My experiences meeting Vanderbilt coaches

[Golddore68]

I have had the privilege of meeting several Vanderbilt coaches in my life.

1. C.M. NEWTON. In ‘86 our boys basketball team was in the state tournament. Back then they had the boys state tournament at Vanderbilt (now it’s at MTSU). I was manager/scorebook keeper on the team and was walking through the tunnel to the locker rooms when I saw C.M. Newton walking with Will Perdue. I stopped, stunned. C.M. must have thought I was lost and he asked me if he could me find where I needed to go. I told him I was a huge Vanderbilt fan. He was super nice. He and Will signed a sheet of paper for me so I had their autographs. By the way, we lost in the semifinals to Memphis Ridgeway. They had a really outstanding player — maybe you’ve heard of him — Penny Hardaway.

2. EDDIE FOGLER. (Although he wasn’t Vanderbilt’s coach at the time). In ‘93 my family decided to spend Thanksgiving holidays in Charlotte, N.C., where my uncle’s family lives. He got free tickets to a college basketball tournament at the arena where the Charlotte Hornets played. Remember the Music City Invitational? This was a four-team tournament like that. I think there were three Carolina teams in it — North Carolina, South Carolina, some other smaller Carolina team (Western Carolina, maybe) and some other no-name smaller college like North Alabama. They rigged it so it would be North Carolina vs. South Carolina in the championship. Eddie Fogler had just started as South Carolina’s coach, and he was from North Carolina, Dean Smith was his mentor, so that was an interesting matchup. My uncle was North Carolina fan so he took my dad and me to the game. We had great seats, courtside level. We got to the arena way early to beat the traffic. I was walking with my dad to the concession stand and I came face to face with Fogler, who had done a radio interview in the press box and was walking back to the locker rooms. I told him I was from Nashville and a huge Vanderbilt fan and I thought he did a great job there. Fogler looked uncomfortable and it looked like it pained him to say “Thank you.” He wasn’t much of a people person.

3. KEVIN STALLINGS. I was at a Blackman High School basketball game, they were playing Brentwood, and both were ranked in the state’s top five. I looked up in the stands behind me and saw Stallings. He was with an assistant coach. They were recruiting Blackman’s best player. I think his first name was Darius but I can’t remember. He verbally committed to Vanderbilt, changed his mind and committed to UT instead, then transferred from UT to Virginia Tech. I don’t think he accomplished much in college. I didn’t talk to Stallings.

4. BOBBY JOHNSON. I saw him and his wife eating at West End Cooker. I didn’t approach him, I didn’t want to interrupt his meal. I wish the Cooker restaurants still existed, they had some good food. On a side note, I also saw country music star LeAnn Rimes at West End Cooker one time.

Has anyone else had experiences like this?

[alathIN]

I met CM Newton a couple of times. A gentleman in the old school sense of the word.

[commadore]

I live 40 miles from Auburn. One of the Alfa executives (where I worked) knew I was a basketball fan and said he had scholarship seats 3 rows behind the visitor's bench and wanted to know if I wanted to go. Sure, I want to go and cheer for AU over SC, as Folger had just left. Being just east of Montgomery, I had no clue about what went on at the school over his leaving. He came out to the bench, saw my Vanderbilt sweatshirt, and smiled, until I yelled "TRAITOR!" He was quite startled. I then picked on him the whole game. AU won the game even though SC was an 8-10 point favorite (AU was bad back then).

Could be why he was shy when you approached him.

If I had it to do over, I'd have probably said what you did.

[AuricGoldfinger]

I met C.M. at our senior class picnic at the Chancellor's residence. Couldn't have been a nicer guy. And goodness knows he didn't need to be there. He came because he wanted to. Spent the entire time chatting with students.

I met Fogler a couple of times and he was fine. No, not always the most comfortable people person, but I had a long conversation with him about hoops at a Vanderbilt alumni club function and it was fun.

James Franklin was great. As passionate a promoter of the program in personal conversation as he was publicly.

I met Tim Corbin in a hotel lobby in Columbia, SC and he was just as you'd expect. A consummate gentleman who introduced Harry Ray to me and my wife and wanted to know where we were from, etc.

[dcdore]

...met Tim Corbin....and wanted to know where we were from, etc.

And he probably remembers where.

[AirForceDore]

CM Newton - at a Vanderbilt basketball camp when I was in grade school. Took time with each of us talking basketball and school.
Bobby Johnson - I used to call in to the call in show from wherever I was stationed. Always made time for me and he and Joe Fisher let me skip callers when I called from S. Korea (3:00 am there). My parents always went to the shows and he told my mom next time I was on leave that I should come to practice. Flew in on a Friday the next year and true to his word I got to attend practice prior to the game, hang out with him and team etc…. Coolest Vandy experience ever for me.
Eddie Fogler- used to come into the dry cleaners I worked at is high school. Would give us tickets and was pretty nice. There was that awkward day after he decided to bolt for USCe
Jan Van’ - ran into him at the Amaco on 21st. He was in a hurry but signed my Vanderbilt folder I had.
James Franklin- met him after the his first team beat Wake. Tons of fans awaited the buses. You could tell he was tired but he took time to shake hands with everyone. He spoke to my son and I for about 3/4 min when he was about to leave. Nice enough guy in person.
Kevin Stallings- saw him at the few coaches shows I went to. During commercial breaks he would chat with us fans. I can tell you he was not a fan of Billy Kennedy off air.
Larry Schmittou-Sounds game I was at in high school. He was out and about in the crowd shakink hands with people. Nice guy as I recall.

