KNOXVILLE - There has been much talk lately in the wake of Coach Bruce Pearl’s
great success with the rejuvenated University of Tennessee men’s basketball
program and the seventh national championship for Coach Pat Head Summitt’s Lady
Vols about how basketball has supplanted football as “the” sport on campus.
Admittedly, I have gotten caught up in that talk, too, as I’m very passionate
about UT basketball, but I remember that Coach Ray Mears, the greatest Vol
basketball coach ever, always had a twinkle in his eye about Tennessee football
as well, and he knew what it meant on The Hill. So when you make the trek to
Neyland Stadium Saturday for college football’s greatest gameday, remember
these things…
Tennessee football is the
30-year-old couple coming back to campus for the season’s opening game for the
first time since they graduated together from UT, with both their little ones
in tow. One of the kids wears her orange and white cheerleader outfit; the
other wears his #16 jersey, even though he's too young to understand why.
Tennessee football is the
50-year-old man like me who hopes no one sees tears in his eyes when the “T” is
formed by the Pride of the Southland Band. He is too choked up even to sing
"Rocky Top." For a moment, he feels foolish, and then he doesn't
care, and the tears flow freely down his cheeks, as he realizes how much he
loves this place called the Tennessee campus and how
special it really and truly is.
Tennessee football is the
60-year-old woman meeting her freshman granddaughter on campus, who now
represents the third generation of UT students in the family. Despite her age,
she'd strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for her gender and her
blasted arthritis.
Tennessee football fans have
always believed they are different, and they are. You can see it when you look
up into the 100,000+ seats in the newly-refurbished historic stadium. Our Big Orange is not the same as Florida's or Auburn's. But the differences
go much deeper than our colors.
Read the Tennessee football creed. What
other school has one? We genuinely believe in those things. To be a real Tennessee man or woman speaks of
character, not of geography. All are welcome to walk though our gates, not just
the wealthy or the elite.
Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been family. Make
no mistake, we loathe losing, but even in defeat, we would rather be a Tennessee Volunteer than anyone
or anything else.
Tennesseans are family, the sons of Majors and Neyland. We come from a long
line of brothers whose names include White, Gault, Wilson, Manning, Shuler,
Nash, and Mahelona. It is a great heritage.
So this Saturday, when the warm-ups are over, when the prayers and amen are
spoken, something you rarely hear in stadiums anywhere else but always hear at
UT, when you hear the thunder growing in the stands above you, when you stand
in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form….listen for the Voice of Tennessee
football when the gladiators, our players, run onto Shields-Watkins Field.
Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, Tennessee football’s Voice will
tell you something in a whisper that you may miss. It will be telling us that
we are its sons and daughters, and that
it is proud of us for the way we wear the Big Orange and White to the stadium
and to work and to church and everywhere we go. It will be telling us that we are
the beloved sons and daughters of Tennessee football and that we
are loved for that.
Tennessee football is so much
more than a state or a school or a team or a degree. It’s something that, once
you have experienced it, will live inside of you forever and become a part of what
makes up who you are.
It’s driving into town on gameday. You may have come from hundreds of miles
away, but as you get closer and closer to the Knoxville city limits, you feel
it rising inside of you, the emotion of it all. You will see other vehicles on
the highway proudly displaying their Big Orange and White flags or magnets or
car tags, and you honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, and indeed
every day, you are all on the same team.
It’s the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of tailgating...catching up
with old friends, making new ones, and the invitations from perfect strangers
to try their ribs or watch their satellite TV showing all of the day's
important match-ups...of course, all being secondary to the one that will occur
in the great cathedral of Neyland Stadium later that day.
It’s the Vol Walk...where you might just see men weighing upwards of 300 pounds
overcome with emotion and weeping with pride, because their fans have come
there to cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one
or two of them, and you can see it in their eyes...it’s going to be their day.
It’s the students...dressed in their best, because going to a Tennessee game is
like going to church for Tennessee people....you show the same respect you
would as if you were in God's house. Those students remind us of the days when
we were walking in their shoes and the Tennessee campus was our home...but then
we realize that, in many ways, it’s still is, and always will be, HOME to us.
It’s that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays Rocky Top as the
"T" is formed. That’s after the lump that you’ve already felt when
the band marched through the entire campus and culminated that march with its
traditional “Salute to The Hill,” before entering the stadium.
It’s walking around on "foreign" and sometimes hostile campuses on
the road. We are easily identified, as Tennessee people always are,
and the enemy jeers and shouts things at us to mask their feelings of
intimidation. But just then we happen upon friends we’ve never met before. We
know they’re our friends by the colors they wear or the shakers in their hands.
We exchange a "Go Vols!" and a confident grin, because he or she
knows what we know.
It’s when our hearts leap with every touchdown, field goal, sack, or
interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will always
have our undying support. After all, it’s those boys that we’re really there
for, not for a coach or a logo or a trustee or a president.
It’s the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over a
worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it were our
own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points ourselves...that
feeling of wanting to scream "Go Big Orange!" at the top of our lungs
and hug complete strangers...and then that ultimate high of defeating our most
hated foes from across the state or a neighboring state.
No words can truly describe what this feels like. The only ones that know the
feeling are those that have really have experienced it themselves.
It’s the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the clock and we
realize that all hope of a victory is gone. We feel like crying and maybe we
do...then we hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows louder and
louder...."It’s Great To Be A Tennessee Vol!"
It’s knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our hectic
lives, we can always come back to the Tennessee River...the place where we
all came from...our home. It will probably look a little different and there
will be new names on the backs of the jerseys, but deep down, no matter what,
it’s still the same. We still love it as much as we always have, because Tennessee’s as much a part of us
as our arms and our legs and the Big Orange blood that runs
through our veins.
And, finally, it’s the feeling we each have right now as we read these lines....the
anticipation inside of us, because we know it’s almost time...It’s almost THAT
time…It’s about to start all over again...but then it really never goes away,
does it?
IT’S ALMOST FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE! GO BIG ORANGE!
PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES RUSTY WALLACE RACING HALL OF FAME
Here are Mark Hancock's remarks at the Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame Press Conference at Holiday Inn Convention Center in Morristown at Noon on Wednesday, August 22, 2007:
“We have developed a winning team in our organizational structure for the Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame. You’ve already met Bill Sanders, our Founder, President, & Chief Operating Officer. It was Bill’s idea to create this Hall of Fame & he has pursued this goal with fierce determination for over 2 years now. As President of the Downtown Morristown Association, he has been a major driving force in helping the city’s central core thrive. He has a 16-year friendship with Rusty Wallace that has been cultivated over time, & that has led to this day.
“Bill & I met on press row at a Lady Vols basketball game several years ago on The University of Tennessee campus at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. We share a love for athletics in general & have formed a common bond as friends & business associates. Due to my experience in promoting sports events & in business consulting, he asked me to become a major shareholder in the Hall of Fame corporation & to serve as the Chairman of our Board of Directors as well as the Chief Executive Officer, something I was very proud to do. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Sertoma Center in Knoxville, as well as the Big Orange Tipoff Club & various other corporations & charities.
“Bill & I took a major tour of the Rusty Wallace headquarters in Mooresville, NC, this month, getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of all of his operations & meeting with his top executives. We also toured the Dale Earnhardt Museum & the Hendricks Motorsports complex. I have been very impressed with all of Rusty’s organization. We also visited the Sam Bass art gallery in the shadow of the Charlotte Motor Speedway & will be an exclusive dealer for his legendary NASCAR prints in our gift shop.
“Deborah Aarons, who could not be with us today, is a business executive here in Morristown. She has agreed to serve as our Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer of the corporation.
“Bill Denton is one of the premier architects in the Southeast & we are proud to have him as our designer & planner on this project. He is perhaps best known for designing the Sunsphere for the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. I have known Bill for many years through his work with various churches & other groups, & he & I attended the 7-year Bible Study Fellowship series together in Knoxville. We have several mutual business associates in East Tennessee.
