A solemn remembrance of the coaches that are no longer with us after the 2009 football season from the inimitable LSUFreek.

Video: CFB Coaches 2009-10: In Memoriam

Ashes to ashes…

Tis only proper that we reflect on those gone by…

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Sure, he’s making fun of the Vols, but when LSUFreek speaks, people listen…

via:  LSUFreek  The Sporting Blog •  HT:  VolNation

I guess if Vols DB Nyshier Oliver didn’t want to get lampooned, then he shouldn’t have tried stealing shirts.

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Somewhere, in front of a chalkboard—his hands coated with chalk dust—Lane Kiffin is smiling…

For the past several months Tennessee fans and the general sports-watching public have heard a near endless discussion about the various secondary infractions which have occurred since Lane Kiffin (a/k/a “the Blackjack General”) took the reins as the head football coach for the Tennessee Volunteers.  Needless to say, some have taken every available opportunity to criticize the University of Tennessee, The UT Athletic Department, Smiling Mike Hamilton, and the Blackjack General himself.  Some of it has amounted to little more than sniping and smack-talk, while others have been decidedly more direct.

Rightly or wrongly, Tennessee has self-reported (or is in the process of investigating with with an eye toward reporting) six secondary violations of NCAA Rules, the most recent coming—as HSH reported just the other day—as a result of the Blackjack General’s recent appearance on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” where he discussed, imagine that, secondary infractions with ESPN’s Bob Ley.

A “secondary violation” is defined in the NCAA Manual as follows:

A secondary violation is a violation that is isolated or inadvertent in nature, provides or is intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and does not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit.  Multiple secondary violations by a member institution may collectively be considered as a major violation.

•  2008-09 NCAA Division 1 Manual § 19.02.2.1 (emphasis added)

To put this in layman’s terms, secondary violations are the functional equivalent of talking in the NCAA’s rather large and particularly boring class.  Or, perhaps, in Lane Kiffin’s case, they amount to showing-off for all the girls (or in this case, recruits) in the back of class to impress them and passing notes reading:

I like you.  A Lot.

Do you like me?

Check One:  ___Yes  ___No  ___Maybe

— Lane

While this sort of thing—in both Mrs. Elliott’s 6th Period English Class and in the world of NCAA compliance—are annoying, they are largely harmless.  While it is true (again, with both Mrs. Elliott and the NCAA) that enough of these sorts of minor errors along the way can land you in the proverbial Principal’s office, as long as you say you are sorry after each instance (and UT has self-reported all such violations) and space the occurrences out by a day or two, usually there is little punishment to be meted out, aside from being made a spectacle in front of your peers…

… or by having to stay after class and write on the blackboard.

Kiffin at the Chalkboard

Hence, while Lane Kiffin and the UT Athletic Department are probably getting a little tired of having to deal with the issue of secondary violations, they have been merely a bump in the road thus far.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, on the other hand, is now facing a decidedly more serious situation…

Findings of the NCAA Committee on Infractions

As a result of what the NCAA described as “Impermissible benefits obtained by student-athletes through misuse of the institution’s textbook distribution program.” the University of Alabama is staring a real violation dead in the face—the NCAA’s penalty summary leaves little question about this:

Penalty Summary: Public reprimand and censure; three years of probation; vacation of records for all wins in which any of the seven involved football student-athletes competed while ineligible during the 2005-06 and 2007-08 academic years. Further in the sports of men’s tennis, men’s track and women’s track the records of the 15 involved student-athletes shall be vacated and team point totals shall be reconfigured accordingly; the institution shall pay a fine of $43,900; annual compliance reporting required.

•  via: NCAA Legislative Services Database (emphasis added)

This penalty came about as a result of Alabama’s violation of three NCAA regulations: § 15.2.3 (“Books”); § 16.11.2.1 (“General Rules on Extra Benefits“); and § 2.8.1 (“Responsibility of the Institution“).  These rules, especially the two latter ones, are not merely fluff in the NCAA Manual, they are major rules, which is why Alabama was slapped—not on the wrist, but across the face—for its major violation of NCAA writ.

