Bruce Pearl, the coach who took the Tennessee Volunteers to six straight NCAA tournament appearances, has been fired as the team’s head coach. Athletic director Mike Hamilton informed him of the decision today.
Pearl was up against unethical conduct charges for misleading NCAA investigators and Tennessee is slated to appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions in June.
“As many of you know, I have been fired as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers,” Pearl posted on Facebook. “This really does not come as a surprise to me, but my emotions are getting the best of me.
“This is perhaps the saddest day in my life. I loved everything about Tennessee, Knoxville and the Volunteers. These were the best years of my life.”
Hamilton said as recently as last week, three days before the Volunteers suffered an NCAA second-round, 75-45 loss to Michigan, that it was still undecided as to whether or not Pearl, 51, would return next year.
In his six seasons with Tennessee, Bruce Pearl led the Tennessee Volunteers to their first number one ranking in 2008 as well as their first NCAA tournament regional finals appearance.
The team missed a trip to the 2010 Final Four by just one point. More below.
Related articles
- Fans voice support for Bruce Pearl at rally (knoxnews.com)
- Vols fans rally outside arena in support of Pearl (cbssports.com)
- Bruce Pearl: The Writing Is on the Wall for Tennessee Coach After 30-Point Loss (bleacherreport.com)
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