“Mark Dyer is the new president of MotorSports Authentics of Concord, NC, the company that licenses all of the NASCAR driver & team apparel, die-cast cars, etc. They do a quarter of a BILLION dollars in annual sales currently. I’ve had a close personal friendship with Mark, who was formerly involved with the NASCAR Cafes, for over 30 years. He is a native of Madison, just outside Nashville, & a graduate of UT. When I was in law school & obtaining my MBA as well from UT, after earning my undergraduate degree there, Mark was also in school at UT & we worked together as part-time interns in Sports Information. Our Hall of Fame signed a contract to become a MotorSports Authentics dealer this month, & we will be selling a full-line of NASCAR merchandise to hungry NASCAR fans in this area.
“NASCAR's brand loyalty makes it a marketer's dream. The sport has helped its sponsors secure nearly $5 billion in total exposure, and its 75 million fans show their devotion with their wallets. Its market research shows NASCAR-lovers are three times more likely than all other fan groups to buy products from any company that sponsors their favorite drivers or teams. The sport has more corporate sponsors than any other major sport in the country.
“Advertisers such as Sprint Nextel, Allstate, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Gillette, Office Depot, Home Depot, Sunoco, Toyota, and UPS all premiered TV commercials this year at $500,000 for a 30-second announcement. The new eight-year, $4.5 billion TV deal with ABC/ESPN has helped drive the business to new heights. For the first time, ESPN has given NASCAR its own daily show: ‘NASCAR Now.’
“Rusty Wallace is right in the middle of all of this. He is the face of NASCAR on television every weekend, calling all of the races from the booth on both national TV networks. He will become more famous as a TV personality than he was as a legendary driver in the sport. We are also making him the first NASCAR driver in history to have his own racing hall of fame.
“The Hall of Fame is located right here in the middle of all of Rusty’s auto dealerships as well. He has three in Morristown, one in Newport, & two in Knoxville, with another being developed there. We will take advantage of all of that synergy in marketing.
“This is the largest private tourism project in the history of Morristown & Hamblen County. We anticipate that it will add millions of dollars in revenue for businesses in this area annually.
“One more thing regarding the popularity of the sport in this area….not only are we located right on the main corridor to Bristol Motor Speedway, but we are in the Top 5 TV markets nationally among NASCAR fans. Since the Greater Knoxville market is only 60th nationally overall but in the Top 5 for NASCAR, that means that there are more NASCAR fans per capita in East Tennessee than anywhere else in the world. We know that this will make this Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame a super success for everyone involved in it, & I am proud to be a major part of it.
“In the next few weeks, we will be finalizing interior plans with the architect & developer, discussing our site plan, parking, & road improvements, & getting our construction plan & schedule online with the developer, the city, the county, & the state, which is making major improvements to the interstate exit. We are coordinating everything we do with the Tennessee Department of Tourism & we expect them to be very involved in promoting our project statewide, regionally, & nationally.”
PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSTY WALLACE RACING HALL OF FAME IN MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE
Morristown, TN, Bristol, TN and Mooresville, NC,– The Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame is proud to announce that Bill Sanders, Founder of the Hall, and Eddie Hurley, Principal of Lakeview Management and Development LLC, have signed a Letter of Intent and reached an agreement in principle to jointly develop the Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame in Morristown, Tennessee. The Hall site will be located north of the I-81/US 25E Exit 8 interchange in south Hamblen County. Only an hour southwest of Bristol Motor Speedway, 40 miles northeast of Knoxville, and 22 miles from the I-40 Sevierville Exit 407 interchange, the site is in the heart of the tourism corridor of East Tennessee and NASCAR country.
NEWS CONFERENCE: A press conference officially announcing this agreement and providing details was held at the Holiday Inn-Conference Center in Morristown at I-81 Exit 8, which is adjacent to the proposed Hall of Fame site, at 12 Noon on Wednesday, August 22, 2007. The founder of the Hall, the developer, area elected officials, and several others who are to be involved in the project, were in attendance at the news conference. They will answer questions regarding it, and made themselves available for media interviews for both print and broadcast regionally and nationally.
Preliminary plans for the estimated $2 million privately owned and operated project will include construction of a 10,000 square foot facility that will include a visitor center, NASCAR-themed gift shop, refreshment center, and the state-of-the-art Racing Hall of Fame display.
Comments from Bill Sanders, Founder of the Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame:
“We are very pleased to make today’s public announcement,” states Bill Sanders. “Rusty has been very involved with this project from the beginning and we are very excited about bringing a new NASCAR-related attraction to our area. His legendary NASCAR career and impact on the sport will certainly be a highlight of the Hall. To our knowledge, he will be the first NASCAR driver to have his own Hall of Fame and the list of his potential inductees is a who’s who of the racing world.”
Other Information:
Morristown and Hamblen County, with their population of over 60,000, is a regional center for industrial, retail, medical, distribution, and educational activity in upper East Tennessee. Just an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it is projected that many of the millions of tourists and NASCAR fans who come to the area annually will visit the site. Wallace, who is now the face of NASCAR as the ABC/ESPN television anchor for the Nextel Cup Series, has many personal and business ties to East Tennessee. The 1989 Winston Cup Series Champion and 55 Cup race winner has six new automobile dealerships in the area. Three are located in Morristown, one in Newport, and two in the Knoxville area. Another is being developed in Knoxville. Bristol Motor Speedway was the venue of his first Cup win in 1986 and he amassed a career high of 9 wins at “his home track”.
Comments from Rusty Wallace:
“Bill announced the idea of a Racing Hall of Fame when he organized Rusty Wallace Day here in Morristown in my honor before my last Bristol Cup race,” recalled Rusty. “After I initially agreed to participate in this exciting project, we met and worked together on numerous occasions on the details of its development. This community and this area have been so good to me, and I have maintained many close friendships over the years. I continue to travel here on business on a regular basis and have a big following of fans that continue to support me and my car dealerships. I am very honored and thrilled that my Racing Hall of Fame will be located in Morristown and East Tennessee.”
WEBSITE AND PHOTO GALLERY: A new website, www.rustywallacehalloffame.com , is now live and will be updated periodically as the project moves forward. It is anticipated that the groundbreaking for the facility will take place this fall and that it will open its doors to the public in the spring of 2008.
As part of that website, we will have a photo gallery. We hope you will enjoy this pictorial record of our ongoing activities. Please feel free to use the captioned photos to accompany any media coverage about our project.
OTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Hall of Fame is proud to have achieved this milestone in making this public announcement. We appreciate the support of the City Council of Morristown, Hamblen County Commission, Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Morristown Association, who collectively financed a year-long committee study. The committee also received helpful information from the State of Tennessee Department of Tourism Development and numerous other related agencies. Committee members included Hubert Davis, Ray Potluri, Frank McGuffin, Nick Pollock, Bill Brittain, Deborah Aarons, and Chairman Bill Sanders. Advisors included Jim Crumley, Bill Denton, Casey Anthony, and Dennis Alvis. Chuck Davis, who passed away in April of 2006, was also an important member of the committee. Mark Hancock served as a consultant and personal advisor to Founder, President, & Chief Operating Officer, Bill Sanders. Hancock has been named Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board of the corporation. We look forward to making this a major regional venue for racing sports news and events in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.
MEDIA INFORMATION: All media are invited to attend all of our press briefings. We expect each of them to be covered extensively by print and broadcast media, including TV stations and newspapers. Local talk show hosts may have live remote radio broadcasts for some events and we expect national and regional coverage from those that cover NASCAR regularly.
All media are also invited to call or e-mail us to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various officers and directors that we will be announcing in the future regarding the project, our promotion of NASCAR, and the legendary career of Rusty Wallace. Principals in the Hall of Fame project will be making radio and television appearances and doing newspaper interviews regularly, and are available for speaking engagements to any groups who would like to know more about it.
OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE: The Rusty Wallace Racing Hall of Fame “Victory Lane Gift Shop” will be a one-stop shop for racing apparel for all the major NASCAR teams and drivers. As an official dealer of Motorsports Authentics, Concord, NC., we will offer a complete line of NASCAR licensed apparel and die-cast racing collectables. We have met with their new President, Mark Dyer, a native of Tennessee and UT-Knoxville alumnus, as well, to develop a partnership with them in that regard.