Major violations are broadly and somewhat cryptically defined as: “All violations other than secondary violations are major violations, specifically including those that provide an extensive recruiting or competitive advantage.”  (2008-09 NCAA Division 1 Manual § 19.02.2.2)  I am quite sure that Alabama is familiar with this definition, since the athletic programs at Alabama have had five major NCAA violations—four of which occurred since 1995.

A little light reading for athletes.

While the definition of a “major violation” does, admittedly, leave a little to be desired in terms of clarity, the language of the NCAA’s Infractions Report is far less difficult to understand.  The report cites the involvement of “201 student-student athletes who received impermissible benefits…” from 16 different sports.  That’s right, 201 athletes!  Of that number 22 athletes were cited as being “intentional wrongdoers”. In other words enough people to fill an entire string of both the offensive and defensive squads of a football team.^ (Report, p. 1)

The offenses were first discovered by a university bookstore employee in October of 2007 and totaled approximately $ 40,000 in improperly obtained textbooks.  (Report, pp. 3, 6)  The majority of the violations arose from athletes obtaining non-required textbooks for free, which they in-turn gave to friends and family. (Report, p. 5)

Gee, it’s easy to see how that one didn’t get caught earlier.  I mean, most defensive linemen need three copies of Sandler’s Compendium of Chemical, Biochemical, and Engineering Thermodynamics…

Ignoring the fact that there was a documented 30% spike in textbook costs charged to the Athletic Department—a fact which somehow went unnoticed for almost 3 years—once bookstore officials made the administration aware of the problem, Alabama did self-report the violation.  (Report, pp. 1-2, 5-6)  The NCAA Infractions Report notes this and indicates that, in most circumstances, such violations can be adjudicated without a hearing, in Alabama’s case, however, that was not possible, “because of the institution’s status as a repeat violator.” On this point, the committee made itself abundantly clear:

Although the committee commends the institution for self-discovering, investigating and reporting the textbook violations, it remains troubled, nonetheless, by the scope of the violations in this instance and by the institution’s recent history of infractions cases. In fact, not only is the University of Alabama currently a “repeat violator,” because of the 2002 case, it was also in a “repeat violator” status when that case was adjudicated and when a 1999 case was decided.

* * * * *

In fact, because of the institution’s extensive recent history of infractions cases, the committee strongly considered making a more serious finding of a lack of institutional control, rather than a failure to monitor.

•  NCAA Infractions Report, p. 2 (emphasis added)

In other words: “Don’t even pretend you didn’t know better, and don’t complain about the penalty—you got lucky.”

In the end, the NCAA Committee on Infractions lowered the boom on Alabama and—though not mentioned—likely dodged the death penalty in football once again due to the fact that other sports were involved.

Meanwhile, back in Mr. Brand’s 3rd Period “Recruitin’, Footballin’ and You” Class

At the end of the day, I really take little joy in seeing Alabama hit with penalties.  Does it help Tennessee when recruiting against the Crimson Tide?  Sure it does, but it hurts the SEC as a whole when recruiting against other conferences.  Furthermore, the widespread perception that anything goes in the SEC is only bolstered by this most recent penalty—which increases the number of major violations committed by SEC member schools to a grand total of 49 (two of which belong to Tennessee) since 1953.  As much as I enjoy gigging the Tide for “cheatin’,” I have no desire re-live the whole “Fulmer Lied” fiasco of the decade.  While it would hardly surprise me to start hearing rumors that the Great Punkin was briefly employed as a bookstore cashier in Tuscalsoosa, it seems there is no one to blame but Alabama itself.  As I’ve said in the past, I am not exactly an Alabama hater—I’m not here to gloat over Alabama’s shortcomings. Besides, I’d rather focus on what Tennessee does on the field than what the Tide does in the university bookstore.

On the other hand, given the frequency, severity, and seriousness of Alabama’s violations I do have one general question which bothers me.  Alabama has now had three major violations in less than a decade.  Alabama has been stripped of wins on multiple occasions in that time period.  Alabama has built a strong reputation of, at best, poor compliance and, at worst, cheating.

