JJ Clark out at Tennessee

Dad? Is that you?

I'm afraid the best thing for the program, in my opinion is to clean house and start fresh. Coach Stoker(sp?) has been coaching the men's Dist for most part and they haven't had much success with the exception of AW and one Kenyan. I'd hope the search will bring in a more experienced and organized staff to get this program going again. Unfortunately, like the football program, it'll take a few years just to start the rebuild, esp if there are any transfers after this.

Agreed. Rodney is a very talented coach and I'd love to see him have 3 straight years of coaching and recruiting at the D-I level to prove his worth. That's asking a lot though, I know.

Stoker Fan wrote:

Agreed. Rodney is a very talented coach and I'd love to see him have 3 straight years of coaching and recruiting at the D-I level to prove his worth. That's asking a lot though, I know.

I thought he had been there three years already

This is Stoker's second year. You guys want a former NAIA coach who hasn't really shown anything at the D1 level to get a head coaching opportunity?

Lets be serious about this for a second. It is those kinds of mistakes that led to the downfall of this program. Clark has done a terrible job of hiring assistants. Someone please tell me some accomplishments anyone on that staff other than Clark had before running Tennessee track and field into the ground?

If you surround yourself with incapable people you look incapable.

It is crazy how this guy gave him an opportunity and he basically bashed him every opportunity he got. Wait till it gets out, he will have to run back to DIII or where he came from because loyalty is huge in coaching.

Screw you. Stoker has seemed to be a genuine, wholesome guy. He knows what he's doing coaching wise.

Take a minute to look up who John Newell, and John Frazier are. But then since they are not distance coaches I guess they dont count.

Yes who ran to admin and screwed JJ every opportunity he got. He is a snake in the grass smooth talker. Who can talk, but can't coach.

That's why he had coached no one. The only guy who was doing anything there is the new throws guy. So much for the diverse staff.

Author: SouthEastCorruption

Subject: RE: JJ Clark out at Tennessee

Message:

JJ has a friend in Mississippi with a vacancy. I wouldn't be shocked to see JJ and Boogie both wearing blue and red next year. It would make sense, their women are terrible and you have two proven coaches (both with a friend in Mississippi) out of work.

__________________________________________________________

Who is this person, Boogie?

There is so much bs being thrown out on this site its ridiculous. I can give you about 20-30 reasons Mr.Clark failed and it was not related to the indoor facility or Bill Webb. Here are some facts:

1. He had success with the women in spite of his introverted, quiet nature. He could give them specific orders in his unique/retrospective way and they would follow along without question. Women are generally more disciplined and self-sufficient. Men do not respond well to this approach. They needs some fire, some brimstone. He clearly did not inspire them at all.

1b: Treated us athletes like we were incapable of being adults. Too much focus on rules, too little focus on trust

2. He throttled his staff. He did all the talking at "motivational" meeting, even though he could barely be understood or heard. He had some very inspiring guys who would have done a much better job of creating team unity and fire, but he kept them quiet. You could see all their frustration.

3. Recruiting was atrocious. Offered $$ based solely on marks, not also on consideration of character, drive, personality, leadership, etc. Did not know some recruits names until he looked at the name tags on the visit. Poor people skills, scattered thought streams. Made stuff up. Not obsessed with recruiting like Butch Jones. Did not do his homework, tried to "wing it".

4. Spent too much time with pro athletes while UT sinks. He should have spent 0 minutes with post collegiates unless his team was consistently top 3 SEC/NCAA and things were rolling without a hitch.

5. Cannot be understood on telephone by parents, recruits, or athletes. Mumbles and speaks quietly.

6. No personal investment in his athletes. Did not build relationships with us on a personal level outside of his event group. Would be at the hotel while some of the top athletes competed. Aloof. Did not know parents names or how to prounounce current athletes names. Mispronounced upper classmen's names during meetings. Loss of trust.

7. Did not understand how to build quality depth across the board.... Build in-state relationships, evaluate talent, evaluate potential, or set them free.

8. Allowed attrition to happen. Should have been in his car within 24 hours of getting the job to re-recruit his top athletes in person over summer. Allowed other coaches to take advantages of his communication failure and cherry pick them.

9. Sabatoged Elliot/Locked. Had a "volunteer" sprints coach lurking around causing havoc on the relationship. Fired his best coach in Norbert. 2007 SEC: 1-2-3 in the 200....and Aries Merritt.

10.Hired some assistants with no experience or proven track record because he did not have a network of contacts to draw from outside his comfort zone.

11. Should never have agreed to keep Watts since that situation was poisoned from the get go. Should have stood ground and had him gone right off the bat since he knew that was never gonna work. Too passive/compliant.

12. All his assistants seem to have lose respect for him within 4-6 months of working with him. Common denominator?

12. No recruiting vision...sending questionnaires don't get it

13. No entries in too many events. How can this be?

14. Reactive.....no pro-active with EVERYTHING

15. Not a real "track" coach who could coach any event if they had too. Even a high school coach knows the basics of all the events and can talk "shop".

16. High tops?

17. Did not win the "living room" with recruits.

18. No vision for program identity, at least outwardly.

19. No relationship with alumni/lettermen.

20. No effort to mend the fences

21. Me against the world attitude.

22. Excuse maker. All press releases were CYA.

23. Allowed SI department to spin terrible meets in a positive way.

24. Ruined SEA Ray

25. Never saw him rake a pit.

26. Never saw him fill a divot hole

27. Never saw him flip a high jump pit to drain the foam

28. No ownership of his program, his facilities, his track,

his vision, his career.