FEEDBACK: We invite you to send us email suggestions and make other comments via email feedback. We are always interested in getting suggestions from anyone to improve our endeavors. Please email us at markh@rustywallacehalloffame.com
A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO TENNESSEE BASKETBALL COACH RAY MEARS
By John Mark Hancock
Copyrighted – All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, June 12,
2007
When I heard early yesterday afternoon that Coach Ray Mears
had passed away into eternity at a nursing home in Knoxville at age 80, my mind
raced back over 40 years to the first time I ever met him as a wide-eyed UT fan
when I was just nine years old. That was my first exposure to Big Orange
basketball, in 1966, the year that his Tennessee Volunteers basketball team
beat the Kentucky Wildcats at Stokely
Athletics Center
to end the season in a rousing way, 69-62.
It was that game that got me hooked on UT basketball. I had
no idea at the time that it would come to be such a big part of my life, and
that the head coach of that team, his 4th in 15 seasons at the Vol
helm, would come to have such a big influence on me as an individual.
My Dad took me to cavernous Stokely to watch those 1960’s
games in which Mears battled the legendary Baron of Bluegrass, Adolph Rupp. Ray
became the only coach in basketball history to finish with at least a .500
record against Kentucky that had
coached against them as many games as he had (15-15). No one else did better
over time challenging UK.
As the years went on, I became at usher in the Orange Tie
Club section at Stokely when I was in junior high. I got to meet all of the
major supporters of the program Mears was building. When I started school at UT
early, after graduating from high school in two years, I worked part-time as a
Sports Information intern with men’s basketball, helping Haywood Harris with
media days and traveling on the road with the team in the famous Ernie and
Bernie days, still the Golden Age of UT basketball.
In those days, the SEC schedule had you go on the road for a
Saturday-Monday two-game road trip. We would leave on Friday afternoon on a
chartered jet and wouldn’t get back home until early Tuesday morning. I helped
John Ward do statistics sometimes on the radio. I especially remember a game in
Alligator Alley at Florida that
was exciting.
Since there wasn’t much to do in places like Starkville
and Auburn on Sundays, I got to know the players, coaches, administrators,
etc., very well, spending time with and eating all my meals with them. Coach
Mears always insisted that the team go to church on Sundays on the road. He
also wanted to find something for them to do to keep busy on Sunday afternoons,
too.
Coach had me go scout around town in Starkville
one weekend to find an event. When I came back and reported that a rodeo was in
town, he ordered the team bus to pick us up and take us there to get everyone
relaxed and keep their mind off the intense basketball game they had ahead on
Monday night.
Most of all, I remember that Coach Mears was intense. His
fiery eyes flashed, darted, and twinkled. He never lost that intensity and
never lost those unique eyes as long as he lived.
Ray saw to it that the Tennessee
basketball program went first class. He was as classy a man as I’ve ever known.
He told us that we would stay in the best hotels, eat at the best restaurants,
order the best thing on the menu, and ride in the best transportation.
However, he made it clear that all of us on all of those
trips were to conduct ourselves as first class citizens, too. He told us before
every trip that we were expected to be ambassadors not only representing
ourselves and our families and The University of Tennessee, but also the entire
State of Tennessee. He made it
clear that if we did anything that reflected badly on any of those things, we
wouldn’t be going on future trips.
Another thing that Coach Mears made very clear to us is that
we were never to react to the taunting of the crowd at away games. He was a
master at firing up the opposing fans.
Perhaps he is best known for parading around the court in
his Big Orange blazer before every Vanderbilt game at Memorial Gym in Nashville.
There is a story to that one that needs to be told as to how it began. However,
he would engender the wrath of the fans everywhere we went.
The key, in his estimation, was to fire up the team, to
motivate them to believe it was an “us against the world” situation that we had
to overcome. It promoted team cohesiveness. It was the reason UT had such a
great road record during his tenure.
He wanted the crowd fired up, and most of all, he wanted us
to totally ignore them, to show them that we were totally oblivious to them and
above the fray. That frustrated them even more when we wouldn’t look at or even
acknowledge them in any way. That was also a part of Ray’s master plan to win
games.
I was there when Tennessee
won the last UT-UK game at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
That was the game where Mears showed off some excellent coaching skills
and gamesmanship, and Ernie Grunfeld may have shot more than his share
of free throws.
It was Kentucky’s last loss in
their venerable old venue. I was also there when we won the first UT-UK game
the very next year at famed Rupp Arena. It was the first Wildcat loss in their
new place, too.
Once Rupp opened, Mears started the campaign to build an
arena in Knoxville. The plans for
it languished until Mears suggested that the UT administration should build
something bigger than what Kentucky
had. Once that decision was made, the entire state, city, and county
governments got behind it as a matter of pride to best our rival.
When I was a student at UT, my favorite place to hang out
between classes was at the UT basketball offices. I got to know the coaches and
secretaries well. It was always a beehive of activity. The phone, by edict of
Coach Mears, was always answered with the greeting, “Big Orange Basketball!” I
was privileged to answer the phone a few times in relief that way.
I also got to attend what were all closed practices during
Mears’ coaching career. Very few people were allowed behind the curtains that
stretched across the portals at Stokely
Center in the afternoons. It was
there that I saw the reasons why and how Tennessee
basketball was so special.
The practices were intense, even moreso than many games.
However, Coach Mears showed everyone that they were loved and appreciated as
individuals. He never used profanity. He was always true to his moral
principles.
Many of us knew that Mears had “Big Orange Forever” tattooed
in Big Orange ink on his wrist after he retired. That was the way he lived his
life, dedicated entirely to the school that made him famous.
I haven’t said much in this piece about Ray’s phenomenal
success as a coach. Had his career not been cut short by health issues, he
might today be in the Top 5 in wins all-time. As it stands, he is still in the
Top 20 all-time among basketball coaches in terms of winning percentage.
He was a master motivator and a genius at promoting the game
and the program he built. He was also a brilliant offensive tactician who
complemented the brilliance of his top associate all those years, Stu Aberdeen,
who was the defensive guru, who ironically passed away this same week 28 years ago.
Perhaps the reason I haven’t dwelt on his success as a coach
is that I got to know him as a man. I coached under him at his Camp of
Champions in the summer. He was a stickler for detail and made it clear that we
were expected to be on time for all our meetings, as well as see to it that our
teams followed the rules explicitly.
Much of the sel####iscipline I have in my life now, over 30
years later, is as a result of the principles that he instilled in me. He will
forever be a part of me in that regard. I viewed he and Coach Aberdeen as my
mentors and later as my friends.
On one particular road trip, I was flying on a private plane
with oilman and pilot Harry Bettis, a friend and big UT donor. We had played Auburn
on Saturday afternoon on TV and Florida,
the team we were going to play on Monday night, was playing on Saturday night
in Gainesville.
Coach gave me some scouting sheets and I was given the
assignment of scouting the game for them, since the team plane wasn’t going to
arrive until later. That confidence he placed in me to do that was something
I’ll never forget and for which I’ll always be appreciative.
I got to know Coach Mears’ sons, Mike, Steve, and Matt, when
I attended school with them at UT. I also got to know his wife, Dana, much
better during his illnesses later in life. I know the struggles they all had and
tried to keep encouraging all of them.
Ray was only able to attend two games this past season, the Texas
game, at which I got my photo made with him at his courtside seat that UT
Athletics Director Mike Hamilton provided for him, and the Kentucky
game, honoring his most famous recruit, Bernard King. Both were big wins for
his beloved Volunteers, and I can tell you from my personal talks with him at both games, he was very satisfied and happy.
One of the things that made Coach Mears happy the most is that he was able to live to see those who didn't appreciate him enough pass from the scene, and to be recognized for his unique contributions to the entire Big Orange Nation. Anyone who ever saw him tooling around town in his Big Orange Mercedes, with "Wizard of Orange" painted on the driver's door, knew how much he loved Tennessee.