So why exactly is it that everyone keeps pointing their fingers at class-clown Tennessee?

I suppose I should not be bothered by this, given the general tenor of discussions by both mainstream media outlets and New Media (a/k/a “the blogosphere”) providers.  Still, at some level the outcry over Lane Kiffin holding faux-news conferences, letting recruits run through the tunnel in Neyland Stadium “improperly”, for wanton use of  Twitter, and all the other recent oversights by Tennessee that have raised the ire of the NCAA seems a bit overblown in comparison to what has obviously been occurring at Alabama.

Of course, Lane Kiffin is probably feeling pretty good about it though.  Now, Alabama has gotten itself kicked out of class—sent to the principal’s office for cheating.  Meanwhile, there’s Lane, standing at the front of the classroom for being a cut-up—a seemingly forgivable sin.

Sure, he has had to make a few apologies.  Sure, he has had to suffer a bit of embarrassment.  Sure, he has had to endure a few barbs from here and there.

But standing up there at the front of the class—the focal point of every single kid in the class—might not be that bad.  Maybe he’s not the best behaved, but he’s not really cheating.  What’s more, he’s now getting all that attention from all those recruits sitting behind him.  Maybe that’s why he takes so much time to carefully copy his sentences on the chalkboard.  Slowly.  Deliberately.  Methodically.

Yes, Lane has chalk all over him.

That and a great big smile…

– So it goes …

Image(s) Courtesy of:  Textbooks.com ||  Statement on Fair Use

^ Note: The 22 “intentional wrongdoers” cited in the NCAA’s Infractions Report were not identified as being football players, and this is only used as an analogy.

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My client—a fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks and an alum of the University of Arkansas—however, passed a little something along to me which, though short, seems more than worth passing along.  So, here you go:

How are maggots and the Alabama Crimson Tide similar?

They both can live off a dead Bear for twenty years…

Heh!  But judging from this most recent photo, looks like both Alabama and the maggots may be looking for a little more food soon.

The "Bear" in all his glory...

Yep, the Bear is looking a bit picked over…

– So it goes…

Image(s) Courtesy of:  SoonerFans.com

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So is football season here yet?

– So it goes…

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All I can say is that this brief reprieve is long overdue.  Time to slow down a bit, sit and watch the sunset, maybe even grab a few rays.

And I just can’t wait to take in a few of the great attractions to be seen:

Thus, I will be gone for a few days to try to unplug and relax a little (something I am not particularly good at doing).  Still, we all must give our best when called upon.  Judging from the photo below, it seems Tim Tebow is giving his best over summer break … or something along those lines.

At any rate, see you in a few days.  In the meantime, stay classy crazy Gate 21-reading-type-people…

– So it goes…

Image(s) Courtesy of: Fail Blog

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At a press conference early this morning, UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton announced that starting this season the Home of the Vols—known since 1962 as Neyland Stadium—will have a new name: “Nissan Stadium at Neyland Landing”

New logo for Nissan Stadium at Neyland Landing

Joined by UT Acting President Jan Simek, Athletics Board leader Jim Haslam, head football coach Lane Kiffin, and Nissan representatives, Hamilton unveiled preliminary designs for the new stadium logo and explained why Nissan was ultimately chosen as the new principal naming partner for Tennessee’s most visible icon.

This is an historic opportunity for athletics at Tennessee and for the stadium that we all love.  Furthermore, this partnership assures the financial future of this program for many years to come.  When we began the process of exploring a naming alliance, from the outset, we were committed to forging a pact with an organization that was both committed to this great state, but also one that fans and alumni could be proud of.  That is precisely what Nissan could offer.  Furthermore, this historic alliance only serves to amplify the national respect for Tennessee football and for the university as a whole.

• Mike Hamilton, commenting on UT / Nissan Partnership

In total, Nissan will contribute over $1.1 billion to the UT athletics program over the next 5 years.  Though unconfirmed at this time, there were indications that Nissan is considering a re-branding of its products to feature an orange and black color scheme.

