Previous Basketball Coaching Search Question

[Volfan1000]

I was 12 when Mears stepped down in 1977 because of depression and was wondering, Did Tennessee consider Coach K at Army as well as Pitino to replace Mears before DeVoe was hired?

Anybody remember who was on that coaching list?

Thanks for any information.

 

[VolArmy74]

I don't recall K being considered. No real reason to do so. He hadn't made any waves as a HC at the time. Pitino was an unknown assistant at the time. DeVoe had been to the NCAA T at Va Tech and had some 20 win seasons under his belt. That said, no way he'd be hired now. He was 12-15 the year we hired him from Wyoming.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I was 12 when Mears stepped down in 1977 because of depression and was wondering, Did Tennessee consider Coach K at Army as well as Pitino to replace Mears before DeVoe was hired?

Anybody remember who was on that coaching list?

Thanks for any information.

I don’t remember a coaching search. Without the inter webs and tracking flights, seems like Devoe just showed up. But since they were both Knight’s protégés I’m sure that K was known of. Devoe had the NIT championship which carried more weight back then. I wonder if had Devoe turned down the job if Coach K could have landed at TN? Bobby Knight was the biggest name in coaching other than former coaches Wooden and Rupp. Knight was bigger than Dean Smith.

Pitino had zero experience as a head coach. No chance he was in play.

 

[Volfan1000]

I don’t remember a coaching search. Without the inter webs and tracking flights, seems like Devoe just showed up. But since they were both Knight’s protégés I’m sure that K was known of. Devoe had the NIT championship which carried more weight back then. I wonder if had Devoe turned down the job if Coach K could have landed at TN? Bobby Knight was the biggest name in coaching other than former coaches Wooden and Rupp. Knight was bigger than Dean Smith.

Pitino had zero experience as a head coach. No chance he was in play.

It would have been interesting to see if Coach K would have ended up here had DeVoe turned down the job.

 

[Savannahbayvol]

I was 12 when Mears stepped down in 1977 because of depression and was wondering, Did Tennessee consider Coach K at Army as well as Pitino to replace Mears before DeVoe was hired?

Anybody remember who was on that coaching list?

Thanks for any information.

Woodruff didnt consider anyone except DeVoe after the UCLA AD recommended him. Should have hired Hugh Durham who was at FSU at that time and took them to the Final 4. UGA hired him and he took them to the Final 4.

As mentioned DeVoe had 1 good year at Va Tech was fired there because he applied for the tOSU job and they didnt hire him, Went to Wyoming and was 12-17 there when Woodruff hired him. Also had a reputation as a mediocre recruiter. One could write a book about UT coaching searches.

 

[VolArmy74]

Woodruff didnt consider anyone except DeVoe after the UCLA AD recommended him. Should have hired Hugh Durham who was at FSU at that time and took them to the Final 4. UGA hired him and he took them to the Final 4.

As mentioned DeVoe had 1 good year at Va Tech was fired there because he applied for the tOSU job and they didnt hire him, Went to Wyoming and was 12-17 there when Woodruff hired him. Also had a reputation as a mediocre recruiter. One could write a book about UT coaching searches.

The crazy thing about DeVoe, after his 3rd year the Vols were rolling. He got a raise and extention (39k a year salary) but still told the KNS he would listen to any Ohio State offer that came his way.

 

[Coddlecreek1]

I was 12 when Mears stepped down in 1977 because of depression and was wondering, Did Tennessee consider Coach K at Army as well as Pitino to replace Mears before DeVoe was hired?

Anybody remember who was on that coaching list?

Thanks for any information.

I was hoping for Stu Aberdeen, little short assistance coach who recruited Bernard King . King said he couldn't believe some lil white dude standing in front of his high rise project building (Fort Green ?) , and calling him to come down to talk to him as he looked out his upper floor window . I think Coach Aberdeen took the Marshall job and then passed away with heart attack . Heck of a recruiter, Coach Mears right hand man.

 

[TartanTurff]

I was hoping for Stu Aberdeen, little short assistance coach who recruited Bernard King . King said he couldn't believe some lil white dude standing in front of his high rise project building (Fort Green ?) , and calling him to come down to talk to him as he looked out his upper floor window . I think Coach Aberdeen took the Marshall job and then passed away with heart attack . Heck of a recruiter, Coach Mears right hand man.

Fort Hamilton and they were in until the end on Bernard's brother, Albert King, who ended up going to Maryland under Lefty Drisell's tenure.

