Blade leaves OR

[SweetScience]

So who is the AD? Is it this Mullins you keep referring to? How long has he been there? What is his background? Did he coach? Did he coach football? And still nobody has answered my question - would someone from the outside have a chance at the job or will it be a current staff member appointment to the HC position? Lots of good coaches will be interested in this particular job - from all over the state.

He has been there over a few years, TJ....I know he has been @ OR as an assistant coach and an AD for a long time. He coached at Robertsville Jr High on the girls basketball team in the late 80's. He was an assistant coach on the football team in 1991 when we won our last state championship. Blade was way on the outside when he got the job, so yes, obviously a person from outside would have a chance to get the job, contrary to popular belief from a few folks on this thread.

[ridgerunner91]

I don't get some of you guys. Why in the HE** would our administration not want us to return back to our greatness. Makes absolutely no sense to me and is a crock of sh** if you ask me. Think about what your saying here. A person or people that work for the city schools in particular the athletic dept and doesn't want the sports to thrive? Some of y'all amaze me. Why don't ya'll go get the jobs done. Seems like you know everything there is to know. 3Wiggle, ridgeruuner...like both of you guys, but personally i think the both of you have some kinda personal vendetta against Mullins. Get off coacht boards if you know so much and get something done that will help the situation out instead of getting on here demeaning and placing judgment on a certain person with every msg you write.

 

We usually agree and I'm not asking you to agree but let me try to explain. Of course the administration wants ORHS to have a good football team but what they DO NOT want is a charismatic coach like Hale or Gaddis who can ignite the community and get the passion back to the program. The reason is the insecurity of Mullins and other administrators because when this happens it seem as if the coach becomes more powerful than the administration. The problem is that at this moment in time we need a great coach who also possesses magnetic and captivating personality like Hale or Gaddis. Our administration shouldn't feel threatened but they do. Who is more popular/powerful in Alcoa.......Rankin or the Principal? Rankin, but they still get a great education. Who is more popular/powerful in Maryville......Quarles or the Principal? Quarles, but they still get a great education. Stevens and Blade are very different people and very different coaches but they shared one thing........neither could stand Mullins. Goins probably didn't speak over 100 words to Blade this entire school year. Mullins does NOT support football the way that he should or could. That problem is an unnecessary one. Yes, the administration wants football to succeed, but they are very concerned about the coach overshadowing them. We don't HAVE to get Gaddis, but we need to go out and find somebody like him because that's what we need.

[ridgerunner91]

So who is the AD? Is it this Mullins you keep referring to? How long has he been there? What is his background? Did he coach? Did he coach football? And still nobody has answered my question - would someone from the outside have a chance at the job or will it be a current staff member appointment to the HC position? Lots of good coaches will be interested in this particular job - from all over the state.

 

Yes, someone from the outside can get this job but if Mullins has his way he will hire his friend. In my estimation his friend is not capable of doing what needs to be done at this time. Mullins will be VERY leary of hiring a good coach with charisma..............just wait and see. I keep mentioning charisma because the city needs that type of coach to get interest revived in football both in the city and in the schools. We probably can't get back what we had in the 50s, 70s, and 90s but we should strive to get as close as we can.

[NickOrlando]

I was hoping Blade would take Mullins with him. Oak Ridge couldn't be that lucky though. If he tries to hire his buddy again he should be removed but if the administrations track record means anything they will do nothing. Business as usual.......

[TJTURK49]

I was hoping Blade would take Mullins with him. Oak Ridge couldn't be that lucky though. If he tries to hire his buddy again he should be removed but if the administrations track record means anything they will do nothing. Business as usual.......

 

Thank you all for your opinion - I know just the guy to do all the things you have mentioned and will speak with him and see if there is an interest. Sounds like OR needs someone who will do what a HC is supposed to do regardless of the AD - someone who is self motivated to build on what has already been established and someone who would be great in the community and with the athletes already in the program and get new blood out.

[82Wildcat68]

I don't know Mike Mullins personally. From what little I do know, it does seem he likes to have control over the athletic program. He is the AD, so that does seem to be his right. Blade was a strong personality himself. I always felt he was in full control over every decision that was made about the football team. I am close to the program, and have been for the last two years, and I have seen no evdeince Mulliins interfered with Blades decisions.

 

I know athletics does not hold the same place in the school it once did, but possibly that is a sign of the times where the focus is unrelenting on academic test scores. I'm not sure you can lay all that at the administrations feet.

 

As for getting a charismatic coach who can get the community behind the program, I agree totally. However, those kind of coaches are rare. We would all like a Gary Rankin or George Quarles, but you have to hire from the pool of people that want the job. Mulliins made a good hire in Blade, give him a chance to do it again. Airing dirty laundry and bashing the administration publicly on here only makes outsiders that might be interested in the job second guess what they would be getting into. Advocating a particular person is fine, but bashing everybody else is counter productive.

