What Lane Kiffin (and young men) can learn from David Cutcliffe (and old men)
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. – Titus 2:7
When Lane Kiffin left the University of Tennessee in the middle of the night just before classes started, doing everything to bring his recruits with him, likely condemning the program to years of rebuilding, he had this to say about the job he had done in on
e year at UT:
“I know that I can walk out of here and say this, that we’ve been here for 14 months and there’s not one day I didn’t give everything I had to the Tennessee football program,” Kiffin said. “We’re leaving here 14 months later a lot better team than we were 14 months ago.”
He is going back to USC, where he has many friends and good memories as offensive coordinator. He left for himself. Was it legally wrong? No. In fact, I’m surprised people are so outraged. What does our culture generally teach but “you gotta’ get yours, do whatever makes you happy.” That is exactly what Kiffin did. He left a boss, recruits, a University and a fan base in the dust before accomplishing anything but a load of controversy and NCAA rules violations, but he got his dream job.
But then there is David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe spent his best coaching years as offensive coordinator at Tennessee. He has close friends in Knoxville. No doubt a homecoming of friends and prestige and respect and higher pay would make Cutcliffe very happy. Yet, when they offered him the job as Kiffin’s replacement and a way out of Duke, a longtime joke of a football team which he is laboring to rebuild, Cutcliffe turned them down. Why? Here is his answer:
“You follow your heart in big decisions,” Cutcliffe told ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich. “I have a lot of ties and a lot of people that I’m very close to, and a lot of respect for the University of Tennessee, but my heart is here. We’ve worked very hard these two years to change the culture, to change the team physically. You feel like the job’s not done, and in this era, it bothers me, what we do as coaches, moving here and there. This is mid-January. Nothing about that felt right to me as a person.”
If I’m honest, I’m a lot more like Kiffin than Cutcliffe. Kiffin is a picture of the modern man, always looking out for number one. Cutcliffe represents self-sacrifice and considering others before yourself. Which is why I need Jesus and why I need Godly older men to teach me the value of integrity, honesty and hard work.
Great thoughts, Caleb. I’m a huge sports fan, and I went to UCLA, so ‘SC can have Kiffin. I remember him mostly from his days as the Raider’s coach (as I live near Oakland). But I, too, get tired of listening to sports figures tell us sweet lies about their decisions and behavior (e.g., Mark McGwire). You’ve called a spade, a spade.