Most Over/Underrated Vol Coach

#76
#76
I humbly disagree. Why do you think it’s the staff’s job to carry a head coach. Nick Saban carried his staff and taught his players. He lost 4-6 coaches a year and never missed a beat. CFP couldn’t coach his fair/good players to greatness and held back his assistants. He could recruit but he was afraid of letting his assistants look better than him. That was his downfall. He also took advantage of CJM when he was ill. I can’t give him a pass for that. Go Vols.
Saban had Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkesian, Curt Signetti and Jimbo Fisher.

Love Johnny, but Majors did himself in, it wasn't Fulmer. He was on thin ice before his hospitalization. Fulmer's success when Majors was sidelined, with the players rallying around Fulmer, made the decision to move Majors out easy for the powers that be. They didn't want to lose Fulmer, who would have undoubtedly gotten multiple offers had they not acted. As it turned out, you'd have to admit it was the right move.
 
#77
#77
Saban had Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkesian, Curt Signetti and Jimbo Fisher.

Love Johnny, but Majors did himself in, it wasn't Fulmer. He was on thin ice before his hospitalization. Fulmer's success when Majors was sidelined, with the players rallying around Fulmer, made the decision to move Majors out easy for the powers that be. They didn't want to lose Fulmer, who would have undoubtedly gotten multiple offers had they not acted. As it turned out, you'd have to admit it was the right move.
I think most, if not all, thought the same at the time. I did especially after the Bama game. Then, after the Bama tie the next year, I wondered if we had exchanged a two dollar bill for two ones. However, 10 consecutive wins against them and a NC later, we were proven correct.
 
#78
#78
Good discussion.

One guy I always thought had the potential to be a good coach but never really materialized as a legitimate guy and has seemed to fizzle of recent years was Mike Bajakian. He was here under Bitch Jones. Left to go coach QBs at Tampa Bay and really hasn't been heard of since. I always thought he did a good job with QBs though.
 
#79
#79
Overrated - Bill Battle (meaning he was clearly overrated by those that hired him)

Underrated - Ray Bussard (well you didn't specify football but he always said he was a football coach at heart - he was the Tony Vitello of the 1960s and 1970s as he took a program that didn't exist and transformed it to a national power with a NCAA championship in 1978 - my favorite tradition of his was taking a gallon of Big Orange water from Tennessee's pool and dumping it into the away pool they were getting ready to swim in - genius)
 
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#80
#80
Overrated - Bill Battle (meaning he was clearly overrated by those that hired him)

Underrated - Ray Bussard (well you didn't specify football but he always said he was a football coach at heart - he was the Tony Vitello of the 1960s and 1970s as he took a program that didn't exist and transformed it to a national power with a NCAA championship in 1978 - my favorite tradition of his was taking a gallon of Big Orange water from Tennessee's pool and dumping it into the away pool they were getting ready to swim in - genius)
The swim team? Didn’t the guy who was a star of the 78 team later coach the team in the 90s and early 00s? Trembly?
 
#81
#81
Also. I remember as a kid in the 70s being on swim teams and when we had meets at UT I was in awe of the size of the aquatic center and the facilities at the time. Maybe this coach was responsible for getting upgrades to our facilities.
 
#83
#83
The swim team? Didn’t the guy who was a star of the 78 team later coach the team in the 90s and early 00s? Trembly?
Yes and yes. John Trembley won three individual events and two relays at the 1973 NCAA championships. He was the talk of the swimming world at the time. I was an age group swimmer then, thus the interest.
 
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#84
#84
The swim team? Didn’t the guy who was a star of the 78 team later coach the team in the 90s and early 00s? Trembly?
Andy Coan was the big name on the 1978 championship team. His wrists got messed up in a car accident after the NCAA championship and it was a big story in the swimming world at the time, that he came back from that and won an NCAA individual event after that. He passed away a few years ago.
 
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