[SweetScience]

I don't know Mike Mullins personally. From what little I do know, it does seem he likes to have control over the athletic program. He is the AD, so that does seem to be his right. Blade was a strong personality himself. I always felt he was in full control over every decision that was made about the football team. I am close to the program, and have been for the last two years, and I have seen no evdeince Mulliins interfered with Blades decisions.

 

I know athletics does not hold the same place in the school it once did, but possibly that is a sign of the times where the focus is unrelenting on academic test scores. I'm not sure you can lay all that at the administrations feet.

 

As for getting a charismatic coach who can get the community behind the program, I agree totally. However, those kind of coaches are rare. We would all like a Gary Rankin or George Quarles, but you have to hire from the pool of people that want the job. Mulliins made a good hire in Blade, give him a chance to do it again. Airing dirty laundry and bashing the administration publicly on here only makes outsiders that might be interested in the job second guess what they would be getting into. Advocating a particular person is fine, but bashing everybody else is counter productive.

EXACTLY!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

[notredame66]

 

 

Also got spanked very badly in the 1st round of the 2012 playoffs with all those star athletes - 52-22 and had 2 TD's vs them called back!

Keep in mind a very badly coached team at Indy with Dyson-

Also The other sought after 4 star SEC recruit didn't play one down of varsity ball last year ( transfer sit out )

 

[82Wildcat68]

One coach who has not been mentioned publicly, but who I think would be excellent is Jim Younger. He coached with Gaddis for 20 years. He knows football. He gets good results from his players year after year. He knows the Oak Ridge tradition, and he loves the Wildcats.

[ridgerunner91]

I don't know Mike Mullins personally. From what little I do know, it does seem he likes to have control over the athletic program. He is the AD, so that does seem to be his right. Blade was a strong personality himself. I always felt he was in full control over every decision that was made about the football team. I am close to the program, and have been for the last two years, and I have seen no evdeince Mulliins interfered with Blades decisions.

 

I know athletics does not hold the same place in the school it once did, but possibly that is a sign of the times where the focus is unrelenting on academic test scores. I'm not sure you can lay all that at the administrations feet.

 

As for getting a charismatic coach who can get the community behind the program, I agree totally. However, those kind of coaches are rare. We would all like a Gary Rankin or George Quarles, but you have to hire from the pool of people that want the job. Mulliins made a good hire in Blade, give him a chance to do it again. Airing dirty laundry and bashing the administration publicly on here only makes outsiders that might be interested in the job second guess what they would be getting into. Advocating a particular person is fine, but bashing everybody else is counter productive.

 

You are all missing the point and are unwilling to grasp the truth. Blade is a strong person but NOT a strong personality. He made no attempt to unite the community. He made no attempt to recruit numbers to football in OR. He likely didn't know but a handful of people personally in OR. He is a VERY good football coach but now that he's gone, we need to find someone to unite our city, school, Boys Club, etc. and put OR football back in the front of their minds. Blade rarely dealt with Mullins because he didn't like what Mullins had to say. Putting that on these boards won't affect the coach search because any good candidate will talk to Blade and he won't like what Blade has to say. Blade was shocked at what little attention is paid to football in OR by the administration and how little cooperation he got from the AD. He was sold a false bill of goods when he took the job. If you don't believe me, then ask him. He is more than happy to be gone but will and has said all the right things as he leaves.

[ridgerunner91]

I don't know Mike Mullins personally. From what little I do know, it does seem he likes to have control over the athletic program. He is the AD, so that does seem to be his right. Blade was a strong personality himself. I always felt he was in full control over every decision that was made about the football team. I am close to the program, and have been for the last two years, and I have seen no evdeince Mulliins interfered with Blades decisions.

 

I know athletics does not hold the same place in the school it once did, but possibly that is a sign of the times where the focus is unrelenting on academic test scores. I'm not sure you can lay all that at the administrations feet.

 

As for getting a charismatic coach who can get the community behind the program, I agree totally. However, those kind of coaches are rare. We would all like a Gary Rankin or George Quarles, but you have to hire from the pool of people that want the job. Mulliins made a good hire in Blade, give him a chance to do it again. Airing dirty laundry and bashing the administration publicly on here only makes outsiders that might be interested in the job second guess what they would be getting into. Advocating a particular person is fine, but bashing everybody else is counter productive.

 

Carringer hired Blade.................Mullins wanted his friend.

[TJTURK49]

Keep in mind a very badly coached team at Indy with Dyson-

Also The other sought after 4 star SEC recruit didn't play one down of varsity ball last year ( transfer sit out )

 

I have kept that in mind - saw the game - very outclassed in the 1st round - even with the UT commit - should have been more competitive if in the playoffs. If many teams like that one are in, then the playoff system should be changed. But a topic for another day.