Blackburn will not be no. 2 for Fulmer, but would accept Fulmer as no. 2

[BanditVol]

http://tennessee.247sports.com/Bolt/Sources-No-scenario-where-Blackburn-is-Fulmers-No-2-51261894

Interesting. 

I am sure the Fulmer bashers will scream that he won't be happy being no.2, and it would be a huge mess, but I personally would not mind.  Maybe it would be the best of both worlds.

[Tnphil]

JMO.....you don't fire someone and pay them 6 million to go away and hire them back.

[Creek Walker]

I don't think there's anything earth-shattering in that story. It should be no surprise that Blackburn wouldn't come back to Knoxville as the No. 2 guy. Why would he? He will wind up at a Power 5 school sooner rather than later. And if we don't snatch him up, it will be at our expense, because that Power 5 school will likely be an SEC opponent.

I wouldn't mind Fulmer playing second fiddle in the AD. But, while I know you don't want to hear this...it probably wouldn't work. And it could even prove disastrous if any trustees or mega-boosters tried to meddle too much.

I'm much more interested in the last scenario mentioned in the story: put his name inside the stadium. He's earned it; he won a national championship and is our all-time winningest coach. If that satisfies him and everyone can finally move past the drama and we're allowed to hire a qualified and seasoned AD, it's all the better.

[HerbTarlekVol]

JMO.....you don't fire someone and pay them 6 million to go away and hire them back.

Yep.  Give him $6 million to go away because the program he ran was in decline, yet you are going to bring him back and give him the keys to the entire store?  

Only at the University of Tennessee.  

[BanditVol]

Yep.  Give him $6 million to go away because the program he ran was in decline, yet you are going to bring him back and give him the keys to the entire store?  

Only at the University of Tennessee.  

Being in second is not the same as giving him the keys.  You make statements like this, and then wonder why I question your intelligence.   

In before you can say it. 

fizzle YOU!!!

 

[HerbTarlekVol]

Being in second is not the same as giving him the keys.  You make statements like this, and then wonder why I question your intelligence.  

In before you can say it.  

fizzle YOU!!!

 

You are some kind of stupid, Bandit.  

I didn't quote your post and you aren't the only person posting in this thread.  

If you can't understand that I was referring to hiring him as the AD then you have the brain power of a rotting acorn.  

[73Volgrad]

Fulmer has soaked this university for enough money. UT does not owe him anything. When SEC started getting good head coaches, Fulmer could not win the big games anymore and he started lazy recruiting. He picked and retained horrible assistant coaches that could not develop talent. His success only came when Cutcliffe was here. So no. Fulmer is way past his prime and wore out his welcome with mediocre teams his past years. AD is now an executive management positions that requires a skill set Fulmer does not have.

[Tnphil]

Again......YOU don't FIRE someone because they COULD NOT control the ONE sport they were head of.....pay the them SIX (6) MILLION to go away and then hire them back for ANY POSITION within your athletic department.

We are already one of the laughing stocks of college athletics.....They hire Fulmer to work within the athletic department the laughing stock will go to Defcon 1. Good grief the mention of it is laughable.

[murfvol]

Yep, Fulmer can fundraise all he wants. Give him a title and office outside the Athletic Department, but he doesn't get another dime. He also doesn't get to make decisions.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Fulmer aside, the funniest part of that article is that apparently someone thought that Blackburn would entertain the notion of being Fulmer's #2 in the first place.  Remember, Blackburn WAS the #2 here before, and the presumed AD in waiting.  It was widely speculated that he took the UTC job as a way to get his feet wet running a smaller department for a few years before making his return to Knoxville to take over the UT job. 

So it sounds like someone actually floated this line of BS to Blackburn and/or his people:

"Dave, you did a great job working your way up the ladder here in Knoxville for over two decades.  And you've absolutely killed it running the show at UTC.  So how would you like to come back here and...be our second in command again?"

[BanditVol]

Again......YOU don't FIRE someone because they COULD NOT control the ONE sport they were head of.....pay the them SIX (6) MILLION to go away and then hire them back for ANY POSITION within your athletic department.

We are already one of the laughing stocks of college athletics.....They hire Fulmer to work within the athletic department the laughing stock will go to Defcon 1. Good grief the mention of it is laughable.

Right.  And this is what I took your post to mean.  And I disagree, but that's okay, people can have disagreements and be civil about it.  

Edit: And if you want to point the finger for the "$6 million fiasco", it's pointed firmly at Hamilton.  He gave Fulmer an extension in March 2008, and then fired him in November 2008 under pressure from fans and alumni.  Without the extension, the case for firing was much stronger.  But leadership is not saying in March this is my man and then changing your mind 6 months later.  Leadership is going against the donor/alumni/fanbase pressure and saying "he's my man for another season and if necessary I'll go down with the ship".   True leaders are not swayed by the crowd, but sway it.  At least, that's my $0.02.

[BanditVol]

Fulmer aside, the funniest part of that article is that apparently someone thought that Blackburn would entertain the notion of being Fulmer's #2 in the first place.  Remember, Blackburn WAS the #2 here before, and the presumed AD in waiting.  It was widely speculated that he took the UTC job as a way to get his feet wet running a smaller department for a few years before making his return to Knoxville to take over the UT job. 

So it sounds like someone actually floated this line of BS to Blackburn and/or his people:

"Dave, you did a great job working your way up the ladder here in Knoxville for over two decades.  And you've absolutely killed it running the show at UTC.  So how would you like to come back here and...be our second in command again?"

That could be an effort to stroke Fulmer and not actually have anything to do with Blackburn (ie it's not a serious offer).  And it could be like the "HC in waiting" adapted by FSU and Texas.  That one was 50-50.    But yeah, either way it's a dumb idea.