Might UK and UT Athletic Directors share common fate?

By Jayson D. Henry

University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart and University of Tennessee Athletic Director Mike Hamilton have more in common than their job titles. Their schools may be bitter rivals but both men have recently made moves that will define the tenures of each as the AD at their respective schools.

Barnhart has just done the most important thing a Kentucky AD can do. He has fired one head basketball coach and hired another. At UK, basketball is king and Wildcat fans expect the very best from their beloved program.

Barnhart has had the opportunity to go through this process already. Just about two years ago coach Tubby Smith left UK under intense pressure to take the coaching job at Minnesota.

After making a run at Florida coach Billy Donovan, among others, Billy Gillispie was finally chosen to lead the Wildcats. The short duration of his tenure speaks to the lack of approval the UK fans and administration had for the job Gillispie did. That short duration also indicates that Barnhart failed in his last basketball hiring.

Now, Barnhart has made a big splash by bringing in a big name. John Calipari will move from Memphis to Lexington to roam the sidelines of Rupp Arena.

For Barnhart, this is a make or break move. All indications are that Calipari will succeed at Kentucky. However, what if he doesn’t? What if, for some reason, the ’cats don’t live up to expectations? What if Calipari decides to give the NBA another try? What if there is some type of probation?

If any of those scenarios play out, Barnhart will almost certainly not be the guy to hire the next coach at UK.

Mitch Barnhart has to be John Calipari’s biggest fan.

Tennessee’s Hamilton is under the same type of scrutiny. In his case, he has made the same move but with a different sport.

During the 2008 football season, Hamilton made the decision to relieve long time head coach Phillip Fulmer of his coaching duties.

Unlike Barnhart’s call, the UT boss took quite a gamble. Fulmer still had plenty of support both within the fan base and the donor base. And, Fulmer was far more entrenched at UT than Gillispie at Kentucky not only due to his length of service but also because of the fact that he had delivered a national title to ‘Big Orange Country’ in 1998.

In a sense, Hamilton took an even bigger gamble than Barnhart. UK hired a proven commodity in Calipari. UT went with a young, and somewhat unproven coach by hiring Lane Kiffin to work the Neyland Stadium sidelines.

Just like Barnhart, Hamilton has been charged with hiring the leader of the school’s most important program. Football is king in Knoxville, much like the rest of the SEC.

The same questions facing Barnhart’s hire of Calipari face Hamilton in regard to his hire of Kiffin.

Both of these ADs have experienced success in the ‘other’ program at their respective schools. UT has reached heights rarely attained in their basketball program since Bruce Pearl was brought in to run the show. Rich Brooks has led UK’s football program to a more respected status over the last few seasons.

Mitch Barnhart and Mike Hamilton have recently been charged with re-energizing their school’s most important game. Each has now had the chance to fully place his own stamp on their departments. Each has experienced success to a degree in ‘other’ sports. However, no amount of success in the ‘other’ sport will save either of these two men should these hires not work out for whatever reason.