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Barack Obama is One of the Worst Presidents Ever So Far…For Tennessee Vols Athletics

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; President Barack Obama after delivering the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Network
Jan 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; President Barack Obama after delivering the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Network /
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Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; United States former President George H.W. Bush in attendance before the 2016 NCAA Men
Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; United States former President George H.W. Bush in attendance before the 2016 NCAA Men /

7. George Bush Sr., 1989-1993

What was built in the Tennessee Vols athletics program under Ronald Reagan reached new heights under George Bush Sr. He was only president for four years, but he oversaw great success of Tennessee athletics during those years.

In fact, the first three years under Bush were like the first three years of his presidency: amazing. Football won two SEC Championships and had two Top 10 finishes in 1989 and 1990. Back-to-Back SEC Championships is a huge plus for ranking presidents on here since football is the most important metric in this criteria. And Bush oversaw two SEC Titles in four years along with four straight Top 25 finishes.

But he did also oversee the fall of Johnny Majors in 1992 as he was replaced by Phillip Fulmer after a three-game losing streak in October. That was sort of like the fall of his presidency in 1992 due to the recession.

Still, that’s better than what occurred under Reagan.

Now let’s move onto Women’s Basketball. The program that took off under Reagan became the most prestigious program in the country under Bush. Summitt won two national titles under Bush and four straight Top 10 finishes. By the time Bush left the White House, Tennessee was clearly the top program in all of women’s college basketball, and Summitt alone was on her way to single-handedly making the sport relevant.

Baseball did nothing, and neither did Men’s Basketball. But the men made at least one NCAA Tournament, and given the history of the program, that’s enough to be respectable.

Next: #6: Richard Nixon

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