Tennessee announced its next athletic director on Tuesday and will formally welcome him on Thursday as John Currie has decided to leave Kansas State for the Vols.
“It is a very exciting time for my family and me as we return to a place that remains very special to us,” Currie said. “We spent 10 years in Knoxville prior to taking the job at K-State, and I appreciate Chancellor Davenport and the University of Tennessee for providing us this special opportunity. As a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I know how much UT athletics means to the people in the state, and I look forward to serving all of the Big Orange Nation, its wonderful coaches, staff and student-athletes, for many years to come. We are excited to return to Rocky Top.”
More than a month ago, reports indicated that former football coach Phillip Fulmer had emerged as a candidate to replace Dave Hart, who is retiring this summer. Fulmer won a national championship at Tennessee while going 152-52 as coach (1992-2008), played football for the Vols and spent 12 years as an assistant coach before his promotion in 1992.
According to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, the search seemed to take a left turn at the last minute. Fulmer and Chattanooga AD David Blackburn were long considered the favorites. It could be that new Tennessee chancellor Beverly Davenport wanted to make her own choice that united factions supporting both men.
But Currie, Tennessee’s ultimate choice for the gig, has his own strong set of Tennessee ties. Currie has a master’s from Tennessee. He joined the school from Wake Forest as an administrator in 1997 and rose to the senior associate athletic director before leaving for Kansas State in 2009.
Currie, 46, was the driving force behind a massive facilities upgrade in Manhattan, Kansas. The new $75 million football facility in the north end zone has state-of-the-art components. Currie also led the charge for the west side expansion of Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
All along, Currie would say he was hoping to keep K-State football relevant for the time when 77-year old coach Bill Snyder retires.
However, a Kansas State source intimately close to the matter told Dodd there were conflicts between Currie and Snyder at times. The source said Snyder’s habit of controlling the schedule began to wane when Currie arrived in 2009.
It was also suggested Currie clashed with former basketball coach Frank Martin, who is now at South Carolina. Martin left after the 2011-12 season. Fans had been clamoring for the hiring of former Martin assistant Brad Underwood last year. Underwood left Stephen A. Austin and took over at Oklahoma State.
Current coach Bruce Weber, a Currie hire, is completing his fifth season. The Wildcats are considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m happy for John Currie to go back to the University of Tennessee,” former K-State president Jon Wefald said. “This is going to be a really good move for him. He had some major buildings he built here under budget and on time.”