On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Knox County Commissioner Larry Smith and I had the good fortune to be his only visitors that day at the nursing home where he was recuperating from his stroke this past November. Larry, who is also the Historian of the Big Orange Tipoff Club and serves with me on the Steering Committee, brought Ray a proclamation from Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, naming that special day "Ray Mears Day" in Knox County. I brought he and Dana a similar proclamation from Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam from the city government. His eyes twinkled and brightened when I read from those proclamations to him all of his accomplishments.
One thing I had almost forgotten about Coach Mears is that he was the inspiration for me taking the Military History 101 class that was offered by the UT ROTC program when I was a student in the 1970's. Of course, I thought it was kind of cool that the class met in Stokely Athletics Center itself, since that's where I liked to hang out anyway. But Coach Mears' lifelong passion for military history, and especially for General George Patton, whose photos he put in the UT basketball locker room just down the hall from the ROTC classrooms, was the reason that I wanted to learn more.
Ray viewed basketball as a war, and he had his troops ready for battle and on the attack for every game. He had SEC Championship rings for his players inscribed with Patton's brand from his huge Texas ranch, which was "Triple A Bar Zero." That signified that he wanted his teams to believe that they could win "Anywhere, Anyhow, Anytime, Bar Nothing." That was the way he lived his life, as a winning coach, as a winning soldier, as a winner in life, until the end.
When I became involved on the Steering Committee of the Big
Orange Tipoff Club a couple of years ago, it was to give back a little of my
time to a man and a program that has given so much to me. Ray Mears built UT’s
basketball program from nothing to something really special. We owe him a debt
of gratitude for that, and I also owe him and will be forever grateful to him
for what he meant to me personally as a man, far beyond what he did as a coach.
As most of you know, the Ray & Dana Mears Scholarship
Fund was started in his honor at UT. I hope all Vol fans will join me in
designating their donations to the University to it.
One more unfinished thing that needs to be done is to honor
Coach Mears in a more permanent way. I’m campaigning for the Tipoff Club and UT
to present a Ray Mears Award to a deserving basketball coach annually, one who
not only was a great coach, but who was also a great man who promoted the game
as he did.
However, his most lasting legacy needs to be having the UT
Board of Trustees rename the building that he alone was truly responsible for
having built, “Ray Mears Arena at Thompson-Boling
Assembly Center.”
It would be just a minor alteration in its name that would mean so much to
every Tennessee basketball fan
everywhere. It would be an altogether fitting tribute to the man who founded a
country, “Big Orange Country.”
Coach Bruce Pearl is the epitomy of Coach Mears. He wears
the Big Orange blazer in his honor during the Kentucky
and Vanderbilt games every season. He promotes and represents the program well.
Some have said that from the upper deck at the arena, Pearl
looks just like Mears prowling the sidelines as he used to at Stokely
Center.
Pearl
respects
the tradition that Mears built. Ray is already a Hall of Famer, having
been inducted into both the Tennessee and Ohio Sports Halls of Fame.
However, Bruce is pushing to get Ray inducted into the both
the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield
and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City.
He is most definitely worthy of both honors, having won a National Championship
at Wittenberg in his native Ohio
before coming to UT, and winning many more championships here on The Hill.
In summary, no matter what you thought of him, Ray Mears was
a winner. He provided me with countless hours of marvelous, wonderful memories
of great victories in Knoxville and
on the road. The 103-98 win over Kentucky
at home, billed as the “UT-UK Shootout,” was a classic.
The excitement of going to a game during his era is almost
indescribable. The UT Pride of The Southland Band would parade around the court
before every game. The lights would dim and the team would burst through the
giant “T” at the south end of the floor.
The crowd would be literally hanging from the rafters, as
every game saw Stokely Center
filled to overflowing with people and excitement for a decade and a half. It
was a happening, an event. People came early to see the spectacular warm-ups
that Mears initiated. It was better to be there an hour too early than a minute
too late, because you didn’t want to miss seeing and hearing what he might do
next.
Ray Mears was intense, but he also had a heart of gold. He
truly cared about other people. He made you feel special, like you were a part
of his family. He made the common man feel like they were a part of the UT
family, too.
No matter what is or isn’t done to honor him, and there is
much more that should be done by the Governor, as Chairman of the UT Board of
Trustees, by the UT President, and others, as I’ve related above, his legacy
will live on in the minds, hearts, lives, and souls of every true diehard
Tennessee fan, whether they loved basketball or not, as well as his players and
everyone he touched in his extraordinary life. He now belongs to the ages as a
legend who will never be forgotten.
By John Mark Hancock Copyrighted - All Rights Reserved
As 2007 gets into full swing, without much snow yet in the Great
Smoky Mountains, the University
of Tennessee men’s basketball team
is finding tough sledding on the road after some major successes in December.
It appears that Head Coach Bruce Pearl’s young team, while they overachieved in
the early part of this still-young season, has been humbled and brought back to
earth with three straight losses on the road, all of which were bitter and hard
fought at the end.
The fiery Pearl, who nearly got tossed out of the game on
the Plains when he was assessed a technical foul down the stretch while
protesting an egregious call by a referee, lost three games in a row for the
first time in his entire 15-year coaching career last night at Auburn. The
Volunteers blew a 14-point lead late in the game, which when combined with the
very poor officiating and the fact that star Chris Lofton never got to the free
throw line while the Tigers shot multiple free tosses throughout the game, led
to a 3-point loss.
A week ago UT lost to Vanderbilt by a single point in Nashville
on a last-second tip-in at the buzzer which should have never happened, as the
Big Orange failed to commit a foul they had to give to prevent the shot from
ever being made. Sandwiched between those two league losses was another game
the Vols should have won in Columbus against Ohio State, when a late bucket
that was wrongly counted as a 3-pointer allowed the Buckeyes to get a 2-point
comeback win.
Even with all of those heartbreaking defeats, Tennessee
finds itself still perched in the Top 25 nationally in both the polls and the
RPI, the ratings percentage index that is relied upon very heavily by the NCAA
Selection Committee in both giving bids and seeding teams in the tournament.
This is due, of course, to UT’s big wins in December over Memphis,
Oklahoma State, and Texas,
all in Tennessee.
Here’s a rundown on where all the teams on the Vols’
schedule are now in the RPI among the 336 teams that are rated nationally, what
UT did with each, and what they have on their upcoming schedule this month and
next:
Current College RPI (As of Thursday, January 18, 2007)
90. Vanderbilt – Loss on the road & Feb. 10 (Home)
97. Ole Miss – Jan. 24 (Away)
103. Auburn – Loss on the road
110. Fordham – Win in Nashville
139. Middle Tennessee
State – Win at home
179. East Tennessee
State – Win at home
189. Tennessee
Tech – Win at home
234. Murray State
– Win at home
242. UNC-Wilmington
– Win in Nashville
270. Coppin State
– Win at home
299. Louisiana-Lafayette – Win on the road
When you analyze the list above, you can easily see that
there are no easy games left. All of Tennessee’s
remaining opponents are in the Top 100 of the RPI. Nine of their 13 remaining
games are against teams in the Top 50, the measure that most observers use to
rate the true worth of a basketball team on a national scale, if you believe as
I do that Georgia will wind up in the Top 50 at year’s end.
That makes UT’s next two games absolute must wins. The Vols
simply must beat the South Carolina Gamecocks at home in Knoxville
on Saturday night and the Ole Miss Rebels on the road in Oxford
on Wednesday night. Those two teams are ranked #75 and #97 respectively in the
RPI two of the three lowest ranked teams left on the schedule. If the Big
Orange loses either of those games, they are in big trouble the rest of the
way. If they can regain their footing and win both of them, they will remain in
good shape in terms of their ability to get into the NCAA tournament, or at
least be able to preserve that possibility.
