Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin must think that if he does things exactly as they were done when he was a low-level assistant at USC, then similar success will surely take root in Knoxville.
Accordingly, he has relented in allowing his staff to follow a practice first used at USC in 2002, then transferred to Ole Miss in 2005 with Ed Orgeron, now the Volunteer defensive line coach.
Of course, I’m talking about the ritual of coaches ripping off their shirts in front of players while getting the team to engage in war-like chants. It is supposed to excite the players and make them feel like the coaches are just, ya know, so crazy. This time, it was with recruits at Tennessee’s Junior Day. (No word yet on Tennessee’s pending move to Cardinal and Gold, nor the decision to have the Volunteer cheerleaders wear white turtleneck sweaters).
The reaction:
“That coach said they get real fired up on special teams and yelled for everybody to ‘Get up, get on your feet, and get fired up about special teams.’ Then this other coach ripped off his shirt Superman style. It was crazy.”
…
By now, three or four coaches had their shirts ripped off.” Smith said around 10 Tennessee players, including All-America defensive back Eric Berry of Atlanta and quarterback Jonathan Crompton, ran down from behind the recruits to meet the coaches on the floor. “Eric and the rest of the players were chanting ‘U-T, wild boys … U-T, wild boys … U-T wild boys.’” This time, prospects left their seats and joined the celebration. “We were all jumping up and down together, it was cool,” McCoy said.
This rather bizarre ceremony actually started with former USC assistant coach Kennedy Pola back in 2002. He commandeered a special teams meeting, tore off his shirt, divided the room into two groups and had them chanting back and forth (‘S-C, Wild Bunch…S-C, Wild Bunch’), shirts twirling in the air. I can’t link it for you, but I was there to see it first hand.
At the time, it was a pretty neat thing and it quickly became a tradition for the special teams meeting–and sometimes full team meetings–to start up like that every week.
When Orgeron became head coach at Ole Miss, he continued the practice. Of course, no one in the SEC knew about it, so it helped him earn a rather peculiar reputation. In fact, he got it from Pola, whose Samoan background gave it a wilder, indigenous feel. I’m not sure it has been improved upon since.
Another difference between then and now is that while Pete Carroll and Orgeron took off their shirts and got down and dirty, Kiffin apparently found that beneath him:
All four of the players said they never saw Lane Kiffin lose his shirt. “He was on the side, just watching and smiling,” Vogler said.
Maybe, deep down, Kiffin realizes the truth: Seven years later, this practice has jumped the shark.
What do you have against gays?
So? Did Lane piss in your Fruit Loops when you all were back at USC or what?
damn I got so excited reading this now I have to put on a new shirt! lmao just a tad to much male bonding for an old cogger like me. What happened to just playing football for the love of it? The only thing that I needed to get ready for a game was strapping on my helment and having the honor to represent my team and our fans. No matter the opponent we gave our best effort on every play. If not someone who would was waiting to take your place. But then again that was just an old school thang that young guys don’t understand, call pride. We didn’t feel a need to wear a dozen ugly ass uni’s like Oregon either we were proud of our school’s traditional uniforms that are worn to this day.
Rant over. Take care all.
ok