Sep 28, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin (left) talks with Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham (right) prior to the game at Sun Devil Stadium. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
January 12, 2010 will remain an infamous day on Rocky Top. What started as a promising future with an audacious and enthusiastic head coach ended in a school-wide riot on the streets of the University of Tennessee. Students and fans chanted in anger, screamed in fury and even went as far to display their feelings with a little fire.
Vol Nation was betrayed by the one man they thought would save them from years of mediocrity; the one man they trusted to bring their football program to the top, and the one man prepping for the press conference announcing his new title as head coach of the USC Trojans.
When it comes to Lane Kiffin, hell hath no fury like that of a Tennessee Volunteer.
After Kiffin’s announcement, UT’s football program continued on the dismal path toward rock bottom. Scrambling for a replacement, they hired Derek Dooley, and watched while their once-elite team self-destructed on and off the field. Throughout the rebuilding process, there has been much confusion of who to blame for this catastrophe. Some say Mike Hamilton (Tennessee’s former Athletic Director), some say Philip Fulmer, but most will agree that Kiffin played a big role.
Fast forward to 2014. After making what seems to be a positive change in the hiring of Butch Jones, the Orange and White are on the comeback path. When talking about the past, most Vol fans speak of Fulmer with pity and Dooley with frustration. But what about that coach in between? If they speak of him at all, it’s with one sentiment:
Disgust.
Now, I know most fans get a bit defensive when it comes to their team, especially when it comes to less than admirable actions of coaches. I’m sure Alabama fans remember someone by the name of Dennis Franchione. And let’s not even mention the name Mike Price. However, I needed to find a UT fan with a level-headed opinion. One that wasn’t fueled with anger or emotion. One that could look at the big picture and give a rational answer to one question:
How much damage did Lane Kiffin do to Vol Nation?
Meet Chris and Tracy Malone, owners of the booming little “shack by the lake” known as Willy’s Bar and Grill in Knoxville. This couple is no stranger to hard work, but they find a little time to play. During every UT football home game, you can find them tied up to the Vol Navy on their beautiful boat, also known as “Rock You Baby.” In the south, football is not only a hobby, but a way of life. And as avid Tennessee fans, they aren’t afraid to show their support.
After the news broke of Kiffin being announced as the new Offensive Coordinator at Alabama, things got a little hectic in Rocky Top. Immediately, the rivalry amongst the two schools intensified. Pictures of Saban and Kiffin were posted all over Facebook, jokes of the dynamic duo tweeted amongst Vol fans, and the countdown began until Alabama stepped foot on the field of Neyland Stadium in October.
As I sat down with Chris, I expected some hostility towards Kiffin or at least a little disappointment. To my surprise, our discussion didn’t go as I anticipated…
When asked about his departure from UT, Chris had this to say:
"“For people who act like we were the greatest program in the world and Kiffin put us down, it’s not true. We were already down. We are blinded by our pride – our program is running into the ground, and we are trying to find someone to blame. All of us as fans who didn’t like the way he left, we got retribution: he got fired from USC. That door was closed. He got fired exactly the way he walked away from UT. He came in giving the fans what they needed: hope, but his ego was much greater than our program. He made it sound like [Tennessee] was going run the table the year that he was here. People were hopeful in thinking that he was going to save us, but what they found out was that same personality is the one that has no loyalty. Kiffin didn’t screw our program – it was already that way when he got there. No question the way he [left Tennessee] was poor and unprofessional, the timing was unprofessional, but who has not done exactly what he did at some time in their life? He took a job without the intention of leaving, but this wasn’t his dream job and USC was. [He had] no history here, no attachment here, and no desire to build something here. It was just a good opportunity to get involved in the best conference (SEC). Coaches don’t come into the job with the intention of leaving, but you’re not going to pass on the opportunity of a lifetime. I can’t say I blame him. If Butch Jones was offered the Alabama job tomorrow, he would be a fool not to take it.”"