Since the start of the athletic department’s master plan renovations to Neyland Stadium in 2004, the project has been funded by private funding sources.  UT Athletics Board leader Jim Haslam noted that, while largely relying upon VASF donors, the scope and size of the project was such that corporate partners were envisioned from the beginning.   “While it was never publicly advertised, the naming rights for the stadium were always available,” said Haslam.  Haslam also indicated that other companies were considered, but none could provide what Nissan ultimately offered.

The alliance with Nissan will fund the remainder of the $ 200 million phase III of the Master Plan renovations already underway, as well as future renovations to the stadium which have yet to commence.  In addition to its contributions to athletics, Nissan will also make sizable donations to the UT educational endowments, especially in areas tied to engineering and the automotive industry.

Nissan President Carlos Ghosn

Nissan North America President and CEO, Carlos Ghosn, remarked:

Since the 1982 construction of the Nissan assembly facility in Smyrna, Nissan has been committed to the State of Tennessee, this partnership with the University of Tennessee further cements that pledge to the people of this great state.  This is our bond to the people of Tennessee.  At Nissan we expect excellence, evidenced by the quality automotive products our thousands of Tennessee and worldwide employees produce.  The Tennessee athletics program is equally known for its excellence and its tradition of winning.  That is why Nissan is here.

In addition to its global facilities, Nissan currently operates facilities in Smyrna, Jackson, Franklin, and Decherd, Tennessee and in Canton, Mississippi.  The Smyrna facility, which employs more than 6,000 Tennesseans, covers 5.4 million square feet on 884 acres.  More than one-half million vehicles are produced there every year.

The announcement was not uniformly greeted with cheers of enthusiasm.  Some Vol fans are disturbed at the notion of changing the name of the stadium.  Knoxville resident Hooper Hollingsworth said, “I’m glad that Nissan wants to help out, but that’s Neyland Stadium, not some car company.”  Others were uniformly opposed to the proposition, “This is just another sellout.  What’s next, the Swaggerty’s Sausage Arena?” said Gus Harris of Clinton.  Some also noted that it was ironic that this announcement came one year to the day after the announcement that one of Knoxville’s other icons—the Sunsphere—was to be demolished.

The official renaming of the stadium is currently scheduled to take place during halftime of the September 5th football season opener versus Western Kentucky.

Oh, and I nearly forgot, April Fools…

– So it goes…

** Disclaimer: As if it were not completely obvious, this article is an April Fools post  and is a complete fabrication of the mind of the author (e.g. it is complete bullshit).  In no way does this post reflect the views of the University of Tennessee, Nissan North America, Inc., Nissan Motor Corp, Ltd., or any of the individuals mentioned herein.  Furthermore, all quotes in this article are fictionalized and were in no way uttered by the persons to whom they are attributed.  Neither the author of this post nor this blog are in anyway affiliated with any of the individuals or organizations mentioned herein, and all discussion of renaming Neyland Stadium is intended solely as humor. So please don’t have your lawyers send me a bunch of nasty letters…

Image(s) Courtesy of: UTAD • Nissan North America, Inc. • Canadian Driver

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» Updated: 27 March 2009 — 4:25pm

Apparently, Gillispie’s firing became official about 5 minutes after I posted this.  At least I was a little bit ahead of the curve…

» Updated: 27 March 2009 — 4:42pm

Now, as his comment below points out, HSH has discovered an even more interesting development: perhaps Billy Donovan is going to Kentucky.

Well, friends and neighbors, it’s not like it is unexpected, but it appears that Billy Gillispie is out at Kentucky.  This comes from WHAS TV in Louisville.  Seemingly in response to this report, the Kentucky athletic department issued a public statement which—paraphrased—amounts to their complete refusal to make a public statement.  It read,  “UK mens basketball coach Billy Gillispie has not been fired. There have been no meetings between Gillispie and UK officials today and there is no scheduled press conference tomorrow.“

I think a simple “no comment” would have sufficed.

