Charles Davis thinks John Currie is a 'big get' for Tennessee
The day Dave Hart announced he was retiring as the athletic director at the University of Tennessee, Charles Davis had a name for UT to consider.
Davis wanted the Vols to go after Kansas State athletic director John Currie.
More than six months later, Davis saw his wish come to fruition.
UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport on Tuesday named Currie as UT’s new athletic director.
Currie, 45, has spent the last eight years at Kansas State. Before Kansas State, Currie worked within the UT athletic administration in various capacities and received his master's degree from UT in sports management in 2003.
“I wanted us to scour the country shooting for excellence and I think we did. John Currie was here for a good, long time. He knows Tennessee. He gets it,” said Davis, a former UT defensive back. “He had interest in coming back when he was sitting at an established place doing a pretty darn good job in my estimation. A place that is not easy to win and they are winning in multiple sports. I think this is a big get.”
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Davis became better acquainted with Currie while covering Big 12 Conference football as an analyst for Fox Sports.
“I’ve been on that campus and been able to visit with him and have seen the facilities and what he has done in other sports. He’s a quality athletic director with Division I experience at a university with big-time football,” Davis said. “When you are talking about Tennessee, you better have that right off the top. The second part is he understands the importance of women’s athletics.”
Davis realizes many UT fans wanted a “pureblood” UT product running the department with former football coach Phillip Fulmer or UT graduate David Blackburn, the athletic director at Chattanooga, at the top of their list.
“I know our Tennessee group had its heart set on certain people because their names have been bandied about so much and probably rightly so. But I know our Tennessee people and we need to get behind John Currie if we want to achieve what we keep talking about wanting to achieve to get back to where I firmly believe we belong,” Davis said. “To do that, we can’t have any factions. I’m not Pollyanna about it either. I’m being real.”
Davis won’t be attending Thursday’s introductory press conference for Currie at Thompson-Boling Arena because of his responsibilities for the NFL Network during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“I wish I could be there because I really want to welcome him,” Davis said. “I am wishing him the best of luck. I think he has the toughness and vigor to be successful at Tennessee.”
