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Sam Pittman drops Derek Dooley reference while telling hilarious story about getting hired by the Tennessee Vols

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Sep 30, 2024 8:32 PM ET

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman spent one season as an assistant coach with the Tennessee Vols before eventually getting a chance to lead a program.

Pittman, who was extremely popular during his brief time on Rocky Top, was the Vols' offensive line coach in 2012 in Derek Dooley's final season as Tennessee's head coach.

On Monday, Pittman was asked about his memories of Tennessee and he told a great story about his interview with the Vols and the first time he walked into Neyland Stadium.

"When I went for an interview, and the [graduate assistant] took me over to the stadium, I'd never been there before," said Pittman. "In between the time I was interviewing, I think the head coach was talking to the AD about if he could hire me and how much he was going to pay me and all of that. I walked in the stadium and I told the GA 'take me back' and he said 'why?' and I said 'hell, they ain't gonna hire me to be a coach in a stadium like this'. It was unbelievable. It was like the coliseum. I said 'I'm not getting the job, take me back'. And he started laughing.

"When I got back I had a contract and a job. It's one of those places. It's an SEC school, but it's one of those places that has a lot of history. And really a great place to live. Good opportunity at the time to get into the SEC as well for me."

"Tennessee was a short time for me, I think it was about maybe 11 months," added Pittman. "I'm awful happy Derek Dooley hired me and gave me that opportunity."

“I walked in the stadium and I told the GA 'take me back' and he said 'why?' and I said 'hell, they ain't gonna hire me to be a coach in a stadium like this'. It was unbelievable.” — Classic Sam Pittman on his time as an assistant at Tennessee pic.twitter.com/ejnhKXVi3M
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) September 30, 2024

Pittman is underselling his abilities as a coach. He was one of the best offensive line coaches that Tennessee's ever had.

That 2012 Vols team ended with a 5-7 record, but it wasn't because of the offensive line (or the offense in general). The Vols' offensive line played at a high level in 2012 and all of the starters spent at least a brief amount of time in the NFL.

Pittman is a former Tennessee assistant that's still incredibly well-liked by the Vols fan base, though UT fans will obviously be rooting against him when the program visits Fayetteville for a showdown with the Razorbacks this upcoming weekend.

(And how about a random fact -- Pittman was an assistant coach at Oklahoma in 1998, the year before Vols head coach Josh Heupel arrived in Norman as a player.)

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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