutcliffe wouldn't have been a bad hire and in hind sight probably done as good or better than the guy that was hired.

My only problem with Cutcliffe at that time, or any time really, is that he is very, very fondly remembered on the Hill as probably the best OC to ever walk the sidelines. Why take the HC job in 2010 knowing the AD was a dumpster fire and tarnish that standing?

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Bill Battle could be on the list as well.

Bill was a good Xs and Os coach. His problem was recruiting. He refused to recruit tough/mean guys. If a recruit said even one cuss word or something just a little off color, he would not recruit him. A lot of really great players were cast aside

 

[zjcvols]

Wasn't this about the time Cut was headed to Notre Dame and had health issues, then turned around and landed at Duke?
Cutcliffe wouldn't have been a bad hire and in hind sight probably done as good or better than the guy that was hired.

My only problem with Cutcliffe at that time, or any time really, is that he is very, very fondly remembered on the Hill as probably the best OC to ever walk the sidelines. Why take the HC job in 2010 knowing the AD was a dumpster fire and tarnish that standing?

Cutcliffe was at Duke at the time. Cutcliffe has publicly stated he was offered the job and
told Hamilton he would take his job. Hamilton (for reasons quite unbeknownst to anyone) said he couldn’t have full staff control and had to keep a couple coaches on staff. Cutcliffe then backed out.