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Tennessee Vols: Five reasons UCF AD Danny White is best hire in decades

By Caleb Calhoun

TAMPA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 23: The UCF Knights Athletic director Danny White stands on the sidelines during warm-up before a game against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 23: The UCF Knights Athletic director Danny White stands on the sidelines during warm-up before a game against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 17: Danny White, the UCF Knights Athletic director looks on to the screen during pregame before a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 17, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 17: Danny White, the UCF Knights Athletic director looks on to the screen during pregame before a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 17, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

3. Willingness to establish new traditions

One of the best moves made by any Tennessee Vols athletic director over the past decade was Dave Hart’s decision to finally put the Battle at Bristol into action. That was tough to pull off, and Hart did it. Danny White’s history shows a willingness to do things just like that to get fans more involved and generate more buzz, and that’s a big deal.

White is willing to try new things while listening to the fans if they don’t work. The best example is trying to make the Buffalo Bulls more marketable as the state of New York’s team. Part of that was putting “New York” instead of “Buffalo” on the jerseys. You can read about that here in The Washington Post. However, fan backlash resulted in them being removed.

That may have been a PR failure, but it showed White’s willingness to take risks and then pull back if it’s not popular. At UCF, he was much more successful. White and South Florida Bulls athletic director Mark Harlan officially branded those two schools rivals with a name, the War on I-4. As the Orlando Sentinel reported, everybody has embraced that move.

Given those facts, White is likely to try a few intriguing things on Rocky Top. Being one of the youngest athletic directors in the nation could help with that, and it’s also what leads to our next positive related to him.

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