Welcome to the University of Tennessee, Coach Kiffin!
From the way you handled your introduction to the Vol nation yesterday, you come across as an impressive, capable, and enthusiastic young coach. We're awfully excited to see what you can do here at UT. And we wish you the absolute best. (More about that in a moment.)
For some reason, however, a long-ago memory comes to mind:
It is late 1976 or early 1977 (I seem to recall it was cold weather) and I'm a kid in a store parking lot, sitting in our family's car with my dad and listening to the radio while my mom shops. A gleeful voice announces, "There's a new kid in town!" as the Eagles' new hit song "New Kid in Town" plays in the background, followed by the American Civil War song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
"Bill Battle is out; Johnny Majors is in!"
Ah, the joy! The enthusiasm! The excitement! Things are going to be good now!
And I guess they kind of were ... slowly, and for a while.
Then, it became "Johnny is out; Phil is in!"
Ah, the joy! The enthusiasm! The excitement! Things are going to be good now!
And they were ... quickly this time, but again, for a while.
Flash forward to 2008.
Now it's "Phil is out; Lane is in!"
Ah, the joy! The enthusiasm! The excitement! Things are going to be good now!
And I hope they WILL be! With all my heart, I want them to be!
And like many other Vol fans, I'm not really asking all that much -- just that Tennessee be a fierce and feared competitor every game, who dominates the competition and wins multiple SEC and National championships!
Okay. Maybe I am asking a bit much. But still, I'm asking.
As for the ... how shall I put this? ... "congenitally negative" people I hear on the radio or read on the blogs blasting away at the new coach BEFORE he's coached even one game at UT, a question: Is it any fun?
I refuse to be numbered among you, preferring instead -- and happily so! -- to "give the guy a chance," as others have been given. (Unless I'm mistaken, the revered-until-he-overstayed-his-welcome Johnny Majors was 4-7 overall in his first year as head coach, and 1-5 in the SEC. Things only slowly got better under his leadership.)
Anyhow, welcome Coach Kiffin! Here's wishing you the very best! Go Big Orange!
Greg
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