The Legacy of Mike Hamilton

BPV and RealDeal are correct on the numbers. Hamilton did nothing wrong in his business and financing model. Same as has been going on all over the SEC and other programs around the country. The dependence on ticket sales and related donations to cover higher expenses of operations and academic "gifts" caused the shortage of cash reserves. The facilities projects were all part of the BOT approved upgrades. The merging of the women's AD was planned long before Hart because the two AD's model was growing too expensive with redundant staff and services. Combined with the bad economy the perfect storm was brewing with the Fulmer collapse, the Pearl disaster, the Kiffin mistake, the dipshit Dools destruction, Summit's illness, etc. along with the related buy-outs and added costs for changing staffs, etc. Down went the programs, down went the ticket sales/donations, up went the non-recurring expenses, continuing cash out for academia regardless of the financial condition, and too much overhead - albeit declining.

So rather than be dependent on big boosters to carry the flag and bail it out with control ceded on coach hiring - Hart cuts the deal with Cheek and goes with the guy they can squeeze into the newly accomodating financial model that also forcasts the increased ESPN/SEC network increased distributions. He and Cheek decide to bet the UTAD and football program that Jones can increase ticket sales and donations with a higher level of winning that will sustain it until that contract revenue materializes. That's flashing the big bird at you, me and the big boosters. Meanwhile he continuously cuts AD operating expenses and orders Jones to focus on Tennessee recruits (remember the edict) as well as focusing on a closer radius of influence except for special needs. Hence Midwest to Florida with an occasional trip west. The more he gets from TN, GA, FL, Carolinas, VA, KY, OH the less the expenses will be. No way could the "best staff in America" be bought for around $3 mill. Everybody that knows anything about staff compensation knows that number would have to well exceed $4 mill and probably $5 mill to buy a staff that could be semi-claimed as the top staff. But it was good PR and orchestrated in the meetings the two had pre-hire. One of the attractions of the Jones hire was that Hart could make it happen for around the $6 mill that Cheek relinquished for a few years.

If Hart hits it lucky on the come he gets to play AD for long term and act like he is hot shit. Even if wrong he has bought a few years with a great comp package and makes it to full retirement along with his compatriot Cheek.

So we will see how it goes for us. If Jones does good most will write the checks and attendance will go back up. If Jones starts off bad it could get a little testy. If Jones tanks the big boosters make the big move at some point. Regardless of how it goes the only way there is a financial crisis is if there is an average attendance of 40,000 people on game day at Neyland for a sustained period. My wife and I will be a couple of the empty seat crowd. But the numbers now work more in Hart's favor with the positive buzz of a new coach. Which gave him the opening to release this type info to pray on fans' emotions to increase their donations and/or buy tickets.

Sorry if this is too long winded or boring. Just ignore it if so.

 

just the finances, as structured, aren't really the problem. Letting an idiot like Hamilton be the face of the hiring squad was disastrous. IMO, this can all be traced back to Fulmer using his goodwill from the crystal football and forcing the idiot onto the school.

 

for my money, Fulmer is as much of the problem as anyone associated with the athletic program.

 

So, what you're really saying RT is that we still should hate the sum[itch bay]es?


If so, works for me.

 

All of Hamilton's other dumbassery makes me despise him regardless..

 

I agree. Hamilton, Cheek, Hart and the big steaming pile of administrators alongside them all suck.

 

Terrific post, roadtrip. I think that's exactly what happened. We've proven that, as a whole, our fanbase will come out in big enough numbers to support a 6-7 win team every year. Nevermind the immediate shot in the arm that the program would get with a homerun hire. Coupled with our current top 5(?) facilities (which will be out of date by the time Butch is gone), and this could have been a good to great recruiting haul.

If they can get by with hiring essentially a nobody (wrt to winning in the SEC), then the AD and UT administration have proven that they will do it.


With regard to the first part of your post, roadtrip (and cardinal/bpv/others), are you all saying that the amount of debt that we have is potentially manageable, esp in light of the future $$$ coming in from ESPN/SEC? I'm not disputing what you're saying, just trying to understand from a layman's point of view.

 

yes, that's a manageable debt load at our income levels. Depends to a limited degree on the debt terms, but I assume the state is the ultimate guarantor, so the rates are likely obscenely low.

The number was thrown out, with the cash reserves to draw a sharp contrast and provide shock value. I suspect we operate very similarly to all of the others, but Hamilton's shenanigans pounded our cash on hand.

 

Only thing worth remembering is that Hamilton wasn't target #1. He was down the list IIRC.

 

Hart seems to be budgeting based on reduced income for the foreseeable future and selling a story of financial gloom and doom. That story fits in perfectly with his underwhelming coaching hire.

 

He took the financial model of the LSU and Bama's but didn't take the staffing model to go with it. That model works brilliantly if you've got a known-winner in the football driver's seat. Not so much when you have, well, Dooley.

 

Simple: once Pearl was gone, other that the mentioning of "facility upgrades", what did Hammy have to hang his hat on, in any area, be it large or small?

He had a bunch of fans carry his water, arguing that the quality that Tennessee most needed in their AD was the ability to do interior / exterior decorating, none of this came to light until he was long gone, and only after Cheek had given him his $1.5M check.

It's not hard to understand why he did it, in that context. Her did it because it worked to help him hold onto a position that he never deserved, and should have never held it at all.....not to mention for as long, and while near constantly awash in one calamity after another, both on the field and off.

One of these days, Tennessee fans are going to realize two things:

1. You get what you pay for.
2. You get what you deserve.

 

No truer words have been spoken. As it stands now, you could insert any random coach and an alarming number ot UT fans will think "Coach X" is the next coming of General Neyland before he presides over his first practice, much less an actual game, based solely on the fact he is UT's coach and PR soundbites.