New Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin is only 33 years old. So he’s obviously too young to be a head coach.
So was …
-- Vince Dooley, who became the head football coach at Georgia when he was a kid of 32.
He was in his late 40s before he had his first losing season. He won 201 games, six SEC titles and a national championship.
-- Bear Bryant, who won his first game as the University of Maryland head coach when he was 31. He won 322 more games, six national titles and never had a losing season in 25 years at Alabama.
-- Paul Dietzel, who became LSU’s head coach when he was 31. Three years later, he won a national championship.
He won two SEC championships before he was 38.
-- Gene Stallings, who was 29 when he became the head coach at Texas A&M. He won the Southwest Conference championship when he was 32. He later won a national title at Alabama, where he won 10 or more games five times in seven years.
-- Urban Meyer, who was 37 when he became the head coach at Bowling Green. He won a national championship at Florida five years later. In eight years as a head coach, he has never won fewer than eight games in a season.
-- Shug Jordan, who was 23 when he became the head basketball coach at Auburn. Eighteen years later, he became Auburn’s head football coach. In between, he won the purple heart and bronze star in World War II. And in 1957, his unbeaten Auburn team won the national championship.
-- Johnny Vaught, who won his first of six SEC championships at Ole Miss when he was 38.
-- Frank Broyles, who became the head coach at the University of Missouri when he was 33. A year later, he took the head-coaching job at Arkansas, where he won seven Southwest Conference championships.
-- Adolph Rupp, who became Kentucky’s head basketball coach when he was 29. He won 876 games and four national titles.
-- Billy Donovan, who became the head basketball coach at Marshall when he was 29 and the head coach at Florida two years later. He won his first national title before he turned 41.
UT also has had its share of kiddy coaches, none of whom would be accused of running the program into the ground.
Ray Mears was hired as UT’s head basketball coach when he was 36, six years after he took his first college head-coaching job. All he did at UT was win 71.3 percent of his games and coin the term “Big Orange Country.”
Pat Summitt was 22 when she became the Lady Vols head basketball coach. Eight national championships later, it’s not too early to say that has worked out OK.
But that’s basketball. UT football is a different animal, right?
General Neyland was 34 when he became the head football coach at UT. He didn’t lose his third game until he was 43. And when they named the stadium after him, it wasn’t because he paid for the advertising.
Neyland also is remembered for his seven maxims, which summarized what he thought it took to win a football game.
Maybe an eighth is now appropriate: Don’t worry about how young your head coach is.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 43
gslaton#227127 writes:
Don't forget Bill Battle. But....that didn't work out. Don't start kissing his *** too quickly.
hotrodvol writes:
WELCOME TO BIG ORANGE COUNTRY KIFFIN FAMILY!!!
jcherrie#219531 writes:
Joe Paterno 39
Bobby Bowden 29
hbvol writes:
Kiffin better start winning quickly, because all the fans who wanted Fulmer to have a chance to turn it back around will turn quickly on Kiffin.
I predict that in 3-5 years one of two things happen, Kiffin is a success and leaves to go back to the NFL or he gets fired if he doesn't win big, fast. Either way David Cutcliff will be the next head coach and The Chief will rejoin him as D-Coordinator. Cut will be tired of being second tier at Duke by then.
This is in no way an indictment of Kiffin's ability because he is obviously a bright guy and I wish him the best of luck. The UT job is a tough one, especially with the Coaches already in the eastern division.
Good Luck Lane. I hope you understand the commitment it takes to win in this conference and especially for these fans.
GO VOLS!
orangeblood writes:
Read the title slaton PLENTY of kid coaches have tasted success. I was skeptical of kiffin from the beginning, but he was the best hire for three reasons: 1. youth; 2. recruiting track record; 3. He is going to assemble a kick-azz staff. He's faced the worst case scenario as a young coach already. He won't see anything in knoxville he didn't see in Oakland, I assure you.
mattingly writes:
Doug Dickey was 31 when he arrived in Knoxville. He won SEC titles at age 35 and age 37 and turned the program around in second season.
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
Give him the Oscar, he got what he wanted, now let's see just how smart John Adams is?! If we win, OK! He's just a man.
leedsvol2007 writes:
You have to like the hire, time will tell if it was the right hire.
Now that we have made the change I like the direction with the staff.
Assuming he can shore up recruiting Kiffin should be coming into a good situation. There is some interesting young talent coming forward and Crompton showed signs of coming to life last night.
Its time to move on and its looks like we have brought in youth and energy.
GoVols!
tnvolfnly writes:
Welcome to BIG ORANGE COUNTRY Coach Kiffin!!!! Please remember that anything less then a 10 and 2 season is grounds for an ADAMS STYLE BASHING around here.
oasis3#214380 writes:
I hope Kiffin closes practice and pisses off John Adams.
