Tennessee Track: WTF?

Hey I started this thread three years ago.

Mouse seems to be a good coach, but his assistants sure suck when they get head coaching jobs.

JJ was never Mouse's Asst Coach. JJ was Tom Jones, Asst Coach. I am pretty sure JJ left Florida before they were combined into one program, when Tom passed away.

The (previous posting) list of what JJ is doing now looks like it is far more post-collegiate. The Tennessee AD is going to be far more concerned about the success of College Roster than the post-collegiate roster.

Read the bios of Vince Anderson and Cheryl Smith-Gilbert, two of the best sprint coaches who left a long time ago, and you'll get the message.

It's a long time since they had Justin Gatlin, Leonard Scott, DeeDee Trotter, Tianna Madison....and most people in NCAA coaching know the reason. JJ Clark IS one of the best female 800 coaches, but the general opinion is that he can only coach that event but he has an ego the requires him to be the "top dog". So nobody good outside the 800 wants to go there these days.

The cancer is at the top.

Clark is a great man and wonderful personality.

He just coaches teams that can not score many points at a SEC or NCAA Track championship !!!

Vince needs to come back.

this is college track, its a team sport. that's what hes primarily hired and paid for. coaching world champs is fine, but if at the same time you've run your university program into a ditch, you aren't the right person. he's had four years. they are far worse.

Some of you guys acting like Tennessee was Arkansas or UTEP in Track and field. Tennessee won many SEC championships back in the days when there was not as much regulations and they were the only school in the SEC with scholarships. Tennessee was down and in a downward spiral before the other head coach retired. After Gatlin, Scott and that crew, Tennessee had nothing. While JJ may not be the right person to get Tennessee significant again, the egotistical Alums, some of whom did nothing, and are still down nothing to help the program succeed need to start supporting the program. Classic Ego fighting Ego. They are not true Tennessee fans, they just don't like JJ. As for JJ, he needs to change his tune and go back to what he knows; coaching women 800m. That's his thing; which by the way he hasn't done well with his team lately. Let someone else direct, and coach men that's not his thing. If he recognize that, and decides to stay to coach women if offered the opportunity by the new coach if they decide he is not the one, Tennessee will be a good program.

Some of you guys acting like Tennessee was Arkansas or UTEP in Track and field. Tennessee won many SEC championships back in the days when there was not as much regulations and they were the only school in the SEC with scholarships. Tennessee was down and in a downward spiral before the other head coach retired. After Gatlin, Scott and that crew, Tennessee had nothing. While JJ may not be the right person to get Tennessee significant again, the egotistical Alums, some of whom did nothing, and are still down nothing to help the program succeed need to start supporting the program. Classic Ego fighting Ego. They are not true Tennessee fans, they just don't like JJ. As for JJ, he needs to change his tune and go back to what he knows; coaching women 800m. That's his thing; which by the way he hasn't done well with his team lately. Let someone else direct, and coach men that's not his thing. If he recognize that, and decides to stay to coach women if offered the opportunity by the new coach if they decide he is not the one, Tennessee will be a good program.

That's actually a good post. It has been a long time since Todd Williams and Glenn Morgan ran for UTK.

Ever notice how few Tennessee high schoolers end up Vols? They can't recruit in state.

JJ recruited one of my athletes last year, and we sat in a room and listened to him ramble for two solid hours. My girl said, "Wow, conceited much?"

He does have a high opinion of himself. He doesn't know what he's doing either. It's obvious.

By the way, my girl went elsewhere.

Regardless of your thoughts of JJ Clark, when UT does not score a point at the NC's, that's not good. Even in rebuilding years UTK should be scoring points.

they were a perennial top 10 team until lately

After the 2013 SEC Outdoor Meet, the AD at Tennessee should have met with Clark and gave him some expectations.

(maybe it happened)

Something like: "both your men's and women's teams must score in the top 6 at the SEC Indoor and Outdoor meets or we are going in another Head coaching direction, in June of 2014"

As a former UT student, I believe, the AD for track should be gone if they did not do the above action!

Who are the candidates for the head coaching job if it becomes open?

Bob Knight

Morgan Freeman maybe….'IT KILLS YOUR BRAINS CELLS!"

JJ is a good middle distance coach but those of us in the profession knew it was a horrible mistake to give him the combined job. He simply was not qualified for that position but the UT AD loved the "qualities" he brought to the job. Sadly, there were (and are) great TRACK coaches out there who know how to run a total program but were overlooked. I think they will correct that very soon as there is no reason the Vols shouldn't have a very well rounded program. Yes, JJ thinks highly of himself and has no problem looking down his nose at other collegiate coaches. When you see him at meets he is a loner since almost no one wants to be around him. Hopefully he will use this experience as a positive to change his tune and become a better all around coach.

Does JJ get to sit at the cool table at lunch with coaches?