During DeVoe's first season in 1979, his Tennessee team won the inaugural return of the SEC basketball tournament, the Vols only tourney championship since they brought it back, he wasn't a terrible hire in the Wade Houston, Donnie Tyndall category, however he did not have a solid recruiter on staff which eventually caught up with him and he couldn't adapt to the new three point line and the dynamic changes that outside or inside out strategy caused.

 

[1985Vols]

I was hoping for Stu Aberdeen, little short assistance coach who recruited Bernard King . King said he couldn't believe some lil white dude standing in front of his high rise project building (Fort Green ?) , and calling him to come down to talk to him as he looked out his upper floor window . I think Coach Aberdeen took the Marshall job and then passed away with heart attack . Heck of a recruiter, Coach Mears right hand man.

Story was Aberdeen used a broom in practice to guard King, Reggie Johnson, Kosmalski, etc… I think Aberdeen was about 5’4”

 

[Coddlecreek1]

Story was Aberdeen used a broom in practice to guard King, Reggie Johnson, Kosmalski, etc… I think Aberdeen was about 5’4”

Len Kosmalski had a son who played for Davidson ..do you remember when they had an under 6 foot All American Team ? Vols had a dude named Dickie Johnston from Pa who made it . Do you remember this guy ? UT used to recruit Pa, Ohio and Indiana seemed like . Mike Edwards was from Indiana right ? am I losing it ?

 

[1985Vols]

Len Kosmalski had a son who played for Davidson ..do you remember when they had an under 6 foot All American Team ? Vols had a dude named Dickie Johnston from Pa who made it . Do you remember this guy ? UT used to recruit Pa, Ohio and Indiana seemed like . Mike Edwards was from Indiana right ? am I losing it ?

You’re knowledge is much better than mine. I do remember the name Dickie Johnston. Mike Edwards was the Greenfield Gunner from Greenfield, Indiana. One of our All time greats

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Len Kosmalski had a son who played for Davidson ..do you remember when they had an under 6 foot All American Team ? Vols had a dude named Dickie Johnston from Pa who made it . Do you remember this guy ? UT used to recruit Pa, Ohio and Indiana seemed like . Mike Edwards was from Indiana right ? am I losing it ?

Dickie Johnston was Billy Hahn’s understudy at the PG. Dickie didn’t take getting pelted by oranges at Vandy too well.

Hahn followed Danny Shultz. Shultz had the Chevrolet dealership in Lenoir City and lost it after getting into legal hot water.

Edwards was from Greenfield, IN.

 

[TartanTurff]

Len Kosmalski had a son who played for Davidson ..do you remember when they had an under 6 foot All American Team ? Vols had a dude named Dickie Johnston from Pa who made it . Do you remember this guy ? UT used to recruit Pa, Ohio and Indiana seemed like . Mike Edwards was from Indiana right ? am I losing it ?

Dickie Johnston was from Altoona, Pennsylvania, might have been 5' 8" on a good day, Mike Edwards was from Greenfield, Indiana, excellent shooter from anywhere on the floor, Mears championed the idea of a single point guard with a shooting guard rather than the classic two guard configuration long before that became the norm. Rodney Woods made the Ernie and Bernie show incredibly fun to watch, a sell out crowd of 12,700 in an old armory converted to a gym on the cheap made it completely unforgettable.

Mears recruited Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and Indiana hard, figured Rupp would get his share and everybody from Kentucky, Aberdeen and Ed Balloff handled recruiting matters in New York City and New York state long before Al McGuire made it fashionable.

 

[Coddlecreek1]

Dickie Johnston was from Altoona, Pennsylvania, might have been 5' 8" on a good day, Mike Edwards was from Greenfield, Indiana, excellent shooter from anywhere on the floor, Mears championed the idea of a single point guard with a shooting guard rather than the classic two guard configuration long before that became the norm. Rodney Woods made the Ernie and Bernie show incredibly fun to watch, a sell out crowd of 12,700 in an old armory converted to a gym on the cheap made it completely unforgettable.

Mears recruited Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and Indiana hard, figured Rupp would get his share and everybody from Kentucky, Aberdeen and Ed Balloff handled recruiting matters in New York City and New York state long before Al McGuire made it fashionable.

Thanks , spent many a night listening to the ole am radio in North Carolina trying to catch John Ward . My Uncle used to run a concession stand with his father in law at Stokley . Ushers used to tell me to find a seat on concession breaks, when we came home for Christmas . Saw
some decent games .