When did the curse start?

#27
#27
I40flyer said:
I have noticed one change in UT fans. For years (especially the boy butch years) when someone was hired as the football coach at UT, far too many fans were willing to go along with their ineptitude, and make excuses for anything they did. Remember boy butch's stupid calls, and kicking charts? Even though anyone watching the game was aware of his poor coaching, a small, but vocal group would defend him. Not only would they defend stupidity, because he was the UT head coach, but they would attack others for pointing out the lack of leadership and coaching ability. The change seems to be: far more fans are starting to question what is going on, rather than blindly defend their man crush. This is a good thing, as it may start a real demand for excellence, where it counts from the fans. I don't know when the curse started, but, this may be the medicine to stop it.
Click to expand...

I disagree -- just ask Greg Schiano, John Currie, and Bev Davenport.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#28
#28
JokermanVol said:
Because of 9/11 the Florida game was moved to the week before the SEC title game. Tenn was -17.5 underdogs at kickoff and won, in the swamp. A parade was held at the track upon the teams return. That choice was seen as a mistake, a week before they played for a SEC title, and is now cited as the beginning of the end.
Click to expand...

What the heck. Did that really happen? Who in their right mind holds a parade for winning the East division of the SEC in the middle of the season? Well, I know there is this ...
week-2-trophy.jpg


... but, that's another issue. If that really happened in 2001, then we may seriously be onto the problem here. Can anyone confirm that this insanity really took place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#29
#29
livefaith said:
What the heck. Did that really happen? Who in their right mind holds a parade for winning the East division of the SEC in the middle of the season? Well, I know there is this ...
week-2-trophy.jpg


... but, that's another issue. If that really happened in 2001, then we may seriously be onto the problem here. Can anyone confirm that this insanity really took place.
Click to expand...

Yes, it happened. I was a junior living in Hess hall at the time. They drove the buses through campus and the team disembarked at the track. Casey Clausen came off the bus doing the Gator chomp while holding roses in his mouth and several other players came off with bouquets of roses. The BCS game was at the Rose Bowl that year...
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#30
#30
Sin City Vol said:
When we switched sidelines
Click to expand...

I think we were already in the death spiral by then. But, you bring up an interesting thing. For many years I wondered why on earth our team/staff stood facing into the glaring sun on that sideline. While the opponent got the sun more at their backs and an easier view. All I could ever guess was that the players could see the coaches easier that way.

Yesterday in the game, Ryan Leaf said something about General Neyland designing the stadium so that the opponent had to stand facing the sun while the home Vols got to stand in the shade on the south sideline. Does he know what he's talking about? Did Neyland really envision an upper deck in those days? Furthermore, how the heck did GRN design that at all seeing that Neyland Stadium was already in place when he arrived, iirc. What is the answer to all that?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sin City Vol and MAD
#31
#31
zjcvols said:
There is no curse.

We just have bad AD’s that make **** hires and then the fanbase falls for the same positive **** (I’m one of those people) going into next year and we fire that person a year too late.

Should have fired Fulmer after 2005
Should have fired Dooley after 2011
Should have fired Jones after 2016

And here we are.
Click to expand...
Should have never hired Dooley or Butch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#32
#32
mbushnell said:
Yes, it happened. I was a junior living in Hess hall at the time. They drove the buses through campus and the team disembarked at the track. Casey Clausen came off the bus doing the Gator chomp while holding roses in his mouth and several other players came off with bouquets of roses. The BCS game was at the Rose Bowl that year...
Click to expand...

Oh WOW! That's embarrassing as heck. How in the world did our veteran coaching staff let that type of insanity occur. Unbelievable. I've never heard this. Thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Guest and MAD
#34
#34
livefaith said:
Oh WOW! That's embarrassing as heck. How in the world did our veteran coaching staff let that type of insanity occur. Unbelievable. I've never heard this. Thanks!
Click to expand...

