Packer: Hamilton has his priorities

"I remember when I sat in front of that committee, I told them that they knew everything about me," Hamilton said. "They knew all the positives and they knew all my faults too. My family was at peace with whatever decision was going to be made during that process. So, we loaded up the kids and headed off to Gatlinburg for the weekend (in May of 2003) to get away."

A the same time the AD job at Kansas was open. So when someone called from UT to see where Hamilton was that Friday afternoon, he said that he was in Lawrence, Kan. Of course, Hamilton was kidding.

"The next morning we were in the creek and my phone started ringing,'' he said. "Some friends were telling me that something was going down.

"Sure enough that afternoon Dr. (John) Shumaker called me at about 2:30 to let me know that he wanted to have a press conference that afternoon at 5 and needed me at his house by 4. We were about an hour and a half so it was a quick trip back. I remember talking to (UT's Sports Information Director) Bud Ford while he was shopping for mattresses. He did a great job putting on the press conference in a matter of hours."

Hamilton laughs about the book that he'll write some day about being an athletic director. The beginning of his tenure is only the beginning of what has already been a very busy 3 1/2 years. He has already changed men's basketball coaches, begun major renovations to both Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena, and also has negotiated a new media rights contract with Host Communications.

"My goal is a tough one, I want to leave the University of Tennessee better than I found it,'' he said. "I hope that will be a long time from now, but when I'm done I hope I've left it better than I found it."

One thing that Hamilton has already made better is basketball. Of all the facility improvements he's overseeing, nothing has been improved more than basketball thanks to the hiring of Bruce Pearl, a hiring that Hamilton won't soon forget.

"We were in Dallas, meeting with the search committee for the opening with Cedric Dempsey, former NCAA president, and Dana Pump,'' Hamilton said. "Dana is a guy that everybody in the business knows. I mean everybody knows him and he knows everybody. So, we were sitting at dinner and I said that Bruce Pearl was at the top of our list.

"Bruce was coaching his team in the NCAA tournament in Cleveland. Well, at that very moment, Bruce was having dinner with his athletic director. Pump picked up the phone and called Bruce. He told him that he was meeting with the Tennessee people and that he was the man, they loved him, just keep winning and he was the man.

"We kept talking about other candidates and talked about another coach. So Pump dialed a number to call the next coach on the list. He told the coach that he was meeting with the Tennessee people and that he was the man, they loved him, just keep winning and he was the man. All of a sudden his face went blank and he said bye. Pump looked at us and said that he accidentally called Bruce Pearl again."

Over the summer, talk filled the airwaves about the future of football coach Phillip Fulmer after the 5-6 season of a year ago. But, none of that talk ever reached Hamilton.

"I never had anyone suggest that we should make a change,'' Hamilton said. "I had people say how disappointed they were with last year, but there was never anyone asking for change."

Even if they had, Hamilton wasn't about to rush to a decision. He never has in his life. And, more often than not, his patience has helped him make the right decision. Whether it's football, basketball or facility improvements, Hamilton has made his mark on UT's athletics programs in a very short period of time. But through it all, he has never forgotten his values and his priorities. And, work will always come third behind faith and family.