Following those two games, UT must go to Lexington to face
the Kentucky Wildcats a week from Sunday, then get the Georgia Bulldogs at home
in Knoxville before they have to go to Gainesville to face the defending
national champion Florida Gators, who will be out for blood since Tennessee
beat them twice to win the SEC Eastern Division Championship last season. Only
after that road trip does the schedule turn in the Vols’ favor, with five of
their final 8 games at home, where they have been drawing near-capacity crowds
at Thompson-Boling Arena and are in the Top 5 nationally in attendance.
All Volunteer fans realize that this team has already
overachieved. The fabulous freshmen that Pearl
recruited have done much better than expected. Tennessee
is still a big man away from being a top team to be reckoned with. This group
is growing and developing character with these losses that will hopefully pay
dividends at tournament time. They simply must overcome scoring droughts on the
road to develop into a consistent winner.
The fact that all three of these most recent losses have
been so close bodes well for the rest of the season. The 2 SEC games that were
dropped were against teams that UT should be able to redeem itself against when
Vanderbilt comes to Knoxville on
February 10 and if the Vols get to have a rematch against the Tigers in the SEC
Tournament in Atlanta. The Ohio
State loss, while bitter, was on the road against a Top 20 team in the RPI, as
were Tennessee’s only other losses this year, to #4 North Carolina and #17
Butler, both away from home, albeit on a neutral court in the NIT Season Tipoff
Tournament.
The real tests for this year’s team will be whether they can
sweep both South Carolina and Georgia.
Doing that will put them solidly in at least third place in the SEC East, and
will also give them a good seed in the conference tournament. If they can win a
couple of league tourney games, they have a good chance at a good seed in the
NCAA tournament as well. That’s about all this team was ever expected to do
this season, and probably a lot more. If the Big Orange can remain ranked by
the end of the year, this will have been an excellent foundation on which Pearl
can build for his third season at the helm on The Hill.
Remember, it could be a lot worse. Coastal Carolina
is now # 260 in the RPI.
KNOXVILLE - Pat Summitt certainly doesn't sound like a coach who is
ready to retire anytime soon. In her 33rd year at the helm of the
Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball program, she spoke to the Big
Orange Tipoff Club today about big plans she has for her program's
future.
Summitt has 927 wins to her credit, the most of any college
basketball coach ever. Incredibly, she has an 87% winning percentage in
the tough Southeastern Conference. She is the only coach that has been
in every NCAA Women's Sweet 16 that has ever been played in history. On
top of that, she plays the toughest schedule in America annually,
remains #1 nationally in the RPI as a result, and draws more people to
watch women's basketball every year than any other school. She has won
six National Championships, more than any hoops coach in history other
than the legendary John Wooden.
Her list of accomplishments is practically endless. In addition to
her national championships, she has won 25 SEC Championships, and
coached 12 Olympians and 18 All-Americans. She was named to the
Basketball Hall of Fame the first time she was eligible and was named
Naismith National Coach of the Century in 2000. Her Tennessee program
has been molded into a dynasty. She is truly a living legend.
As a player, Pat won Olympic Silver. As a coach, she won Olympic
Gold for the USA for the first time ever in women’s basketball in 1984
in Los Angeles. Success and accomplishment have become her legacy. She
is perhaps The University of Tennessee’s greatest ambassador, in demand
as a speaker, consultant, author, and motivator.
Summitt told the capacity luncheon crowd today that she feels the
schedule she has her teams play toughens them mentally and makes them
focused when tournament time comes around. She hopes that it will take
them to the Final Four of women's basketball once again, something she
has achieved so regularly that most UT Lady Vol fans are disappointed
if she doesn't make it in any given year.
Tennessee boasts perhaps the greatest player in the women's game,
Candace Parker, who at 6'4" aspires to be an Olympian in China soon.
Parker, now famous as one of the few female players in the game that
can regularly dunk the ball, had told her teammates that she was going
to dunk it during what turned out to be a signature win for them over
UConn on national TV this past weekend, cementing themselves as one of
the top teams in the nation at this stage of the season.
Asked whether she fears Candace will leave school early for the
lucrative WNBA offers she is sure to receive, Pat told the crowd that
she really hadn't thought about it too much. She was reminded that
Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowler Peyton Manning had sought her advice on
staying in college at UT rather than going to the NFL early. Pat said
that maybe she should call Peyton and ask him to remind her what advice
she gave him and give that same advice to Parker.
Pat said she enjoyed the T-shirts that her sorority sisters made
for the UT-UConn game, which said, "Geno loves Orange!," referring to
Geno Auriemma, the UConn coach with whom Summitt has exchanged barbs in
the past. She said they proved so popular that even some nuns bought
them and wore them.
Summitt also related a story about how junior college transfer
Shannon Bobbitt, a native of the Bronx in New York, was taking her
socks home with her rather than leaving them with the managers to
launder. When the managers told Pat that they were starting to miss
socks after practices, Bobbitt immediately confessed and said they were
so soft and warm compared to those she had been used to previously, she
didn't want to give them up or lose them. Summitt assured her that she
could have fresh ones anytime she wanted, and all the team had a good
laugh. It is a testimony to the family atmosphere Summitt has created
for her program.
It is also why Pat keeps attracting the top talent. Her eyes
brightened when she talked about the girls she already has committed to
join the team next year, including 6'6" post player Kelly Cain of
Atlanta, who chose the Lady Vols over Duke, LSU, and Georgia, Angie
Bjorklund from Spokane, Washington, whom Summitt deftly took from under
the nose of Stanford, and who also considered UConn and Duke, Sidney
Smallbone, the 5'9" shooting guard from South Bend, Indiana, and Vicki
Baugh a 6'4" forward from Sacramento. For Summitt, it appears the rich
just keep getting richer.
One thing that caused Pat's eyes to moisten at the luncheon was how
she has come full circle from her days as a player at UT-Martin. The
Lady Skyhawks came to Knoxville early this season to play the Lady
Vols, and Pat got to be reunited with her former coach and athletics
director who first recommended her for the head women's basketball
coaching job on the main campus in Knoxville when she was only 21 years
old. She addressed the UT-Martin team and invited them into her own
team's locker room, too, both of which were unprecedented. She said she
will always be grateful for that opportunity. Look for her to continue
to continue in that role for many years to come. She should surpass
1,000 wins in just a few more short seasons.
The last time that Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt in consecutive years was 1925 & 1926. The Vols are headed into very dangerous territory in Nashville tomorrow.
M.B. Banks' last Tennessee team in 1925 lost to Vandy in Nashville. He became ill during that season & gave up the UT job, taking job as Knoxville Central High's coach for the balance of his career.
In 1926, as all Vol fans know, General Robert R. Neyland became the UT coach. He also lost to Vandy in his first year as head coach in a game that was also played in Nashville, but only lost to them twice after that in his illustrious career on The Hill that lasted until 1952. In fact, he only lost to Vandy once at all in Nashville, in 1948.
The 2 schools didn't play each other in 1924, but for some reason they played 3 games in a row in Nashville, 1923, 1925, & 1926. Since then, all of the Knoxville games have been in the odd years & the Nashville games in the even seasons.
What would back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt mean? Perhaps another shakeup on the Vol coaching staff? It certainly would be devastating if this year's team lost in Nashville after having just suffered losses to LSU and Arkansas, with resurgent Kentucky looming the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
It is certain that we are headed into uncharted waters with there never having been consecutive wins by the Commodores over the Vols in 80 years. I'm not sure today's players understand the significance of that.
Even Bill Battle won his last one over Vandy in Nashville after having lost to them in Knoxville in his next to last season. Johnny Majors won his first 5 in a row over VU with less talent than UT has had in decades.
In fact, Majors only lost once to them and that was in Nashville in 1982, the last time Vandy had beaten UT until last year. In '82, UT finished 6-5-1, having a very similar year to what we had last season. The next year we bounced back for a 9-3 season, beating Maryland in the Citrus Bowl.
This UT team has a chance to make a similar comeback year and finish 10-3 with a bowl win. In order to do that, they must beat their cross-state rival tomorrow in Music City. Then they may earn a chance to return to Tennessee's capital city to face an ACC team in the ####lord Hotels Music City Bowl next month during the holidays.
