Vols rejecting Gary Patterson another lesson on incompetence

[dduncan4163]

Tennessee football: Vols rejecting Gary Patterson another lesson on incompetence

It was clear after firing Fulmer that Mike Hamilton had passed up proven names like Brian Kelly from the Cincinnati Bearcats and Mike Leach from, at that point, the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He instead went for Lane Kiffin. But an article by David Ubben in The Athletic revealed that Tennessee football turned down another name at that time as well: Gary Patterson.

We knew about Patterson being in contention a few times on Rocky Top. Apparently, in 2008, he was a serious contender, and the Vols could have lured him away. But, according to Patterson and the article, the Vols told him he was “too much of a football coach” for them. Yes, you heard that right. A football coach was too much of a football coach for a football coach opening.

How absurd does that sound at this point? Apparently, the concern was that he was too much like Fulmer, whom they had just fired. But again, while the game got away from Fulmer, that doesn’t mean that everything about him was 100 percent wrong. This was always Hamilton’s flaw. Whenever he moved on from a coach, he would go the exact opposite direction for his next hire.


Oh what could have been. Hamilton couldn't manage a Bojangles let alone a big time SEC program. He lit the match. Hart watched it burned and Currie p*ssed on the ashes.

 

[EZE]

Tennessee Volunteers Holiday Gift Guide

It was clear after firing Fulmer that Mike Hamilton had passed up proven names like Brian Kelly from the Cincinnati Bearcats and Mike Leach from, at that point, the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He instead went for Lane Kiffin. But an article by David Ubben in The Athletic revealed that Tennessee football turned down another name at that time as well: Gary Patterson.

We knew about Patterson being in contention a few times on Rocky Top. Apparently, in 2008, he was a serious contender, and the Vols could have lured him away. But, according to Patterson and the article, the Vols told him he was “too much of a football coach” for them. Yes, you heard that right. A football coach was too much of a football coach for a football coach opening.

How absurd does that sound at this point? Apparently, the concern was that he was too much like Fulmer, whom they had just fired. But again, while the game got away from Fulmer, that doesn’t mean that everything about him was 100 percent wrong. This was always Hamilton’s flaw. Whenever he moved on from a coach, he would go the exact opposite direction for his next hire.


Oh what could have been. Hamilton couldn't manage a Bojangles let alone a big time SEC program. He lit the match. Hart watched it burned and Currie pi**ed on the ashes.

I live in the DFW area (and have actually met GP) and I will say this...there are some comparisons between GP and a YOUNG PF (yes, the PF who took the Volunteer program to incredible success).

But, there was no comparison in 08 (or now) of GP to the later-years PF who coasted and got complacent. Later-years Mack Brown would be a better comparison to that Fulmer.

I’ve always thought that GP would be a homerun hire for UT, but unfortunately, Mike Hamilton was clueless. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this story, but it p!sses me off every time I hear it.

And even more when I recall how Dave Hart jumped the shark on hiring a “non football coach” named Butch Jones.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

This is why I've always rejected the "UT is just not the program it used to be" arguments. There's no fundamental shift in college football that has left us behind.

If anything, winning a national championship at Tennessee is easier than it was back in 1998 or 2007. The SEC is a major pull for recruits now and the state of Tennessee has way more top recruits now than it did a few decades ago. Moreover, we routinely post some of the best revenue numbers in the country.

We're not Nebraska, a program hurt by national recruiting trends and the move to the Big 10 (which made it more difficult for them to recruit Texas). We're not Michigan, which has seen its state and regional talent pool shrink for decades. We're not Miami, a program hurt by disinterest from the fans.

No grand fundamental trend has hurt our program. The "trends" have actually made this a better job than it used to be. We just made crappy coaching hires.

We had the opportunity to hire Patterson. We've had multiple opportunities to hire Mike Leach. There have been other great coaches interested. We just didn't hire them.

Hamilton was obsessed with discovering a great "wunderkind" rather than a proven coach in 2008. And that decision has haunted us for over a decade.

 

[MikeVol44]

This is why I've always rejected the "UT is just not the program it used to be" arguments. There's no fundamental shift in college football that has left us behind.

If anything, winning a national championship at Tennessee is easier than it was back in 1998 or 2007. The SEC is a major pull for recruits now and the state of Tennessee has way more top recruits now than it did a few decades ago. Moreover, we routinely post some of the best revenue numbers in the country.

We're not Nebraska, a program hurt by national recruiting trends and the move to the Big 10 (which made it more difficult for them to recruit Texas). We're not Michigan, which has seen its state and regional talent pool shrink for decades. We're not Miami, a program hurt by disinterest from the fans.

No grand fundamental trend has hurt our program. The "trends" have actually made this a better job than it used to be. We just made crappy coaching hires.

We had the opportunity to hire Patterson. We've had multiple opportunities to hire Mike Leach. There have been other great coaches interested. We just didn't hire them.