MANVOL writes:
And remeber Kiffin 5 wins and losing season 2 out last 4 yrs are ok for the "Fans" of the previous coach so you should be safe. They didn't think a change was needed. Go VOLS!
steve22043#233791 writes:
Lets just hope he's not another coach doing time in tanning booths like Richt and Saban
TNVolAlumni writes:
Already sucking up, Adams? You're so transparent. Would someone please tell me why this clown is the Sports Editor?
orangeblood writes:
He is for a reason TNVol...bc PEOPLE LIKE YOU KEEP READING HIS ARTICLES!!! You are paying him! I LOVE john adams. He tells you how it is. He's been on fulmer's case since 2002. We were all blind, but Adams, for the most part, stood by his opinion. I mean, would you rather have a head columnist like Mark Packer or Rick Russo talking about how great and wonderful everything is, when it really isn't? John Adams and Mike Strange need raises...griffith is the far-fetched one. If there's anyone who should be disliked for his writing styles, it is griffith. I still don't get what he writes sometimes.
HeckuvaStandpoint writes:
Dude you gotta let go....cut the cord, so to speak. It is time to turn the page....no Cut, no Chief....a new era begins today...all things Fulmer are done now. CPF was great for UT, but his time came and went, now we must look forward, not back.
The 20% of fans that wanted Fulmer to turn it around will just have to wait. The cupboard is bare. It will take a few years.
Already the assistants and coaching staff (based on what we're hearing) are already superior to CPF's staff.
Let's hope that Coach Kiffin can:
Evaluate and Develop talent
Motivate and Inspire
Make in-game adjustments
Bring innovation back to the playbook
Stop with the Seniority system for PT
Institute discipline
Play to win, not play not to lose
Stop playing to the talent level of opponent
Stop losing games you are supposed to win.
Bring on the new era. It is YEARS past due
newtonrail writes:
Adams is an #!!% and needs to go for more than p.o.ing Fulmer. As far as this post, I can't see where what staff members have been mentioned will be superior to Fulmer's.. Partly because not that many have been named, and we don't know they who is really coming. Monte Kiffin has been a great DC in NFL, but Chavis did good job when had horses. As somebody pointed out, with no blacks named, it increased the chances he might keep Drayton and Scott on Staff.. My point is some of these baseless superlatives heaped on Kiffin now are as unwarranted as vicious attacks on Fulmer.
BillVol writes:
Nailed it, John. Another great column. We are lucky to have you in Knoxville.
givehim6 writes:
I do not think the mans age matters as much as how he works out as a head coach. Three key things he can do to win over the Vol nation. 1. Bring in a kick butt staff. 2. Bring in a top 5 recruiting class. 3. In your first year beat UF and Bama, beating every team in the SEC east would be a good touch.
junder13 writes:
I find it amusing how some ppl on here bash Adams no matter what he writes. This article is spot on. Usually the most talented coaches with the greatest potential begin their career at a young age. If you stop and think about it, it makes perfect sense. The best rise to the top quickly.
UT is taking a risk, no doubt, but then again, if you want to beat Meyer, Saban and Richt than you're going to have to. Whether it pans out or not, I'm not going to hate on Hamilton after this hire. He's showing that he's not playing "not to lose", which is the mentality UT football fans have become all-too familar with. It's no wonder some of you fans aren't comfortable with this hire...
kabul_vol writes:
At least we are talking about something positive these days. If he builds a good staff I think good things will happen for Coach Kiffin at UT.
The expectations are high, though. Not much time for a crawl, walk and run learning period.
rusty_shackleford writes:
Very interesting article. I wonder who did the research for tuscaloosa john?
piledriver writes:
Alex the Gr. and Jesus were both 33 when they left us.
yeavols#228407 writes:
Wow..what a prediction. What do we get if you're wrong? Too bad though it's a half azzed wild guess that may have a grain of truth to it (where he may not work out). Oh, and Cutcliffe will NOT be the head coach at Tennessee. He's happy at DUKE and a good fit there. If Kiffin doesn't work out, then we'll just have to find the right fit. It may be tough for anyone in the SEC to win immediately after you inherit a program that has been run into the ground (exception of Saban).
JayTee writes:
If you don't like John Adams why the he** do you read his columns or do you just like to bit*h about everything.
Get a life.
jasonn1970 writes:
Post of the day naffy.......
ScoobyDoo writes:
It never ceases to amaze me the vitriol some of y'all have towards Adams no matter what he writes. Of course, usually it isn't taking issue with an actual point made by Adams in the article, with facts to support the opposite opinion, but rather just personal insults directed at Adams.
I think the point Adams is making in this article is a good one: there are plenty of examples of young coaches who have turned out well. Does this mean Kiffin will? No, of course not. But it does mean that there are plenty of examples of those who did.
Kiffin's got the keys to the castle. We'll see what he's able to do with the responsibility. If he does, as reported, add his dad to the staff, that is a definite benefit, and shows he's mature enough to handle other egos on the staff. I'll be interested to see how the elder Kiffin handles college kids; hopefully his defense isn't too complicated for the college game, but I don't see him getting out-prepared our out-coached. Remember too that Saban was able to transform his defense from the pro game to the college game.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Say it real slow. New coach. New asst coaches. Cleaned house. Charts are gone. The fixing process is underway.
Now, how many days till Western Ky?
