Bill Battle had been on Doug Dickey's staff before Dickey defected to coach Florida. However, IIRC Battle had never even been a position coach at UT, much less a coordinator. He had been in charge of video reviews. Anyone who knows differently, please correct me. However, Battle was a very smart guy and came across great in interviews. Of all the coaches we have had at UT, I think that Battle came across better in press conferences and interviews than any of our subsequent coaches. I just do not think Battle was close to being ready to be a head coach. Yes, if you look at his record it shows maybe UT's best winning percentage. What that hides is that the first year he was head coach we had the talent Dickey had recruited. After Battle's first year, the record steadily went downhill, until we were beaten by North Texas State. Battle could have been a good coach, if he had a chance to develop before being a HC. He was just not ready to be a HC. He is great person, but he just was not ready at that point to be a HC. I think he was embittered by his experience at UT that included some dumbass fans sending a moving van to his house before he was fired, when only his wife and young children were there. So, he became successful in business and became a multimillionare, before becoming AD at Bama.
I was a Fuller Brush salesman when I was a student at UT. Bill Battle's house was on my route, when he was an assistant coach. I never saw him there. His wife was so very courteous and polite. Very classy. A very,very, nice person. I really am revolted about imagining some dumbass sending a moving van to the Battle's house, when she was the only one there. Just UT fans at their very worst.
And, the TV money has changed everything. Doug Dickey was on my Fuller Brush route as well. He lived in West Hills, for any of you who are familiar with Knoxville. Now, it was a nice neighborhood and nice houses, but nothing like the mansions coaches who are now living in when they are making millions of $. Battle also lived in a very modest house. I do not remember whether it was in West Hills or Crestwood Hills. That was back when coaches lived like real people. TV money has changed all of this so that coaches are multi millionares.
I was a Fuller Brush salesman when I was a student at UT. Bill Battle's house was on my route, when he was an assistant coach. I never saw him there. His wife was so very courteous and polite. Very classy. A very,very, nice person. I really am revolted about imagining some dumbass sending a moving van to the Battle's house, when she was the only one there. Just UT fans at their very worst.
And, the TV money has changed everything. Doug Dickey was on my Fuller Brush route as well. He lived in West Hills, for any of you who are familiar with Knoxville. Now, it was a nice neighborhood and nice houses, but nothing like the mansions coaches who are now living in when they are making millions of $. Battle also lived in a very modest house. I do not remember whether it was in West Hills or Crestwood Hills. That was back when coaches lived like real people. TV money has changed all of this so that coaches are multi millionares.
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