Hamilton was obsessed with discovering a great "wunderkind" rather than a proven coach in 2008. And that decision has haunted us for over a decade.

I get pissed every time I hear that we could've hired GP, too! He would have been a slam dunk of a hire back in 2008....and exactly what we needed in the post-CPF milieu.

And those stupid decisions on the part of the AD are exactly why I'm so very glad to have CPF as our AD and hope that he continues in that position until they have to carry him out of UT on a stretcher!

GO VOLS!

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

I've mentioned this several times before but my wife lived with one of her HS teachers and big $$$$ TCU supporter the last 18 months of high school in the mid-late 90s. We were out in DFW area in 08 and early 10 visiting them when TCU thought they were gonna lose GP to us. This story, along with those dealing with a lack of respect from UT and low-balled salary ranges are absolutely true. While he splurged on LKs staff, Hamilton did not want to exceed $2mm as starting point for HC.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

The climate in 2008 wasn't going to allow us to hire a gimmick coach. We (or I should say the traditionalist fanbase) wanted to run pro style offense and the allure of getting Kiffin, Monte Kiffin and Ed O were too hard to pass up.

The Kiffin hire wasn't a bad hire... the contract buyout was the problem.

 

[TNnative]

The climate in 2008 wasn't going to allow us to hire a gimmick coach. We (or I should say the traditionalist fanbase) wanted to run pro style offense and the allure of getting Kiffin, Monte Kiffin and Ed O were too hard to pass up.

The Kiffin hire wasn't a bad hire... the contract buyout was the problem.

Yes it was. We very easily could have been sanctioned to the level of SMU with Kiffin thumbing his nose at recruiting rules. When he left, some morons were burning mattresses, but many other fans were saying, "Thank God." Allure? Whatever you were drinking them, swear off that. The entire time that jackass was here, I heard more arguments for getting Petersen, Patterson, Leach, or Kelly instead of how lucky we were to have Kiffin. Eventually, any of the above might be considered a bad hire with how damn poor administration supported the team. But hiring Kiffin wasn't just a bad hire, it was a 5h1t storm that ending at a better time than most are too dumb to admit.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

The climate in 2008 wasn't going to allow us to hire a gimmick coach. We (or I should say the traditionalist fanbase) wanted to run pro style offense and the allure of getting Kiffin, Monte Kiffin and Ed O were too hard to pass up.

The Kiffin hire wasn't a bad hire... the contract buyout was the problem.

What? Kiffin Was a disaster. Not just because he bolted for USC in the middle but due to the fact that he was and is an incompetent division I coach. His tenure at USC was a nightmare as well. He is a Great offensive mind but not D1 HC material IMO. I would be surprised if he gets another big time gig.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

The climate in 2008 wasn't going to allow us to hire a gimmick coach. We (or I should say the traditionalist fanbase) wanted to run pro style offense and the allure of getting Kiffin, Monte Kiffin and Ed O were too hard to pass up.

The Kiffin hire wasn't a bad hire... the contract buyout was the problem.

Of course, the buyout was laughably low since it was a concession needed to get Kiffin under the $2MM cap Hammy wanted to pay a HC.

Penny wise and pound foolish

Of course, its 10 years ago and as Queen Elsa says "The past is in the past"

 

[dcm3w]

The Kiffin hire wasn't a bad hire... him leaving us out to dry after one season was the problem.

Fixed.

 

[EZE]

I will also add this about Patterson. He can come off as a bit quirkish, but it comes from being an all-in football nerd. He is totally into be a football coach. One of my really good friends played for him on the LT teams, and he thinks very highly of his former coach.

Going back, though, I thought Kiffin was a great hire at the time, but it didn’t take long for me to grow very tired of his antics. My greatest beef is that Patterson wasn’t hired when Kiffin bolted to USC. We instead got a junior high coach who started the sharp downhill slide we still haven’t recovered from.

 

[Big Ugly Vol]

I was really happy with Kiffin until I went to campus for a football camp with my kids and they were playing USC highlights on tv’s all over the football facility. It made me feel like we had done something gravely wrong. I asked a question or two, but still regret not raising hell about it. Not that anybody would care what I thought of course. Still should have griped louder to anybody that would listen just so I could say I did.

 

[BearCat204]

Hindsight is 20/20 and I think just about everyone was ecstatic when Kiffin was hired (except those who thought Phil should have never been fired)....................especially when it was known he was bringing his father and Coach O.

 

[RollerVol]

yep, we've endured administration incompetence for many years...is that some light I see at the end of the tunnel...

GO BIG ORANGE!

 

[WoodsmanVol]

What's done is done, let's get behind our current coach and team and have some winning fun.

