(11-06-2017 01:18 PM)olddawg Wrote: The overall arrogance is the perfect way to sum up that thread. That's what happens when you have a fan base full of Walmart fans. It's the same way w/ any large state school where there historically has been no NFL presence (only one generation of Titans fans, and a good portion of them probably have other NFL allegiances too). Overall lack of football knowledge in anything non SEC. The whole DII stuff, Chip Kelly came from Delaware etc.
I am suffering through a similar scenario as Tennessee right now. I am a lifelong Nebraska fan. Their fans also think they can hire some big name coach and instantly recapture the glory from 20 years ago. Sadly, there were a myriad of things that have happened over the years that need to be addressed and undone before either school becomes a power again. And big money boosters are a huge obstacle to that. They want a glamor name and immediate results. In many cases, they are like a petulant child with their demands. And unfortunately, big time ADs have to give them some lip service to keep their donations.
When you think about it, we probably reacting similarly when Mike Houston was hired here. We now know better. He was the perfect hire. I just don't think there are many P5 ADs with the balls to stand up to their boosters and do what needs to be done to properly rebuild a program. I trust HCMH will land a AAC type of job and do well there too.
Agree completely. You nailed it pretty much. More...
...for full disclosure, I am a Vols fan as my son started there 11 years ago and is an alum. Paid a lot of checks to UT. When they fired Fulmer after his Frosh year (IIRC, too lazy to look it up), my son and his frat brothers were all jacked up about the firing and Lane Kiffin coming in. I played golf with a bunch of them one summer afternoon before Kiffin's first and only season and told them they would one day look back and change that tune. I remember them telling me how wrong I was. And, I fully admit to throwing out my share of I Told You So's to them over the last decade whenever I've seen any of 'em. Their arrogance gives them such a bad rep. I've tailgated with lots of Big Orange folks who are good people but are rather delusional as far as their expectations. They essentially fired Fulmer because they got tired of 9-10 win seasons and not being able to "get over the hump" on a national stage (though Fulmer led them to a national title less than a decade earlier...the year AFTER Peyton Manning graduated). What a bunch of fools.
A couple of years later, my son worked as a summer intern in the UTAA ticket office making calls to former season ticket holders asking for them to re-up their contributions to the scholarship fund and buy season tix. Cold calls. 1 in 4 calls told him to go jump in a lake because they were long-time season ticket holders who were pissed with not only Fulmer being fired, but the way he was treated on the way out. So, there are at least some who "got it" back then.
Lane Kiffin...Derek Dooley (who was about their 12th choice maybe)...Butch Jones. AD John Currie doesn't have gonads big enough to hire Mike Houston so folks can forget that. And quickly. Les Miles, Scott Frost (you Husker fans may like that), Dave Clawson, among others are light years ahead in line over Mike Houston. Mike Houston has not paid his dues nor shown he can win in years 4 & 5 with his own recruits. That's not a UT thing. That applies to a lot of the P5. He'll get there, but he's got to show it eventually before a program that welcomes 100K into their home stadium will dish out a contract. The guy at SMU is doing a great job too. Former Clemson coordinator under Swinney. Just another example of guys who have and are paying their dues just being ahead in line.
For selfish and family reasons, I hope UT gets back to being more competitive in the SEC-East, which has really sucked the last decade for the most part versus previous standards with Visor Boy gone from Florida (ripe for the taking if they hadn't let Fulmer go...again, my opinion). If/when Mike Houston leaves JMU, I'd be thrilled if he went to Knoxville some day. Again, for selfish reasons. But, that likely won't happen until he pays more dues elsewhere and UT cycles through another losing coach to create another opening 5 years from now (hoping of course that doesn't happen).
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Vol Nation Thread- Mike Houston to Tennessee?
