University of Tennessee's most embarrassing moment of school year might not even be football

John Adams | Knoxville

Show Caption Hide Caption Davenport explains decision to not outsource UT Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport talks about her decision to not outsource facilities work on campus on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.

The University of Tennessee seldom has had a more eventful school year. So worthy, in fact, that 2017-18 is worthy of review:

The football team set a single-season school record with eight losses and didn’t win an SEC game.

Football coach Butch Jones was fired near the end of his fifth season.

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In a bigger surprise, Jones didn’t deliver a parting catchphrase.

Athletic director John Currie led one of the strangest coaching searches in college football history.

Tennessee's hiring of Greg Schiano was overruled on social media.

Then, when Currie seemingly was on the verge of finishing what he started — by hiring Washington State coach Mike Leach — he was fired.

Tennessee names Phil Fulmer AD, suspends John Currie Tennessee held a press conference to announce the "start of a new era" with the naming of Phil Fulmer as the new athletics director. PROVIDED/UT Athletics

Former fired football coach Phillip Fulmer was hired as athletic director. That’s the same Phillip Fulmer whom chancellor Beverly Davenport bypassed in hiring Currie.

Davenport was fired.

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The UT board of trustees was revamped drastically.

UT president Joe DiPietro wasn’t fired.

What it will take to change things at Tennessee

Quite a school year, huh? And with all the hiring and firing of the school’s leaders and a record-setting football season, it will be tough to top in 2018-2019.

However, don’t expect UT suddenly to become a model of stability and success.

More: University of Tennessee trustees to vote on resolution expressing 'full confidence' in DiPietro

DiPietro could be gone by the end of the calendar year. Then, UT will be in the market for a new president and chancellor.

So, more change is coming. Based on UT’s track record, not all the changes will be good, and some will be bizarre.

Things won’t change significantly for the better until Tennessee hires better leaders. Instead, it too often hires mediocre leaders and consequently gets mediocre or worse results.

Worse still, it sometimes celebrates that mediocrity.

What motto Tennessee should use

Joe DiPietro on Davenport's firing: It's a very unpleasant decision UT President Joe DiPietro takes questions from the media before introducing interim chancellor Wayne Davis

For example, take the outgoing board of trustees’ formal vote of confidence on behalf of DiPietro. I won’t bore you with all the flowery prose. Instead, let’s skip to the sixth “whereas” of the resolution.

It reads: “WHEREAS, President DiPietro committed the University to becoming a national model in Title IX compliance … ”

The resolution should have read: “WHEREAS, President DiPietro committed the University to becoming a national model in Title IX compliance after it settled a $2.48 million Title IX lawsuit ... ”

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Why would the board bring up Title IX? It’s nothing but a reminder of the university’s incompetence.

And it makes as much sense as DiPietro did in firing Davenport. He criticized her for poor communication skills and then gave her a new job in the school’s department of communications.

One thing about UT’s leaders: They don’t embarrass easily.

Once UT’s new board of trustees is in power, I would recommend it passing a resolution that reads: “WHEREAS, the University has become a national laughingstock, we will strive daily not to embarrass ourselves.”

That also might be an appropriate goal for the new president and chancellor. They should put “Don’t Embarrass Yourself Today” on a plaque and hang it on an office wall.

That wouldn't assure them of succeeding. But it would demonstrate an awareness of history.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.