In the wake of Shakeout Saturday, several
members of the BCS Top 10 bit the dust. Many previously unbeaten or
one-loss teams like Louisville, Texas, California, and Auburn all fell
out of contention for the National Championship Game.
Now that we head down the home stretch in the 2006 college football
season, only six teams realistically have a shot at playing for the
national title. Here they are, in the order they should be ranked this
week:
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. Southern Cal
5. Arkansas 6. Notre Dame
Fortunately for the BCS, the participants in this year's
championship game will again be decided on the field. Let's analyze how
that will happen:
Arkansas probably has the hardest case to make and maybe the
toughest row to ####. Like it or not, their double-digit loss to
Southern Cal in the first game of the season really put them behind the
8-ball in getting back into title contention. However, if they beat
Mississippi State, LSU, and then Florida in the SEC Championship Game
in Atlanta, they will deserve a shot at it all IF Southern Cal stumbles
along the way. If Southern Cal runs the table, however, there is no way
the Razorbacks will be picked to play for the title over the Trojans, simply due to their head-to-head results, and that is as it
should be.
Notre Dame, always the darling of the media, has to beat Army and
Southern Cal to claim their chance at a national title shot. If they do
that, they will most likely get the slot unless Florida wins out. The
overall strength of the SEC ought to trump Notre Dame's weak schedule
that is laced with patsies, as it is every season.
Southern Cal has three big games remaining, California, which will
surely bounce back from their loss at Arizona, Notre Dame, and UCLA,
with all of them basically being home games, even though they will play
UCLA in the Rose Bowl Stadium across town. If they win all three, it
will be hard to keep them out of the title game. The question then
becomes whether their loss at Oregon State is viewed as worse than
Florida's loss at Auburn.
Florida most likely is the only team outside of the winner of the
Ohio State-Michigan game that truly has its destiny in its own hands.
It would be a huge feather in Head Coach Urban Meyer's cap to get his
Gators into the title game. If he were to win it all, he might even
make the jump to the NFL, as he would have little else to prove in
Gainesville and his meteoric rise in the coaching ranks would make him
very attractive to many NFL teams, perhaps the Miami Dolphins for one.
They only have what will most likely be easy games left against Western
Carolina and Florida State in the regular season, and then will most
likely face Arkansas in the SEC title game in Atlanta.
Of course the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game this coming
Saturday is the odds-on favorite to win the national title. Will the
loser get a rematch in Arizona? I just can't see that happening. The
clamor from fans, coaches, media, etc., would be too great to make it
an all-Big 10 rematch for the national championship. On top of that,
the Rose Bowl will most definitely want the loser of this game to come
to Pasadena. The politics of things will most likely keep the loser
from having a shot at a rematch, even though that might be deserved.
Besides the loser of the Ohio-State-Michigan game being out of
title contention, obviously the loser of the Southern Cal-Notre Dame
game falls out as well. The same goes for the loser of the
Florida-Arkansas SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
Thus, your national title this year will be settled as it should
be, on the field. The Ohio State-Michigan winner will play either the
Southern Cal-Notre Dame winner or the Florida-Arkansas winner, assuming
the winners of those games win all their other remaining games.
Since Arkansas is the weakest name with the least star power on the
national scene, it will be very hard for them to get into the title
game over the Southern Cal-Notre Dame winner, despite the strength of
the Southeastern Conference and their dominance of the SEC Western
Division so far, in addition to their big wins over South Carolina and
Tennessee.
The real rub is going to come if Florida runs the table and is
denied a title shot. Is the Southern Cal-Notre Dame winner more
deserving than the Gators? Florida's victories at Tennessee and over
LSU are their biggest wins. They would certainly deserve to be in the
national title game over Notre Dame, but if Southern Cal were to whip
both California and Notre Dame down the stretch, the bias for Pac-10
teams might result in the SEC being frozen out of national title
contention again, just as Auburn was previously.
One of the weaknesses that still exists in the BCS formula is not
taking into account strength of schedule adequately. It is somewhat
measured by the computers, but strength of schedule ought still be a
separate specific component of the BCS rankings again, as it once was.
How do you measure the overall strength of the SEC vs. the Pac-10 vs.
the Big 10? Since it is settled in everyone's mind that the SEC is the
nation's strongest conference, year-in and year-out, there needs to be
a strength of schedule component added back into the mix outside of the
polls and computer rankings to make things fairer in the overall BCS
rankings.
By the way, spare me any talk at all that a Big East team, even Rutgers if they go undefeated, deserves to be in the national title game. That conference simply isn't in the same league as the big boys. They may still deserve to participate in the BCS, but it will be rare that any of that conference's members are strong enough to compete in any other league.
The Southeastern Conference has long been
known as a league that has an abundance of bowl tie-ins. This season
may be the year that they fill out more bowl slots than ever before,
and certainly more than any other league.
Of course, the SEC was a charter member of the Bowl Championship
Series (BCS). Their former commissioner, Tennessean Roy Kramer, was the
architect and guru of the Football Bowl Association's Tostitos National
Championship Game. Now his successor, Mike Slive, heads up the BCS,
too.
The SEC may very well get two of its member teams in the BCS year,
now that the number of available slots in BCS Bowls and the National
Championship Game have been expanded from 8 to 10 in the new "Plus One"
format that adds an extra game to the equation. The SEC's strength as
the #1 conference in America just might get them an extra BCS slot.
No matter how many SEC teams get BCS bids, however, the SEC has a
whopping nine teams that will most likely be bowl eligible at year's
end. I could see Florida playing in Phoenix for it all while another
SEC team gets a Sugar Bowl slot.
Now that everyone plays a total of 12 games in the regular season,
you only have to win half your games and go 6-6 in order to qualify for
a bowl. This means that many teams going to bowls will wind up their
seasons with a losing record, an anomaly that certainly should not have
been a consequence of this new policy.
Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, and Arkansas all have strong
records. Even after the Vols' embarrassing loss to Arkansas in
Fayetteville, odds are they will finish 9-3. The Hawgs, Gators, &
War Eagles will battle for the Capital One Bowl berth in Orlando if
none of them get into the BCS. LSU or Arkansas, if they don't make it
into the BCS, will most likely get the Cotton Bowl bid to Dallas, with
the other one getting the Chick-Fil-A Bowl nod in Atlanta.
Georgia and Alabama already have the 6 qualifying wins to go to a
bowl and one of them may get the Outback Bowl bid to Tampa, but will
most likely have to settle for either the Autozone Liberty Bowl in
Memphis or the ####lord Hotels Music City Bowl in Nashville.
That leaves South Carolina needing only one win to go bowling.
Kentucky qualified for a bowl by beating Vanderbilt. One of them will
most likely be picked to go to either Memphis or Nashville, and the
other will get the Independence Bowl bid in Shreveport. If this
scenario develops, only Vanderbilt and the two Mississippi schools, Ole
Miss and Mississippi State, will be left at home for the holidays.
For any conference to have 9 of its 12 members in bowls would be a
major accomplishment. We all know the SEC is the strongest football
conference in America and may be the best in basketball, too. Look for
the bowls to have a huge SEC flavor in 2006.
Georgia and Alabama are big-name schools with large followings, so
they will certainly get bids, but at least one school with at least a
6-6 record may get left out if the SEC doesn't get 2 BCS slots, South
Carolina or Kentucky.
The Wildcats might muster a 7-5 season if they beat
Louisiana-Monroe next week. However, would the Independence Bowl take
them over a 6-6 South Carolina Gamecock team with Steve Spurrier's star
power as head coach?
There's always the possibility that the SEC could negotiate a slot
with another bowl should that eventuality occur. However, it would take
a lot of maneuvering to get that done.
