(This is the second in a two-part series on Dave Hart as Tennessee’s athletic director. Part one is here.)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When Dave Hart took over as Tennessee’s athletic director in 2011, there was a huge elephant in the room — and it didn’t come with him from Alabama, where he had been executive director of athletics.
Tennessee football had to be fixed. The Vols had lost 14 of 16 SEC games the previous two years, the worst stretch in school history. Attendance was down. Ticket sales were down. Anger was replacing enthusiasm in the fan base.