Five years ago if you had one thing you wanted as a fan base when Hamilton left it was that our football program and, as a byproduct, our Athletic Department was back in the black. Say whatever you want about it being because he "lucked into a coach", the ESPN/SEC deal, talent explosion in middle TN, etc. The fact of the matter is that his job was accomplished.
Is he perfect? No. Do I like him? Not especially. As a huge hoops fan, am I pleased with what he's done? Not even close. But his primary responsibility was to get football healthy and that's been accomplished. He's made mistakes along the way. Show me an AD that hasn't. Maybe he's not the AD to see that through and lift up the rest of the sports. That's fine. We'll bring in someone else now that can do that. But he did what he was supposed to do.
As far as the Lady Vols thing, he did what he needed to do there too. He'll get blamed for it and vilified by many, but it needed to happen. It was never going to go smoothly with the militant Lady Vols fans that were against it.
Like a potential candidate for the AD job said recently, "Being AD is like backup QB. Everyone loves you until you have the job. Then boosters want 8 seats at the 50. Then fans want everything fixed now." It's not an easy job.
But football is fixed. Hopefully the next AD can take what Hart has done and keep building. Thank you Dave Hart.
Is he perfect? No. Do I like him? Not especially. As a huge hoops fan, am I pleased with what he's done? Not even close. But his primary responsibility was to get football healthy and that's been accomplished. He's made mistakes along the way. Show me an AD that hasn't. Maybe he's not the AD to see that through and lift up the rest of the sports. That's fine. We'll bring in someone else now that can do that. But he did what he was supposed to do.
As far as the Lady Vols thing, he did what he needed to do there too. He'll get blamed for it and vilified by many, but it needed to happen. It was never going to go smoothly with the militant Lady Vols fans that were against it.
Like a potential candidate for the AD job said recently, "Being AD is like backup QB. Everyone loves you until you have the job. Then boosters want 8 seats at the 50. Then fans want everything fixed now." It's not an easy job.
But football is fixed. Hopefully the next AD can take what Hart has done and keep building. Thank you Dave Hart.