One thing that isn't generally known about the Chick-Fil-A Bowl is
that it gets the 4th or 5th pick of teams from the SEC, depending on
how many SEC teams make it to the BCS. After SEC BCS slots are filled,
the Capital One Bowl picks next, & then the Outback Bowl gets to
pick the SEC Eastern Division team it wants & the Cotton Bowl gets
to pick the SEC Western Division team it wants. Only after those
selections are made, with the proviso that the Outback can take the
next Western team & the Cotton can take the next Eastern team
instead of one from the division they have first choice over, does the
Chick-Fil-A Bowl get to make its pick.
However, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl is tied to the Atlantic Coast
Conference in a much stronger way, getting the second pick overall in
that league. Thus, the SEC teams that play in that bowl are almost
always at a disadvantage by playing a team from the ACC that is ranked
higher nationally & probably stronger. There is also a disparity in
payout, as the Chick-Fil-A pays the ACC school more than the SEC
school, the only bowl I know of in which the payouts aren't equal to
each participating team.
Something needs to be done in the new bowl contracts to correct
that inequity. It makes the SEC a second-class team in that bowl &
creates an unfair disadvantage & distribution to that conference
team. While the SEC must always keep its slot in the prestigious
Capital One Bowl, it ought to start letting the Chick-Fil-A Bowl pick
next & demand an equal payout with the ACC.
One more thing that SEC Commissioner Slive needs to do is get the
SEC involved again in the Gator Bowl. It is a natural for the SEC &
has hosted most every SEC school in the past. It is a tragedy that no
SEC team has played there for many years. The bowls in general ought to
do some trading so that they don't always match up teams from the same
conferences each year. The SEC was fortunate to get involved again with
the Liberty Bowl, also a natural venue for the SEC, but getting some
sort of tie-in with the Gator needs to be a top priority.
What does the future hold for Southeastern
Conference football coaches? Here's a look at them and an analysis of
who's on the hot seat and who may be moving on for other reasons:
1. Rich Brooks at Kentucky – Even though the Wildcats have improved
somewhat, it’s all just taking too long. Surely UK Athletics Director
Mitch Barnhart will want to pull the trigger and try to offer the job
to his friend, David Cutcliffe, before Cutcliffe pulls up stakes and
takes an offer from UNC in Chapel Hill. The big win over Georgia will
help Brooks, though.
2. Ed Orgeron at Ole Miss – You’ve got to know that this season is
absolutely killing the Rebel faithful, seeing the success Cutcliffe has
brought back to UT…ouch! The season Ole Miss is having also vindicates
Tennessee Head Coach Phillip Fulmer for taking a stand and pulling the
plug on the troublesome QB, Brent Schaefer…Don’t you know that the Ole
Miss fans would love to swap their QB for UT's OC again?
3. Sly Croom at Mississippi State – Although this will be a quiet
hot seat, realistically any coach has to be minimally successful or at
least competitive at MSU. They’re used to being a factor in the West,
and unless they can pull off some miracle wins at the end of this year,
he may only have one season left. The big win over Bama, though, might
give him an extension.
4. Bobby Johnson at Vandy – He and his staff came from Furman cocky
and brash like they had some magic formula for making expensive private
schools competitive in tough football conferences. The thing is, he
inherited success at Furman…but can he build it at Vandy? We’ll see how
it goes without Cutler there to make him look good. He probably should
capitalize on his win over Georgia and get a better job while he can.
He played Florida tough.
5. Les Miles at LSU – The Bengal Tiger fans were ruined by Nick
Saban, who would probably love to be back in Baton Rouge. And to be
fair, Miles inherited a ton of talent and hasn’t really pushed them up
and over that hump. If he has another multi-loss season next year, he
could start to hear serious rumblings from the Cajuns, even though he
finally won a big one on the road at UT.
6. Mike Shula at Alabama – He’s got the luxury of an obviously
talented freshman QB to point to as hope for the near future. What he
doesn’t have is any hardware to hold up as evidence that he’s going to
restore Alabama to SEC prominence. He's 1-3 vs. Tennessee and is headed
for a drubbing from Auburn again & an abysmal 2-6 SEC record. He
certainly won’t get any big wins this year. Another year without
seriously contending for the SEC West in 2007 and restless Bama
faithful will be looking for a change, maybe someone else willing to
cheat again to get them back on top.
7. Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee – No doubt there was a lot of loose
talk over this past off season. No doubt the fact that the Vols were
one point away from being 8-0 going into the LSU game (with that one
loss coming against perhaps the eventual national champion) has Fulmer,
the dean of SEC coaches, back in the saddle again…with a HUGE assist
from his friend Cutcliffe. The Vols are a fun team to watch again!
8. Houston Nutt at Arkansas – He's surprisingly leading the SEC
West and has the Hog fans going crazy. Another rough Southern Cal loss
notwithstanding, the Hogs are playing tough physical football…just ask
Auburn. If he can beat Tennessee, they will try to extend his contract.
The big win over Spurrier on the road helped him, too.
9. Steve Spurrier at South Carolina – The Gamecock Nation still
thinks that Spurrier’s going to lead them to the promised land of an
SEC/National Title. If nothing else, he’s raised the level of
expectations and has built on what Lou Holtz did to pull SC more into
the national spotlight. But the Ole Ball Coach is a victim of his own
success. He changed the SEC with his offensive innovations in the
1990’s, and when he did, he took away his own advantage. As long as he
keeps the Gamecocks in a minor bowl annually, he can stay in Columbia
as long as he wants. If he beats Clemson once in awhile, he’ll be a
hero. Odd that he’d find himself pitted against a Bowden again in an
in-state rivalry. If he doesn’t have the '#### in the SEC championship
game by 2008, however, he won't hang around another season – and it
will be his own call, since he won't be able to stand not being on top
again any longer. Fulmer may outlast him at 2 separate league schools.
10. Mark Richt at Georgia – “Defending SEC Champs” had a nice ring
to it for Bulldog fans. A 51-33 loss to the hated Vols, when they got
their nose broke & their face stomped on by a hobnail boot, really
hurt, but they know they’re unsettled at QB and David Greens don’t grow
on trees. There’s no panic for the Bulldawg faithful that suffered
through the Goff and Donnan years, but the losses to Vandy & UK
were embarrassing.
11. Tommy Tuberville at Auburn – Consistently challenging for the
SEC West title and the SEC Crown, Auburn is relevant again and the
Tiger fans are happy. If he keeps doing that and beating Alabama every
year, he’s going to be fine for as long as he wants to be a War Eagle.
He may be in a BCS bowl without even going to the SEC Championship Game
this year.
12. Urban Meyer at Florida – Gator fans will suffer another jilted
heartbreak in 2008 when he leaves Gainesville for the $$$ and the fame
of the NFL. I know his offense doesn’t translate well to the pro game,
but that will be overlooked due to his wins and losses and his youthful
energy. Don’t be surprised to see him come in and replace Jeff Fischer
in Nashville with the Titans. Meyer never stays in any one place too
long.
After 9 tough games in 2006, the Tennessee
Volunteer football team only has one more hurdle remaining to speak of,
at Arkansas in Fayetteville this coming Saturday. They have far
exceeded expectations in turning things around after a rare losing
season last year, even after this weekend's heartbreaking loss. Here
are the grades they have earned so far:
QUARTERBACK (A)
Erik Ainge's improvement under Offensive Coordinator David
Cutcliffe has been remarkable. He has the confidence of his teammates
and coaches, and his receivers are sure-handed, with an offensive line
that protects him well. He is a leader in the SEC in passing offense. Crompton
stepped up & did well with 2 great TD throws vs. LSU.
RUNNING BACKS (C)
Injuries to both LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster have left this
unit decimated. Montario Hardesty combines power & speed nicely
& has potential, but he is recovering from past injuries, too.
WIDE RECEIVERS (A)
Robert Meachem is a gifted athlete who is far more menacing after
the catch. He is a leader nationally in receiving yards. He will most likely
go to the NFL early. Jayson Swain is a money man. Bret Smith is a notch
below them, but is sure-handed, too.