29. Too good to get his hands dirty.

Author: LeanOnMe

Subject: RE: JJ Clark out at Tennessee

Message:

There is so much bs being thrown out on this site its ridiculous. I can give you about 20-30 reasons Mr.Clark failed and it was not related to the indoor facility or Bill Webb. Here are some facts:

1. He had success with the women in spite of his introverted, quiet nature. He could give them specific orders in his unique/retrospective way and they would follow along without question. Women are generally more disciplined and self-sufficient. Men do not respond well to this approach. They needs some fire, some brimstone. He clearly did not inspire them at all.

1b: Treated us athletes like we were incapable of being adults. Too much focus on rules, too little focus on trust

2. He throttled his staff. He did all the talking at "motivational" meeting, even though he could barely be understood or heard. He had some very inspiring guys who would have done a much better job of creating team unity and fire, but he kept them quiet. You could see all their frustration.

3. Recruiting was atrocious. Offered $$ based solely on marks, not also on consideration of character, drive, personality, leadership, etc. Did not know some recruits names until he looked at the name tags on the visit. Poor people skills, scattered thought streams. Made stuff up. Not obsessed with recruiting like Butch Jones. Did not do his homework, tried to "wing it".

4. Spent too much time with pro athletes while UT sinks. He should have spent 0 minutes with post collegiates unless his team was consistently top 3 SEC/NCAA and things were rolling without a hitch.

5. Cannot be understood on telephone by parents, recruits, or athletes. Mumbles and speaks quietly.

6. No personal investment in his athletes. Did not build relationships with us on a personal level outside of his event group. Would be at the hotel while some of the top athletes competed. Aloof. Did not know parents names or how to prounounce current athletes names. Mispronounced upper classmen's names during meetings. Loss of trust.

7. Did not understand how to build quality depth across the board.... Build in-state relationships, evaluate talent, evaluate potential, or set them free.

8. Allowed attrition to happen. Should have been in his car within 24 hours of getting the job to re-recruit his top athletes in person over summer. Allowed other coaches to take advantages of his communication failure and cherry pick them.

9. Sabatoged Elliot/Locked. Had a "volunteer" sprints coach lurking around causing havoc on the relationship. Fired his best coach in Norbert. 2007 SEC: 1-2-3 in the 200....and Aries Merritt.

10.Hired some assistants with no experience or proven track record because he did not have a network of contacts to draw from outside his comfort zone.

11. Should never have agreed to keep Watts since that situation was poisoned from the get go. Should have stood ground and had him gone right off the bat since he knew that was never gonna work. Too passive/compliant.

12. All his assistants seem to have lose respect for him within 4-6 months of working with him. Common denominator?

12. No recruiting vision...sending questionnaires don't get it

13. No entries in too many events. How can this be?

14. Reactive.....no pro-active with EVERYTHING

15. Not a real "track" coach who could coach any event if they had too. Even a high school coach knows the basics of all the events and can talk "shop".

16. High tops?

17. Did not win the "living room" with recruits.

18. No vision for program identity, at least outwardly.

19. No relationship with alumni/lettermen.

20. No effort to mend the fences

21. Me against the world attitude.

22. Excuse maker. All press releases were CYA.

23. Allowed SI department to spin terrible meets in a positive way.

24. Ruined SEA Ray

25. Never saw him rake a pit.

26. Never saw him fill a divot hole

27. Never saw him flip a high jump pit to drain the foam

28. No ownership of his program, his facilities, his track,

his vision, his career.

29. Too good to get his hands dirty.

-----------------------------------------------------------

THis sounds just like Brian O'Neal from Univ. of Ole MIss.

What's oneal like personally?? (to work with that is)

Author: SouthEastCorruption

Subject: RE: JJ Clark out at Tennessee

Message:

JJ has a friend in Mississippi with a vacancy. I wouldn't be shocked to see JJ and Boogie both wearing blue and red next year. It would make sense, their women are terrible and you have two proven coaches (both with a friend in Mississippi) out of work

___________________________________________________________

Who is Boogie?

I heard same thing about Stoker. Heard at SEC's that he was running to the AD in charge of Track about JJ and saying what JJ was doing wrong and what how he'd do it better.

Telling people that JJ would break athletes down and he'd get them going again, but then JJ would take them from him and ruin them again.

There is no room for this type of coaching. Good luck keeping the job when all you do is build your own ego by bashing the other coaches.

Tennessee needs to clean house and start from scratch. Already at the bottom, need to get a solid staff in there that have a solid and established resume, and can build Sea Rays back, build a relationship with the alumni, and can recruit!!

If they don't do this, I can see many recruits and current few studs they have bolting as soon as season is over.

I heard Mizzou asst. distance coach was doing the same, must be the culture of asst coaches now. NO LOYALTY what so ever

A guy who sees the head guy screwing up ought to be quiet about it and clean up his messes in the name of loyalty?

Loyalist wrote:

A guy who sees the head guy screwing up ought to be quiet about it and clean up his messes in the name of loyalty?

In my experiecne those that talk loyalty are the worst to work for, and if you stay true to their campaign of loyalty, they hang you out when the shit hits the fan. You're the scapegoat.

You sound just like the smooth talking guy that ran to the administration. I guess you had to CYA right.