[Gambit]

I went to Vanderbilt’s summer basketball camp in 1989 or 1990. Coach Fogler was there every day and actually talked to the campers, usually in the afternoon session. The instructors were some actual players like Derek Wilcox and Scott Draud (among other assistant coaches and managers). None of us got 1:1 time with CEF, but he seemed nice enough. Wilcox was an awesome guy.

[Seadog73]

C. M. Newton - I once hosted him to an alum event in Chattanooga. Convinced a friend and VU grad to host a 4-some at the Honors Course, and I walked 18 with CM. Fabulous experience, but I was mortified that no media came to the following event (after 5 full days of reminders) and only about 10 alums came, in spite of about 45 days of invites and reminders. But CM was very gracious.
Eddie Fogler - never met him but his executive assistant, Dot Deatheridge, managed to get me through an English degree at VU (she was Vereen Bell's right hand before she was Fogler's). She was a HUGE fan of Eddie, so I was a fan.
James Franklin - met him at a Chattanooga Quarterback Club meeting. Could not have been nicer and more engaging.
Bobby Johnson - let me and a friend come to practice any time we wanted, gave us a practice sheet so we could see what they were doing, shared some inside info on players when he found out my nephews played HS ball with Andrew Pace. Great guy, hated to see him step aside.
Kevin Stallings and Derek Mason - met both of them at an event with other coaches in Chattanooga. Also met Tre Herndon's mom at the same event. Both were open, engaging and fun to talk with.
Jeremy Organ - the women's swimming coach. He was at the same event as Kevin and Derek (along with Melanie Balcomb and John Williamson). I was once a swimmer and enjoyed meeting him.

Met and talked with Steve Sloan 3 times and every encounter was great fun, wrote Fred Pancoast and he wrote back.

Bottom line, almost every experience I have had with a VU coach has been positive, all were engaging and appreciative of the fans. I had one unpleasant experience with a coach who seemed to think only of himself, and I will leave him nameless.

[VandyPhile]

Not exactly in the category, but my step father was law partners with Roy Kramer’s dad, brother and nephew. I’ve only remembered having interactions with the nephew, who is a big Vandy fan and great guy.
I always thought Roy did a super job, even before I was aware of the connection.

[Georgiadore]

Love these stories. Thanks.

[alathIN]

Not exactly in the category, but my step father was law partners with Roy Kramer’s dad, brother and nephew. I’ve only remembered having interactions with the nephew, who is a big Vandy fan and great guy.
I always thought Roy did a super job, even before I was aware of the connection.

Kramer did well for the SEC but you will not get a lot of Vanderbilt fans cheering his name after he needlessly drove off Eddie Fogler.

[Levon]

I've never met any Vanderbilt's coaches, though I played Babe Ruth League baseball against Smokey Schimittou's National Life teams in the late 60's; he was very cool.

However, I lived in Las Vegas a few years ago and I refereed HS basketball. The summer tournaments there are fantastic, best players in the country play, attracting all the top college coaches. The only one I ever spoke with was Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury who everyone seems to hate (I knew him a little from when I worked at MSU a few years before that; despite popular opinion, he was a really nice guy). The biggest takeaway from seeing all these coaches...Coach K is the undisputed king of the college coaching profession. So many other coaches made sure to pay homage to him. Very entertaining to watch.

[Georgiadore]

Not exactly in the category, but my step father was law partners with Roy Kramer’s dad, brother and nephew. I’ve only remembered having interactions with the nephew, who is a big Vandy fan and great guy.
I always thought Roy did a super job, even before I was aware of the connection.

Kramer did well for the SEC but you will not get a lot of Vanderbilt fans cheering his name after he needlessly drove off Eddie Fogler.

Paul Hoolahan was actually the AD under whom Fogler left. And indeed, he is not cheered by Vanderbilt fans.

[VandyPhile]

While I was there, Kramer came up with a different arrangement for distributing student basketball tickets. It was somewhat of a mess. He quickly announced that it had been his idea, he thought it would be better, it clearly was not and that we would revert to the old plan. He apologized and took full responsibility.
That impressed me.

[alathIN]

Not exactly in the category, but my step father was law partners with Roy Kramer’s dad, brother and nephew. I’ve only remembered having interactions with the nephew, who is a big Vandy fan and great guy.
I always thought Roy did a super job, even before I was aware of the connection.

Kramer did well for the SEC but you will not get a lot of Vanderbilt fans cheering his name after he needlessly drove off Eddie Fogler.

Doh. That was Paul Hoiluhan. Apologies to Roy Kramer

[alathIN]

Not exactly in the category, but my step father was law partners with Roy Kramer’s dad, brother and nephew. I’ve only remembered having interactions with the nephew, who is a big Vandy fan and great guy.
I always thought Roy did a super job, even before I was aware of the connection.

Kramer did well for the SEC but you will not get a lot of Vanderbilt fans cheering his name after he needlessly drove off Eddie Fogler.

Paul Hoolahan was actually the AD under whom Fogler left. And indeed, he is not cheered by Vanderbilt fans.

Doh. You're right of course.
Apologies to Roy Kramer

[MountainDore]

Met Kevin Stallings in Knoxville after a great win against UT on a snowy night. He was walking to the locker room after a post-game interview and, being one of the few Vanderbilt fans in the crowd and feeling very appreciative, I yelled "Thanks, coach" to him. He smiled and thanked us for coming out in the bad weather.