 

[papatomany]

I cry every time I hear this. With the UT recruiting base (then), Patterson following Fulmer would mean we were in the title mix every year from then til now. Gary never has the horses at TCU, but when he has anything he produces some of the best defenses around. UT would have had dominant attacking defenses. We could also have had Gregg Marshall running the basketball program for about as long. Cringed when we hired Kiffen, cringed more when I saw his teams on the field. (Though he was and is clearly one of the best play-callers around.)

 

[FLVOL_79]

I was having a good day until having you reopen this wound Duncan.

 

[Behr]

Hindsight is 20/20 and I think just about everyone was ecstatic when Kiffin was hired (except those who thought Phil should have never been fired)....................especially when it was known he was bringing his father and Coach O.

Yep, and we got a Man Crush Thread to prove it.

 

[Tennesseefan2019]

Tennessee football: Vols rejecting Gary Patterson another lesson on incompetence

It was clear after firing Fulmer that Mike Hamilton had passed up proven names like Brian Kelly from the Cincinnati Bearcats and Mike Leach from, at that point, the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He instead went for Lane Kiffin. But an article by David Ubben in The Athletic revealed that Tennessee football turned down another name at that time as well: Gary Patterson.

We knew about Patterson being in contention a few times on Rocky Top. Apparently, in 2008, he was a serious contender, and the Vols could have lured him away. But, according to Patterson and the article, the Vols told him he was “too much of a football coach” for them. Yes, you heard that right. A football coach was too much of a football coach for a football coach opening.

How absurd does that sound at this point? Apparently, the concern was that he was too much like Fulmer, whom they had just fired. But again, while the game got away from Fulmer, that doesn’t mean that everything about him was 100 percent wrong. This was always Hamilton’s flaw. Whenever he moved on from a coach, he would go the exact opposite direction for his next hire.


Oh what could have been. Hamilton couldn't manage a Bojangles let alone a big time SEC program. He lit the match. Hart watched it burned and Currie p*ssed on the ashes.

I'm happy with Coach Pruitt coaching Tennessee and the TCU football program is starting to slide.

 

[Gandalf]

I'm happy with Coach Pruitt coaching Tennessee and the TCU football program is starting to slide.

Its not saying that Patterson would be the right pick for UT today, for a large variety of reasons, not the least of which is Gary is likely to retire there with lou holtz like local worship. But for DAMN sure he would have been a HOME RUN hire in 2009 and UT would have never had the decade of irrelevance that we have suffered under since.

 

[EZE]

I'm happy with Coach Pruitt coaching Tennessee and the TCU football program is starting to slide.

Let’s see:

Coach 1 with a 73% winning percentage at a school that had nothing before he took the reins, double-digit wins in 10 out of 18 seasons, and only missed a bowl game in 2 of those seasons.

Coach 2 with a 42% winning percentage and 0 for 1 in reaching a bowl.

Yeah, I get it....

 

[KBVol]

If not hiring a football coach for your football coach opening, because he’s “too much of a football coach” doesn’t provide additional insight into the blithering idiots and why our program has been straight ish under their leadership for the past decade, then I don’t know what does.

 

[VolForLife83]

Why is this being written 20 years later

 

[Alex10]

This is why I've always rejected the "UT is just not the program it used to be" arguments. There's no fundamental shift in college football that has left us behind.

If anything, winning a national championship at Tennessee is easier than it was back in 1998 or 2007. The SEC is a major pull for recruits now and the state of Tennessee has way more top recruits now than it did a few decades ago. Moreover, we routinely post some of the best revenue numbers in the country.

We're not Nebraska, a program hurt by national recruiting trends and the move to the Big 10 (which made it more difficult for them to recruit Texas). We're not Michigan, which has seen its state and regional talent pool shrink for decades. We're not Miami, a program hurt by disinterest from the fans.

No grand fundamental trend has hurt our program. The "trends" have actually made this a better job than it used to be. We just made crappy coaching hires.

We had the opportunity to hire Patterson. We've had multiple opportunities to hire Mike Leach. There have been other great coaches interested. We just didn't hire them.

Hamilton was obsessed with discovering a great "wunderkind" rather than a proven coach in 2008. And that decision has haunted us for over a decade.

This is correct. The only thing standing in the way for UT to be able to compete with the big boys is UT’s own incompetence. Some don’t want to come to terms with that but there it is.

 

[butchna]

Its not saying that Patterson would be the right pick for UT today, for a large variety of reasons, not the least of which is Gary is likely to retire there with lou holtz like local worship. But for DAMN sure he would have been a HOME RUN hire in 2009 and UT would have never had the decade of irrelevance that we have suffered under since.

He didn’t meet our definition of a home run hire. Mid-major coach who recruits 3 stars. Also little known is that he has percentages of ownership of oil concerns due to his relationships with TCU boosters. I think he was having more fun with Ubben than sincerity. Maybe he was hireable at that point but I doubt it was anywhere as easy as simply offering.