Roy Exum
I didn’t know until I read John Adams’ column in the Knoxville News-Sentinel that one person who doesn't personally know UTC Athletic Director David Blackburn said he heard he has a drinking problem. I also didn’t know that “the best thing to ever happen to UTC athletics” had health problems, according to a second person who does not personally know him. It is also being said David is “too nice” to make tough decisions and by this time next week we’ll probably hear far worse unfounded whispers.
The truth of the matter is my dear friend John dispelled a lot of rumors as absolutely false on Monday while the witty Adams started one of his own – “Tennessee really ought to hire this guy!”
That may be the understatement of the year and UTC needs to sit down with David immediately to get the 51-year-old wizard to help pick his successor because the bare truth is David Blackburn is as good as gone after a glistening four years as The Head Moc. In the 15 years before Blackburn came to Chattanooga, he worked in every part of Tennessee’s huge athletic department.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been in a place where I have gotten to know David but James Beach, who worked with me at the Chattanooga News-Free Press for years, is easily one of the finest people I have ever known. “Beach” claims Blackburn is far-and-away one of the finest people he’s ever known. At that, court is adjourned.
I hear just about the same thing from Knoxville. I’ve known Adams, the Knoxville sports editor, for over half my life and, when you are old, that’s more than time to know John is the real deal. The fact the Knoxville media adores Blackburn is half the battle. Blackburn is the heir-apparent to the retiring Dave Hart, who will step down in mid-August.
The plan is to bring whoever will be the new athletic director at Tennessee much earlier, so he can practice the baton handoff for several months with Hart to assure a flawless transition. Former football coach Phillip Fulmer is also a leading contender but the days of a beloved football coach being “kicked upstairs” are long gone – today running an athletic operation like Tennessee’s top-tier program calls for two kinds of wisdom.
First, there is the factual kind where you scientifically blend the football budget, the track team’s travel agenda, the cost for Cokes at baseball games and women’s basketball admission receipts into a ship of accountability that can sail through both calm and turbulent waters. The 2015 annual budget for athletics at the University of Georgia, for instance, was $99,850,500. That’s a wad and the athletic director has to know where every dime is spent. Right away, too.
Secondly, there is ‘instinct wisdom,’ where you use the common sense that comes only from 20 years’ experience in sports administration. You need to shut the door in the morning to explain to some mad coach why the baseball team takes the bus compared to the football team’s jet ride. You have to keep a basketball head coach honest when one of the assistants gets caught cheating, whether it is with recruiting rules or with some booster’s wife. Trust me, this stuff really happens and – believe you me – it is something almost every day.
The wild card in the UT selection process is Beverly Davenport, who was just named as the new Chancellor in Knoxville. She has openly said she isn’t limiting the search to “the UT Family,” meaning she might bring in the brother of her first boyfriend from Montana or something. Academic PhD’s are about of unpredictable as tornadoes … no telling where they’ll touch down but you can count on the gusty hot air.
I’m like Adams – what is Tennessee waiting for? The 51-year-old Blackburn is already a polished diamond. Phillip would be an easy fit but, at age 66, he’s already in the College Football Hall of Fame and is having too much fun with his family and his Social Security check. Blackburn is still running about six miles every day and, if you list all the qualities you want in an athletic director, David gets every check mark over Fulmer. That’s not unkind; it is just that what UT needs right now is not somebody who is expert at teaching cross-blocking, attacking a four-linebacker scheme, or recruiting a 16-year-old in Pascagoula.
The question of the hour? Can Blackburn fire Vol basketball coach Rick Barnes if Vandy whips the Vols this Thursday? It is a huge game for Barnes, I’m told. UT’s men are now a spotty 7-7 in league play and ranked 7th in the SEC. The answer is that will be Hart’s decision this spring – David will hire the successor.
The question of the year? Vol football coach Butch Jones is sitting on the hottest seat in the SEC. With Florida and Georgia having banner recruiting classes, an unknown quarterback in Knoxville this spring, and iffy staff changes, this fall will be Butch’s biggest challenge. The answer, of course, is that Butch controls his own destiny, in much the manner every SEC head coach does in a huge goldfish bowl. In today’s world, head coaches fire themselves.
So I look for an announcement almost any day that David Blackburn will return to his alma mater. Good for him. He leaves UTC much better than what it was and the next guy will build on solid ground. Whistle up the dogs and dash a pail of water on the fire. This hunt was over before it started.
royexum@aol.com
David Blackburn