OFFENSIVE LINE (C)
While they give good pass protection, their run blocking is
abysmal. Is that because they are more mobile & less beefier,
something everyone cried out for them to be last year? They had minus
rushing yardage vs. Florida for that game & minus rushing yardage
for LSU for a good part of that game, both losses, of course. If Ainge
didn't have such a quick release, there would've been more sacks this
year. Crompton is more mobile & rolls out & moves the pocket or
he would've been sacked more, too. Sears is great & McNeil is good,
but the others are just average.
DEFENSIVE LINE (C)
The Vols' front 4 is weak now that Justin Harrell is gone, and they
give up too many 3rd down conversions to opponents. They also don't get
enough sacks. They have given up far more rushing yards than Chavis'
units usually do. LB Ryan Karl is having to make tackles that ends
Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds should be making. The youth of the
line means it will be much better in 2007.
LINEBACKERS (B)
Ryan Karl, Jerod Mayo and Marvin Mitchell have all stepped in to
fill the shoes of 3 stars who are gone from last season & done very
well for themselves. Mitchell & Mayo are among leading tacklers in
the SEC. Rico McCoy is also a rising star-to-be in this corps.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (C)
Inky Johnson's injury forced Antwan Stewart and Demetrice Morley to
both step up, but their weaknesses have been exposed. Talent is there,
but no depth, resulting in spotty play when the starters tire. Jonathan
Wade is a star and Morley is becoming one after his LSU game heroics.
Jonathan Hefney had a big INT in that game & is a great tackler,
too, but he is making tackles the DL should be making.
SPECIAL TEAMS (C)
Place-kicker James Wilhoit & punter Britton Colquitt are at the
top of the SEC in talent. Kick coverage has improved somewhat but is
still poor, and return yardage is still not good, either. Wilhoit is
doing well on FG's, but missed a key one vs. LSU. Colquitt has a great
average, but his net average is just average due to the fact that we
can't cover.
COACHING (B)
They didn't keep enough fresh players rotated throughout the game
against either Florida or LSU, resulting in blowing 10-point
second-half leads in both games & bitter league home losses. Credit
Fulmer for bring back Cutcliffe, who has certainly turned around the
offense, doubling its output. Inexperience and injuries make Chavis'
job very tough.
OVERALL (B)
No question this group is talented & capable of ringing up
points if Ainge recovers from his injury, or even if he doesn't.
Scoring 3 TD's on LSU is impressive. It's as much as Florida did &
far more than Auburn did. Putting up 51 points on Georgia was no fluke,
either. This team has improved markedly over last year but for the 8th
year in a row, UT won't be playing for a championship of any kind. They
will be a decided underdog at Arkansas. However, with a bowl win, they can
lose to the Hawgs & still finish 10-3, doubling their win total in
2005. Fans will expect even more improvement for 2007, though, as it is
time for UT to get back to Atlanta for sure.
After 9 tough games in 2006, the Tennessee
Volunteer football team only has one more hurdle remaining to speak of,
at Arkansas in Fayetteville this coming Saturday. They have far
exceeded expectations in turning things around after a rare losing
season last year, even after this weekend's heartbreaking loss. Here
are the grades they have earned so far:
QUARTERBACK (A)
Erik Ainge's improvement under Offensive Coordinator David
Cutcliffe has been remarkable. He has the confidence of his teammates
and coaches, and his receivers are sure-handed, with an offensive line
that protects him well. He leads the SEC in passing offense. Crompton
stepped up & did well with 2 great TD throws vs. LSU.
RUNNING BACKS (C)
Injuries to both LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster have left this
unit decimated. Montario Hardesty combines power & speed nicely
& has potential, but he is recovering from past injuries, too.
WIDE RECEIVERS (A)
Robert Meachem is a gifted athlete who is far more menacing after
the catch. He leads the nation in receiving yards. He will most likely
go to the NFL early. Jayson Swain is a money man. Bret Smith is a notch
below them, but is sure-handed, too.
OFFENSIVE LINE (C)
While they give good pass protection, their run blocking is
abysmal. Is that because they are more mobile & less beefier,
something everyone cried out for them to be last year? They had minus
rushing yardage vs. Florida for that game & minus rushing yardage
for LSU for a good part of that game, both losses, of course. If Ainge
didn't have such a quick release, there would've been more sacks this
year. Crompton is more mobile & rolls out & moves the pocket or
he would've been sacked more, too. Sears is great & McNeil is good,
but the others are just average.
DEFENSIVE LINE (C)
The Vols' front 4 is weak now that Justin Harrell is gone, and they
give up too many 3rd down conversions to opponents. They also don't get
enough sacks. They have given up far more rushing yards than Chavis'
units usually do. LB Ryan Karl is having to make tackles that ends
Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds should be making. The youth of the
line means it will be much better in 2007.
LINEBACKERS (B)
Ryan Karl, Jerod Mayo and Marvin Mitchell have all stepped in to
fill the shoes of 3 star who are gone from last season & done very
well for themselves. Mitchell & Mayo are among leading tacklers in
the SEC. Rico McCoy is also a rising star-to-be in this corps.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (C)
Inky Johnson's injury forced Antwan Stewart and Demetrice Morley to
both step up, but their weaknesses have been exposed. Talent is there,
but no depth, resulting in spotty play when the starters tire. Jonathan
Wade is a star and Morley is becoming one after his LSU game heroics.
Jonathan Hefney had a big INT in that game & is a great tackler,
too, but he is making tackles the DL should be making.
SPECIAL TEAMS (C)
Place-kicker James Wilhoit & punter Britton Colquitt are at the
top of the SEC in talent. Kick coverage has improved somewhat but is
still poor, and return yardage is still not good, either. Wilhoit is
doing well on FG's, but missed a key one vs. LSU. Colquitt has a great
average, but his net average is just average due to the fact that we
can't cover.
COACHING (B)
We didn't keep enough fresh players rotated throughout the game
against either Florida or LSU, resulting in blowing 10-point
second-half leads in both games & bitter league home losses. Credit
Fulmer for bring back Cutcliffe, who has certainly turned around the
offense, doubling its output. Inexperience and injuries make Chavis'
job very tough.
OVERALL (B)
No question this group is talented & capable of ringing up
points if Ainge recovers from his injury, or even if he doesn't.
Scoring 3 TD's on LSU is impressive. It's as much as Florida did &
far more than Auburn did. Putting up 51 on Georgia was no fluke,
either. This team has improved markedly over last year but for the 8th
year in a row, UT won't be playing for a championship of any kind. They
will be a decided underdog at Arkansas. However, with a bowl win, they
lose to the Hawgs & still finish 10-3, doubling their win total in
2005. Fans will expect even more improvement for 2007, though, as it is
time for UT to get back to Atlanta for sure.
Fresh off big wins over Alabama at home and South Carolina on the road, the Tennessee Volunteers return to Neyland Stadium this Saturday afternoon for a nationally-televised visit from the LSU Bengal Tigers. The Vols pulled off a miraculous victory in the hurricane-delayed game in Baton Rouge last season in sweltering Tiger Stadium, where the on-field temperature was over 100 degrees, with the heat index much higher.
Thus, LSU has revenge on its mind. It was the only big victory that UT had for all of 2005, and it kept the Tigers from having a perfect Southeastern Conference record and perhaps a shot at the National Championship. However, UT Quarterback Erik Ainge also has a lot to prove in this one. After showing a lot of panic and throwing a last-minute interception in the first half at LSU last year that led to a Tiger touchdown and put his team in a huge hole, he didn't play the rest of the game and was bailed out by backup QB Rick Clausen, who led Tennessee to its come-from-behind win.
You can bet that LSU will go after Ainge with all they can on defense, showing blitzes to rattle him. However, these Tigers don't appear to be as toothy as last year's edition. For one thing, they lost their only two big tests of the year to nationally-ranked Auburn, 7-3, and to SEC East-leading Florida, 23-10.
The rest of their schedule has truly been a bunch of also-rans, UL-Lafayette, Arizona, Tulane, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Fresno State. They have piled up big numbers on offense against those weak defenses, and have held their inept offensive opponents to less than a touchdown on average. For those 6 games, they have won each by an average score of 44-6, so for the most part, they are truly untested
