Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton has no timeframe to replace ousted head football coach Phillip Fulmer.
“I think it’s more important that you hire the right person than you put a timeframe on it,” Hamilton said on Thursday. “I do think that we’ll efficiently and expeditiously tie it up as quickly as possible but I’m more concerned about the who than how long.”
Hamilton said UT has hired Neinas Sports Service to lead the search. The firm is headed up by Chuck Neinas, the former head of the College Football Association and Big XII commissioner.
Neinas’ firm has been credited with Urban Meyer’s hiring at Florida, Bob Stoops’ hiring at Oklahoma and Houston Nutt’s hiring at Ole Miss.
“He’s really, really well connected in football circles,” Hamilton said.
In laying out the qualifications, Hamilton said he’s looking for a coach with great leadership skills who can sell UT’s football program to fans and recruits.
“Tennessee football is such a fabric of the state," Hamilton said. “It’s border to border. It’s a part of who we are everyday.
“So it’s got to be somebody that can get out there and articulate that. It’s also got to be somebody that can sell to recruits. We do have to go outside our borders to get young men in here.”
Hamilton said integrity, scheme and talent evaluation (both in coaches and players) will also be factors.
Hamilton declined to put more specific parameters on his search, such as head coaching experience.
“I’m wide open,” he said.
That certainly brings coordinators into play.
“Everybody’s got to be somebody first,” Hamilton said. “Certainly a head coach has sat in that chair and there’s a different level of responsibility by being a head coach than not.
“But being a head coach at XYZ University is totally different from being the coach at the University of Tennessee.”
Hamilton expects the search firm to prevent the process from getting embarrassing if a handful of candidates decline UT’s advances. That means high-profile coaches can be approached.
“You’ve got to evaluate who are the right big calls to make but that’s not to say that those kinds of calls wouldn’t be made,” Hamilton said. “But we’re not interested in getting somebody a raise at another school.”
Hamilton said the search firm has his initial list and that contacts are being made.
Hamilton declined to outline what he was willing to pay UT’s next head coach, but said “We’ll be competitive, particularly based on somebody’s experience.”
Hamilton’s shining moment in hiring coaches came when he plucked basketball coach Bruce Pearl from Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Since arriving at UT, Pearl is 77-24 and has become a fan favorite with his energetic, infectious style.
While Hamilton wants a salesman, he doesn’t believe he has to go quite as far as Pearl.
“Basketball is totally different,” Hamilton said. “You’ve got to remember we had five coaches in 15 years so we were at a point where a lot of the fan base was ready to give up.
“We had to have an evangelist. In the end, football is really about what you’re going to do on the field.
“But I believe that you’ve still got to be able to sell because the celebrity status of a head football coach at the University of Tennessee is significant. You’ve got to have someone who is willing to bear that burden.”
So what kind of coach are UT fans most willing to accept?
“I think Tennessee fans are most willing to accept winning,” Hamilton said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
National Signing Day 2010
Signing day celebration at Neyland…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 245
BigVolinCarolina writes:
Let the search begin.
dnabbefe writes:
2nd
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
Basically he is looking for the Bruce Pearl of football
eefor10c writes:
That will be very hard for Hamilton. What does he know about integrity?
NO_DIGGITY writes:
"Way to go Hamilton"
"I will hire no coach before there time."
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
RockyTop1998 writes:
How about someone with a personality. And someone who has more than 3 lines
1) We will work like heck to get better.
2) I need to go back & watch the film.
3) dad gum
Just a thought.
username writes:
"The top characteristic Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton is looking for in the next football coach is integrity."
B.S. If that was the top characteristic, then Fulmer was your man. The top characteristic in a new head coach, if Hamilton is honest, is the ability to win more games than Fulmer did.
zqvol writes:
Hamilton needs to resign for the good of the University as a whole.
givehim6 writes:
Maybe we can cloan Pearl or Summit only add the football knowledge instead of basket ball knowledge.
tennesseetitan_vol86 writes:
Lane Kiffin would be a good fit, hes young but working under pete carroll speaks for itself as does his ability to recruit given current and past USC talent..........
tennesseetitan_vol86 writes:
Jon Gruden would also be fantastic. his wife was a cheerleader at UT and he started his coaching career on the hill..........
jgvol8 writes:
I think that when its all said and done, John Gruden will be the coach. PTI also reported yesterday that there is mutual interest.
tennesseetitan_vol86 writes:
PTI said that yesterday?
Waldorf writes:
Hamilton's real #1 criteria for the new coach -
"Win so that I will have a job in 12 months."
NO_DIGGITY writes:
The medication has worn off again.
bluetick writes:
CHRIS PETERSON... BOISE STATE!
http://www.broncosports.com/ViewArtic...