Either way, this does seriously change the dynamic in the SEC East.  Hooper over at RTT has an interesting article on why this prospect scares him as a fan of SEC and Tennessee basketball.  The uncertainty at Kentucky will definitely add confusion to recruiting, but what if Kentucky actually gets a “good” coach?  With rumors flying about as to who will replace Gillispie, it stands to reason that Kentucky Mitch Barnhart will be trying to save his neck by getting a coach who is a little better fit for the Wildcats this time around than was Billy Clyde.  According to the guys at Team Speed Kills, however, that new coach will not be Billy Donovan (or will it?).

In the meantime, I suppose we will all be guessing…

I suppose we will have to wait awhile for the next album

I share Hooper’s concerns, over the Gillispie departure—namely that fans are getting a little unreasonable in their expectations when it comes to basketball coaches.  On the other hand, I think it is fair to say that the expectations at Kentucky have always bordered on the absurd.  Just look at how Tubby Smith was treated.  Still, I do agree that on the whole SEC basketball fans have become a little more hysterical and a lot less reasonable over the past few years.  I wonder if this is tied more to the growing belief among many that the SEC can and should dominate every sport every year, or owes simply to the heightened expectations that seem to attend every possible aspect of major sports these days.  In the modern era it is all about “What have you done for me lately?”

On a more self-serving level, however, I am a bit fearful that Kentucky and Mitch Barnhart might actually get this hire “right.”  The reason I fear this is that, under Bruce Pearl, Tennessee has taken major steps toward re-establishing itself as a perennial basketball force in the SEC and beyond.  I would be the proverbial ostrich with my head in the sand if I were to ignore the fact that much of this has occurred in a time when the SEC’s biggest traditional power—the once feared Kentucky Wildcats—have been less than formidable. Thus, a new face in Lexington could serve to squelch some of the gains accomplished under Pearl—especially in the area of recruiting the veritable treasure trove of high school talent in Kentucky.  Still, I feel pretty strongly that Bruce Almighty can hold his own.

But given all of the ridiculous fan expectations that Hooper pointed to, can Tennessee hold on to Pearl?

As HSH documented earlier this week, the 2008-09 Tennessee BasketVols were somewhat of a mixed bag.  Some would say they were a disappointment.  I think that is a little unfair and shortsighted.  I personally believe that the 2008-09 squad represents a continuing work in progress on several levels.  First, the team was full of freshmen and sophomores who will only get better as they continue to benefit from Pearl’s coaching and guidance.  Second, from a big picture perspective, it seems that Pearl is still laying a foundation at Tennessee for a program that can perpetually compete at the highest level.  I imagine that, if asked, Pearl would admit that there are a few more steps to be taken in that process.  Thus, while this season may not have been all that Tennessee fans hoped for, it was hardly a bust.  After all, it was not all that long ago that Tennessee was so dismal that it was not even under consideration for a bid to the NIT.

Still, there were a number of loud and noisy fans who called Pearl’s abilities into question this season.  It was that same type of fan that escalated the situation at Kentucky such that Gillispie more or less had to go.  Seriously, who would want to coach in such a poison environment.  In many ways this resembles the tenor of the conversation surround the departure of Phillip Fulmer. In Gillispie’s defense, however, he only took over at Kentucky 2 years ago.  Then again, it is Kentucky we are talking about.

I worry that the increasing pressure being placed on Pearl by suddenly fanatical Tennessee basketball fans (which only a few years ago would have seemed like an oxymoron) paired with a smart hire by Kentucky (which given Gillispie’s situation also seemed oxymoronic a few years ago) could put Coach Pearl in a difficult position not on the basketball floor, but with his own fanbase.

This is, of course, all doom-and-gloom speculation…

In the meantime, we will all have to wait and see what, in fact, does happen at Kentucky.  I for one will miss Gillispie, mainly because it was really easy to make fun of a guy with a name like “Billy Clyde.”  I doubt that a lot of Kentucky fans will miss him all that much.

Still, Kentucky fans need to be careful, you can scare away quality coaches who simply are unwilling to put up with a borderline-psychotic fan base where they eat their own on a regular basis.  That is a quick way to whittle the pool of available coaches down to the point that you really find yourself in the same situation you just left.

Preach on, Sister!

On second thought, speaking as a Tennessee fan, maybe that is a good thing…

– So it goes…

Image(s) Courtesy of: SmashSouthSports

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