When he spoke of Lane Kiffin’s loyalty, or the lack thereof, I asked him where he thought loyalty ranked in college football as a whole:
"“The biggest thing is that we now have a different culture in college football – no loyalty or commitment. Loyalty doesn’t exist anymore, not only in college football, but in everyday life. It used to. People would get hired and make a career with one company/organization. Now everyone is working and while you’re working, you’re looking for the next best thing and biding your time until it comes. It’s no different in college football. Coaches may have zero loyalty to the universities, but universities have zero loyalty to the coaches. As soon as boosters start whining, they get rid of them. How fast would we fire Butch Jones if Peyton Manning decides he wants to be the head coach at UT?”"
Many Tennessee fans wonder what would have happened if Kiffin didn’t leave for that “dream job” at USC, and stayed with the Volunteers. Some think that he would have succeeded in Knoxville. Chris isn’t so sure:
"“I think we’d be about how we are right now. Had he stayed, by now he’d have been fired or getting close to being fired. We would’ve been under NCAA sanctions and our win/loss record would probably be worse than what we had with Dooley. We would’ve probably had very similar seasons to what we’ve had. Plain and simple, we haven’t been able to recruit. In the SEC if you don’t have talent, you’re not going to recruit well because your team isn’t winning. And teams like Georgia and Alabama are.”"
In October, Alabama comes to Knoxville to take on Tennessee in one of the biggest rivalry games in college football. The atmosphere will be tense to say the least, and Kiffin’s presence will not go unnoticed. It will be on the minds of every fan, but this will only prove to be toxic for the Vols according to Chris:
"“What will be the worst for UT is that in October when Bama comes to town, it’s going to be all about Kiffin. It’ll make it that much more difficult to play competitively because they’re focused on him. It’s been a long time since he was here, four years, and people are still just not over it.”"
When Tracy, Chris’ wife, entered the room to give her opinion, it was clear that she had a harder time “getting over it”:
"“I don’t think anyone at UT ever thought they’d see a coach blatantly disrespect our program and our tradition. It’s about the disrespect he showed for the program, the school and the fans. Kiffin told an entire fan base in the SEC that we weren’t good enough for him. It hurt our pride. Pride and morale are a significant part of our program. Our feelings were hurt because Kiffin had zero passion for Tennessee. He had huge footsteps to fill, but he would’ve never amounted to the likes of Johnny Majors or Philip Fulmer. He was 30 years old and trying to fill the shoes of the Coach Bear Bryants of UT. But it was all about Lane – screw the tradition, screw the school, and screw the NCAA. He did everything, but change the running out of the T. It’s a personal arrogance that we hate; He s*** on us like a high school opportunity.”"
Now that Kiffin is under the wing of Coach Saban at Alabama, some wonder if his presence will cause trouble with the NCAA, considering the sanctions he received at both USC and UT. And with his lack of recent success as a head coach, many are concerned with what he brings to the table for the Crimson Tide. Chris weighed in on his thoughts of Kiffin as the OC:
"“Kiffin is a good pro-style offense running coach, but I don’t know if he’s a great fit for Alabama because you’re taking a lot of ego of the young and a lot of ego with the older coach in Nick Saban. USC may have humbled him a little bit, but if he gets with Bama and [immediately] wins a SEC or National Championship, he will be back in the limelight. I would love to know the motivation behind Saban’s decision to offer that position to him. I wonder if his decision was motivated by something he sees in his current players and wants to create an offensive style based on those players and their strengths. Who creates that type of offense? Kiffin. Saban liked the style of offense he was running at USC. But if he was to get fired by Nick Saban quickly, that would be the final nail in his coffin.”"
Through all of this Alabama/Tennessee rivalry with Kiffin wearing Crimson, Chris has one message to send to the Vol fans still holding on to resentment:
"“We need to own that the powers behind our program let us dwindle down without making the right changes, and then when they decided to make changes, they didn’t think them through. But that doesn’t need to fall on the coaches that they pick. UT fans need to let it go.”"