AlpharettaVol writes:
Sounds like he is backing off that timetable of having a coach in three weeks. The search firm can't even send their first bill to the university by then.
eefor10c writes:
I have been out of town for the past five days and did not check every article posted on this site. However, I was checking out ESPN and found the letter written by Karla "Horton" Douglas. If you know Volunteer-Lady Volunteer athletics you know the contributions she and David made. I'm wondering why there has been no coverage (that I was able to find) about that letter. I guess I'm not really wondering because John Adams is the sports editor and this letter deals with the positive ways players, former players, etc feel about a national championship winning coach. Even while getting screwed Fulmer stays loyal to the Orange. How did it feel outhouse adams, not being able to ask Fulmer a question? The following is taken from the ESPN Website:
Karla wrote a letter to David and Aaron expressing her feelings about Fulmer's firing. The family forwarded a copy of the letter to ESPN.com.
Karla wrote: "Our family has been rocked. Everything we have tried to instill in our son about relationships, loyalty and treating people how you want to be treated is being tried. He is staying positive, because that is the way a champion and a competitor thinks. But he is also thinking about his values and what he believes in. Does he want to play for a coach and have a relationship or go through two or three coaches and know that the fans and the administration are in control? We are a sports family and we understand that business majors are running college athletics, but that is not what we believe in. We believe in family, relationships and how individuals are treated."
David said Fulmer and his staff went out of their way to make sure that Tennessee football was a family.
"But Tennessee is now like everyone else in the college game," said David, who played six seasons in the NFL. "It's just about Saturday and wins and losses. Forget about developing young teenagers into men unless they win you games and make you money on Saturday."
David said the essence of how much Fulmer loves Tennessee came Monday night when he mentioned to the Vols' coach that Aaron might transfer.
"He said, 'Don't you do that. Tennessee is where he needs to be whether I'm there or not,'" Douglas recounted. "That's what kind of man he is."
David reiterated that all they were doing was exploring what their options were and that Aaron would have the final decision on whether or not he wanted to transfer. It's worth noting that Aaron's only official visit was to Tennessee, even though he was a highly recruited player coming out of high school in Maryville, Tenn.
"That's because of the Tennessee family and because of Coach Fulmer," David said. "We still love Tennessee, but we're also loyal to Coach Fulmer."
tennesseetitan_vol86 writes:
Why dont we just hire the clear cut best candidate for the job....................JOHN ADAMS
Volunatic writes:
Your first sentence almost made me think you had a brain. And then you wrote the rest of your post...
Sheepscape writes:
3-6. 1-5 in SEC. He had to go.
jgvol8 writes:
Yes. It was the 3rd or 4th subject they covered.
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
Is kiffin's ability a function of his skill in recruiting or that of being on the usc staff? Wade Houston was known as a great recruiter while he was at louisville.
With the condition that has been created at UT by the treatment of Phillip Fulmer, it would take a real lawyer or politician to sell a recruit on the concept of 'integrity' or does hamilton have his own definition of integrity?
tnbanker_govols writes:
Ha ha ha ha ....
That was great!
tennesseetitan_vol86 writes:
I couldnt agree more; everyone agrees that it was hard to see a man that has given so much to a team that we all love cry on stage with players in the room on national television ; but it was time. Why cant evereyone be honest and admit this fact. I mean, do you really enjoy losing to florida, alabama, and georgia almost every year?
blitzshoot writes:
it's pm not AM...you are confused. Return at 3am
hdhurst writes:
Nice idea...Hamilton looking for a coach all the things that he is not. Now, that's forward thinking that should buy him some time.
zbbb10#212690 writes:
Fulmer should be offered Hamiltons job.
tennesseetitan_vol86 writes:
Everyone quit cryin over fulmer and get ready for basketball season. BruceBall is back!!!!! Not to mention the TENNESSEE Titans are 8-0 in case you guys haven't noticed
bluetick writes:
Not to vote pro or con Fulmer because it doesn't matter now but also why not look at Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno. How many bad did they have during their tenure? Now it is possible and highly likely that Penn St will make it to the National Championship game. Why do people go to Penn St ? Because of Joe Pa. Same can be said about Fulmer. People can talk all they want but it's water under the bridge now.. Fulmer is out so let's focus on who will be our next coach.
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
And how did Florida do in o7? As good as Pearl and UT?
lomas98 writes:
Where did you get the top characteristic was integrity? According to the article, this is what Hamilton said.
"Hamilton said integrity, scheme and talent evaluation (both in coaches and players) will be factors."
