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Wes Walker
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<blockquote data-quote="Vespidae" data-source="post: 892009" data-attributes="member: 2957"><p>A friend sent me his tweet and I was literally, just about to post this. </p><p></p><p>I'm fairly close to the UT sports program. I visit monthly and know some of the administrators, former players, coaches etc. </p><p></p><p>This is my take ... Tennessee runs a professional operation and they do it extremely well. It's one of the few schools where athletics is part of the school itself and not a separate athletic association as we see at Tech. Funding it is not a problem ... massive merchandising revenue and ticket sales fuel just about anything they want. Changing coaches means $5 a seat price increase. They have excellent PR, media and communications not just in Knoxville, but across the state. Facilities are Top 5 in the country. </p><p></p><p>The BIG PROBLEM UT has, and has always had, is the power concentrated in the hands of a few boosters ... namely, the Haslams. They call the shots in return for the hundreds of millions they have pumped into the program. It was a 12 year descent into hell after Kiffin quit and ultimately the Butch Jones debacle, and Pruitt's negative influence on the program (along with the cash stuffed into McDonald's bags) created a hostile internal environment. </p><p></p><p>All that is gone now. Heupel is doing very well under the new Athletic leadership, the baseball team is rocking it, and the general feeling on campus is positive and upbeat. I was just there for a game and you can feel the old UT is back. </p><p></p><p>By way of comparison, Auburn also suffers from the influence of 3-4 key alumni. THEY are the ones making the decisions, not the AD and not the coaches. Everyone at Alabama (which used to operate the same way), agrees that Saban's legacy is that he "professionalized" the Alabama AA by kicking out all the boosters. "Hire me or fire me, but I'm in charge." </p><p></p><p>Tech will always find it challenging until they do likewise. The AA didn't even have a strategic plan until a few years ago. If there is ONE THING that Cabrera could do that doesn't involve state funds it would be to professionalize the AA. IMO.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Vespidae, post: 892009, member: 2957"] A friend sent me his tweet and I was literally, just about to post this. I'm fairly close to the UT sports program. I visit monthly and know some of the administrators, former players, coaches etc. This is my take ... Tennessee runs a professional operation and they do it extremely well. It's one of the few schools where athletics is part of the school itself and not a separate athletic association as we see at Tech. Funding it is not a problem ... massive merchandising revenue and ticket sales fuel just about anything they want. Changing coaches means $5 a seat price increase. They have excellent PR, media and communications not just in Knoxville, but across the state. Facilities are Top 5 in the country. The BIG PROBLEM UT has, and has always had, is the power concentrated in the hands of a few boosters ... namely, the Haslams. They call the shots in return for the hundreds of millions they have pumped into the program. It was a 12 year descent into hell after Kiffin quit and ultimately the Butch Jones debacle, and Pruitt's negative influence on the program (along with the cash stuffed into McDonald's bags) created a hostile internal environment. All that is gone now. Heupel is doing very well under the new Athletic leadership, the baseball team is rocking it, and the general feeling on campus is positive and upbeat. I was just there for a game and you can feel the old UT is back. By way of comparison, Auburn also suffers from the influence of 3-4 key alumni. THEY are the ones making the decisions, not the AD and not the coaches. Everyone at Alabama (which used to operate the same way), agrees that Saban's legacy is that he "professionalized" the Alabama AA by kicking out all the boosters. "Hire me or fire me, but I'm in charge." Tech will always find it challenging until they do likewise. The AA didn't even have a strategic plan until a few years ago. If there is ONE THING that Cabrera could do that doesn't involve state funds it would be to professionalize the AA. IMO. [/QUOTE]
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