TheVolMan writes:
Ah, Master Weenie workinlikehek! You stay so mad that JA was right about Phil. Fulmer had great success then, to your dismay, turned into Failmer. Adams saw the rot in the program and told it like it was.
Great article John. Stay mad and small-minded workinlikehek...
rllipscomb#212376 writes:
I still want to know why Adams is not being held accountable for the failure of his staff that has been repeatedly scooped by reporters outside Knoxville.
Basketball_Jones writes:
I hope he can...
Develop Talent...
Make adjustments at halftime...
Not sit on a lead and put his foot on the other teams throat when their down..
Make Neyland Stadium a place no one wants to play...not even Wyomming
eefor10c writes:
I find it very interesting that all of the Fulmer-haters are now trying to tell those who supported the team this past year that they need to get behind the new coach and support the team. Supporting the team is exactly what Vol fans do. The haters are the ones who didn't support the team, supported the boycott of the games, booed the players and coach and now you are telling others to SUPPORT THE TEAM!!
SomeGuy writes:
I hope he closes practices and pisses off all the "tater salad" eaters who claimed close personal friendships with Fulmer and otherwise propped up the Fulmer regime to the severe detriment of the UT football program.
SomeGuy writes:
Your logic is faulty. You Fulmer supporters supported Fulmer over the program. You were pulling for the Univ. of Fulmer even as he was driving the Univ. of Tenn. football program into the ground. Those of us who wanted Fulmer fired wanted that *because* we're UT fans first. I have nothing personal against Phil Fulmer; I thank him for his service and I'm sad that he chose to retire around the year 2000. I find it irritating that he chose not to mention that fact to UT and therefore continued to draw a salary in subsequent years as he let the program go to hell and made no attempt to fix it. Those who wanted Fulmer retained included the fans and coaching staffs of South Carolina, Florida, Bama, UCLA, Vandy, and the Fulmer-lovers like you.
dhwright64 writes:
Test
dhwright64 writes:
It appears to me that Fulmer belongs in the group of football coaches mentioned above. Four had better winning percentages and four had worse.
General Neyland – 85%
Urban Meyer – 82%
Bear Bryant – 79%
Johnny Vaught – 76%
Phillip Fulmer – 75%
Vince Dooley – 72%
Frank Broyles – 71%
Paul Dietzel – 57%
Gene Stallings – 56%
RockinTop writes:
I agree SomeGuy.....I find it offensive that people call me a Fulmer hater just because I don't let the truth hurt to the point of blindness and I am not afraid to say he needs to go. Fulmer's success has been on the decline for a while now. That's reality. He needed to go not because I hate him, but because I love the VOLS. Any good business person knows that you can only carry a business so far and then it needs to be sold or new management put in place. UT Sports is business, that's reality.
Frankly, I am stoked!!! Watching the press conference got me all fired up. One: he wears a visor ;-) and two he clearly doesn't coddle players.....another of Fulmer's biggest weaknesses.
Rock on Coach Kiffin!!....I am looking forward to you busting some heads down in the swamp.....and do me a favor? Sling your visor a couple of times, spit, bite your nails, fling a clip board or two. One thing I "hate" is applause for players when they are not playing to their potential. I "LOVE" your enthusiasm!!
GO BIG ORANGE!
d2l writes:
I hope Coach O rips his shirt off and calls out John Adams.
tennesseebee writes:
what in the hell are YOU drinking. my hope is that it doesn't make you blind and my prayer is that you don't try to drive.cut will NEVER be head coach @tn. and who was he declining the job to? i'm certain he wasn't asked to head coach. he is a great o coord. that's it.
Doobz15 writes:
Kiffin back to the NFL?? With a young family and a horrible experience with a "dysfunctional franchise" (Kiffin's words), I don't expect him to want to go back to the NFL. As long as he has the program going in the right direction, why wouldn't he want to stay in the best conference in college football?
BIGEJ writes:
Just get the current players and the new recruits and win....simple.....GO VOLS
leedsvol2007 writes:
I don't think all of those who supported Fulmer did so unconditionally.
Frankly I thought he had the ability to get us back on track but his time was running short to prove it.
However, its over Fulmer and Chavis are gone and I am a Volunteer first and a Fulmer supporter 2nd.
I listened to Lane Kiffin today and was impressed with what I have heard and the way he handled himself and the fact he is already aggressively recruiting.
It obvious, like Fulmer when he took over for Majors, he is coming in with energy and focus. I believe he will get us back to the level we expect.
Let's not be like Alabama fans where it took 3 to change a light bulb. 1 to change it and two to say how good the old bulb was.
GoVols!
THE_VOL writes:
You are a freaking moron! If Kiffin wins like Richt and Saban you'll be the first one in line to rub his lotion on!
mattingly writes:
Neyland was 33 when he was named head coach. He was 34 when he coached his first game. He lost game No. 1 in 1926 at Vanderbilt, game No. 2 in 1930 at Alabama, and game No. 3 in 1933 at home against Duke. He was 41 in 1933. Russ Bebb's history of Tennessee football reflects that the Vols started spring practice in 1926 in early February, weeks before Neyland's 34th birthday.
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