Scheme and talent evaluation you left out. Of course he is going to want some one with Fulmer's integrity. But we also need fresh ideas on scheme. If we could evaluate and improve the talent we recruit, the QB situation would not be as bad as it has been this year. Cutcliffe probably knew what he had to work with on Crompton so he bolted to Duke.
beavbullvol writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
beavbullvol writes:
And name calling is always the best way to prove both your intellect and your opposition to even the most inane of arguments; At least according to liberals.
COACHWATCH writes:
Sounds like he is describing Troy Calhoun
Bio excerpt:
Groomed on the basics of integrity and passion, Calhoun is a native of Roseburg, Ore., and was raised in a home where both kids graduated from the Air Force Academy and were varsity letterwinners on nationally-ranked teams. Calhoun's younger sister, Callie, was a 1991 Academy graduate. She was a 10-time track and cross country All-American, who won a staggering six NCAA national titles.
Calhoun finished at the Academy on the superintendent's list and graduated with over a 3.0 grade point average and a military performance average of better than 3.0. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Colorado Springs and have two children, Tyler (six) and Amelia (four).
Calhoun, and his wife, Amanda, have a strong respect and affinity for the enlisted members of the armed services and are very involved with numberous charitable and community endeavors.
Sheepscape writes:
I love the fact that the people who used to lambast the realists here as negative are now quite negative themselves. Hamilton did the right thing. In no way was Fulmer mistreated or blindsided. If he and the team were so insulated as to think that the second losing season and 20th loss in four years wouldn't get your ticket punched then I feel sorry for them.
By the way, UT made Fulmer a very rich man and for awhile gave him some raises that were quite questionable. He will walk away from this job even RICHER than he was before due to the lucrative contract he received this summer.
Hamilton came in here a few years ago and when questioned said he expected to win an SEC title at least twice in ten years. Fulmer couldn't win it once in the last ten. Fulmer then received a contract with a modest eight win horizon. Again, he underachieved. That is what the recent past has become at UT...underachivement. It was time. Folks can look to the past if they want, I'm using my head rather than my heart and looking to the future. It will be rough for a bit, but how can it get worse than being at the bottom of the SEC East...which is where we are today.
Sheepscape writes:
I hardly think that Paterno has the reign right now. He doesn't even wear microphones and headgear in the press box. And Paterno's staff schooled Fulmer in two bowl games to boot.
Besides, Fulmer isn't the legend at this program those guys are. Our legend's name starts with an N. Regardless of why students may come to UT, they aren't being coached up to a competitive level.
You are correct though, that it's moot at this point.
caskew#218608 writes:
Let's do some comparisons. Bruce Pearl has been at UT for 3 seasons. His record is 77-24 overall and 36-12 in the SEC. Billy Donovan's record during his first 3 seasons at Florida was 49-41 overall and 21-27 in the SEC. Bruce Pearl has taken his teams to the NCAA tournament each of this three seasons. Billy Donovan only managed to get the Gators into the NCAA tournament one time. I would say after Bruce as been at UT as long as Billy has been at Florida(12 seasons) there won't be much of a comparison between the successes of the two coaches.
tennesseePhatz writes:
explain yourself more clearly with the Obama remark. Some may take this the wrong way!!!!!
proudveteran writes:
So Hamilton is looking for "integrity"!!!! Since Hamilton talks out of both sides of his mouth with a "forked tongue" at a high rate of speed...and he wants integrity! John Thornton, Thornton Athletes Academics Center donor, sounded off yesterday against Hamilton. Let Hamilton try to get more donations from Thornton such as the $80 million needed for the stadium improvements...he might find his anus between his shoulder blades!
vol2211insc writes:
I'm with you brother...I really like Brian Kelly when I watched that Thursday night game! From what I've heard on the talk radio shows over here in columbia is that he sometimes rubs people the wrong way. Can be slightly abrasive, and coaches with a little chip on his shoulder...but I think we need that. I think we have an excellent shot at getting him if we tried. We would need more time to persuade Leach...and I'm not too sold on Kiffen either...i Mean Al Davis was able to mess with his head. I'd hate to see what would happen if he lost his first game here.
GreeneVol writes:
Ball State coach?
OrangeAndWhite4Life writes:
Well written sir.
GO Vols !!
caskew#218608 writes:
He has been at Ball State since 2003. His record is 31-37. No.
murrayvol writes:
There's considerable risk involved with asking WeLove to explain anything.
murrayvol writes:
He's doing something right.
rusty_shackleford writes:
Tuscaloosa john would make a great ball washer.
The_Mayor writes:
That will happen one day. Be sure of that.
murrayvol writes:
Remember how long Frank Beamer was at Va Tech before he broke .500?
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