Former Tennessee athletic directors are apparently staying quite busy since leaving Rocky Top.
East Carolina announced on Thursday that former Vols AD Dave Hart was hired by the school as a special advisor to the chancellor for athletics. His primary focus will be on leading the search for the Pirates new men’s basketball coach but the veteran administrator-turned-consultant is also being tasked with “providing operational and strategic guidance to the chancellor relating to athletic affairs.”
Hart, who served as ECU’s athletic director for nearly a decade, will in part take over for the school’s current AD Jeff Compher -- whose controversial tenure will come to an end on May 1 after getting his contract bought out. Hart does not appear to be up for a full-time return in Greenville after retiring last summer from his position in Knoxville but does seem to be helping his old program out with a six month contract with his consulting firm.
He’s not the only one ticketed for a new position though as Hart’s successor, John Currie, was announced as an executive-in-residence for a week at Robert Morris University on Monday. Currie lasted only eight months with the Vols before being replaced by current AD Phillip Fulmer but continues to get paid by Tennessee a whopping $75,000 a week as part of his suspension that dates back to last December.
While getting let go by a school never seems like a great thing for one’s career, a small exception might be made for former UT athletic directors in recent years judging by how quickly they find something new.