This was before the age of smartphones. If it had been a few years later they would’ve gotten absolutely roasted across the country because people would’ve seen how ridiculous they were acting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD and livefaith
#38
#38
Actually, the curse very obviously started the day that Mike Hamilton was named as AD. It has been downhill ever since.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#40
#40
EZE said:
Actually, the curse very obviously started the day that Mike Hamilton was named as AD. It has been downhill ever since.
Click to expand...

Well, that's not the kind of voodoo we're talking about. But, from a stategic standpoint, 100% Yes!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#43
#43
livefaith said:
...But, you bring up an interesting thing. For many years I wondered why on earth our team/staff stood facing into the glaring sun on that sideline. While the opponent got the sun more at their backs and an easier view. All I could ever guess was that the players could see the coaches easier that way.

Yesterday in the game, Ryan Leaf said something about General Neyland designing the stadium so that the opponent had to stand facing the sun while the home Vols got to stand in the shade on the south sideline. Does he know what he's talking about? Did Neyland really envision an upper deck in those days? Furthermore, how the heck did GRN design that at all seeing that Neyland Stadium was already in place when he arrived, iirc. What is the answer to all that?
Click to expand...

LOL. Seriously, LOL. Yeah, I guess Ryan Leaf didn't realize that until 2010, Tennessee always used the west sideline (facing the sun) as the home sideline. It was the 2010 season when the sidelines were switched, and the student section moved. SEC rules state that students can't sit behind the opposing team's bench.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#44
#44
livefaith said:
Oh gaaahh. And I thot it was Rohan. This is tragic. Seriously diminishes my respect for Fulmer. How could that be allowed DURING SECCG week?
Click to expand...
At this point Fulmer had already had 3. He figured he'd waltz his fat @#% in there and get another one, my guess!?
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#45
#45
As someone who enjoys studying history; watching the decline of our athletic program is due to many of the same factors that led to the fall of the Roman dynasty.
1) The invasion of the barbarians and the rise of the Eastern Empire.
2) Economic troubles and the reliance on failing systems.
3) Government corruption and political instability.
4) Weakening of the Roman legion and the inability to recruit and add quality to the ranks. It got so bad that the Romans hired untrained barbarian.

The parallels are easy to see and too similar to ignore.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MAD
#48
#48
I blame the downfall of the Vols on the Houston Oilers moving into our state.

Hated that they chose to use the whole state as their name instead of “Nashville Titans”.

The Vikings/Golden Gophers are a perfect comparison.

“Minnesota Vikings” instead of “Minneapolis Vikings”.

The downfall of the once powerful Gopher program coincides almost exactly with the creation and rise of the NFL Minnesota Vikings. Since the late 60's Minnesota has been dominated by the Vikings, and the Gophers have been a complete afterthought.”
 
#49
#49
someone else said:
LOL. Seriously, LOL. Yeah, I guess Ryan Leaf didn't realize that until 2010, Tennessee always used the west sideline (facing the sun) as the home sideline. It was the 2010 season when the sidelines were switched, and the student section moved. SEC rules state that students can't sit behind the opposing team's bench.
Click to expand...
When I was in school (75-79) the home locker was under the east stands the band formed the T 90 degrees rotated from now and players ran out from the locker up the T. At the top Odd numbers went one way and even numbers went the other way, so the T was always full of players. Then they stood on the West sidelines the entire game.

So there had been so much flip flopping over the years, sideline location can't be a curse factor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: someone else, HoptownVol and MAD
#50
#50
ZZ13 said:
When I was in school (75-79) the home locker was under the east stands the band formed the T 90 degrees rotated from now and players ran out from the locker up the T. At the top Odd numbers went one way and even numbers went the other way, so the T was always full of players. Then they stood on the West sidelines the entire game.

So there had been so much flip flopping over the years, sideline location can't be a curse factor.
Click to expand...
Here is a clip of players running through the T, the way you describe.
By the way I was at every game those years 75-79 while you were in school. Fun times.

 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top