and our general lack of leadership over the past 2 Presidents and not convinced we can or will make the best hire this time around.....and, then, yesterday on a road trip I listened to Paul Finebaum on his afternoon show on ESPN radio...
Just wanted to listen to the show because I knew it would be in Knoxville and he'd likely have some good guests. At one point he interviewed UT's Chancellor (who reports to a UT President) and I was absolutely blown away by her and her leadership role in terminating Pruitt for cause and refusing to pay his buyout of $12+ million dollars and why firing him was the right thing to do even though there was strong resistance from some in the UT community and some of it came from people who normally got their way at UT.
Then she talked about leadership for a few minutes. Just blew me away. She reminded me that Danny White is their AD and how that hire was the most important hire of the two (White and then Heupel). Once the decision was made to terminate Pruitt it was Danny White who led the search and who made the decision to hire Heupel. She talked about how intelligent he is (3 degrees, including a Masters degree and a PhD) and how well he is respected on campus not only by the coaches and athletic office personnel but by the professors and academic people at UT. She called White UT's secret weapon.
I was already impressed with her in the interview and then they talked about the impact of Heupel's success and this years start.....and, of course, I know she was on national TV and was selling UT....but that was a part of her point on her last subject of discussion.....how this hire and this level of success has exploded in interest from around the nation not only from HS football players but also from potential students around the country. She talked about UT's explosive growth and how this year's team has only generated more interest in UT.
Then it hit me. The right people in the right place at the right time are critical for this kind of thing to happen. And its not just about football. It's about energizing or re-energizing the whole campus, the whole fan base....even Auburn University itself.
She pointed out that this is the 2nd Game Day trip to their campus in the last 3 weeks or so and that you can't buy that kind of publicity for you University....and how its already impacting interest from around the nation in UT...and UT is surging now, not just in football.
That's it. That's why we need to make the right hire this time, right now.
That's why we need the type of leadership she provided UT at a critical juncture in their program from our President. And that's why we need to hire the right AD to start this thing right.
Sorry for the length. Just a note on my moment of clarity yesterday listening to this impressive leader. UT is lucky to have her...and Danny White.
Just wanted to listen to the show because I knew it would be in Knoxville and he'd likely have some good guests. At one point he interviewed UT's Chancellor (who reports to a UT President) and I was absolutely blown away by her and her leadership role in terminating Pruitt for cause and refusing to pay his buyout of $12+ million dollars and why firing him was the right thing to do even though there was strong resistance from some in the UT community and some of it came from people who normally got their way at UT.
Then she talked about leadership for a few minutes. Just blew me away. She reminded me that Danny White is their AD and how that hire was the most important hire of the two (White and then Heupel). Once the decision was made to terminate Pruitt it was Danny White who led the search and who made the decision to hire Heupel. She talked about how intelligent he is (3 degrees, including a Masters degree and a PhD) and how well he is respected on campus not only by the coaches and athletic office personnel but by the professors and academic people at UT. She called White UT's secret weapon.
I was already impressed with her in the interview and then they talked about the impact of Heupel's success and this years start.....and, of course, I know she was on national TV and was selling UT....but that was a part of her point on her last subject of discussion.....how this hire and this level of success has exploded in interest from around the nation not only from HS football players but also from potential students around the country. She talked about UT's explosive growth and how this year's team has only generated more interest in UT.
Then it hit me. The right people in the right place at the right time are critical for this kind of thing to happen. And its not just about football. It's about energizing or re-energizing the whole campus, the whole fan base....even Auburn University itself.
She pointed out that this is the 2nd Game Day trip to their campus in the last 3 weeks or so and that you can't buy that kind of publicity for you University....and how its already impacting interest from around the nation in UT...and UT is surging now, not just in football.
That's it. That's why we need to make the right hire this time, right now.
That's why we need the type of leadership she provided UT at a critical juncture in their program from our President. And that's why we need to hire the right AD to start this thing right.
Sorry for the length. Just a note on my moment of clarity yesterday listening to this impressive leader. UT is lucky to have her...and Danny White.
