11/05/24
January 23, 2007
Orange you glad he works out?: University of Tennessee men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl stripped to the waist and painted himself orange before sitting in the student section during the Lady Vols' 74-70 loss to Duke on Monday.
posted by wfrazerjr to basketball at 04:49 PM - 16 comments
You stay classy, Knoxville! (I love this. Go him.)
posted by chicobangs at 05:18 PM on January 23, 2007
i hope i look that good at ??? he's huge!
posted by bavarianmotorworker at 05:32 PM on January 23, 2007
This was great. More power to him. (It was a great game too.)
posted by tieguy at 06:12 PM on January 23, 2007
How cool is that!
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:02 PM on January 23, 2007
You have to love his team spirit. What a cool coach!
posted by wingnut4life at 12:20 AM on January 24, 2007
Perhaps Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun could learn a little from this guy about how to support your fellow coaches. What a cool thing to do, and not not only as far as Pat Summitt is concerned; the student section appeared to just go insane when he came running in.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:45 AM on January 24, 2007
This is frickin sweet! Being a professional and a real person who has fun: Who would've thunk it? I will now root for the "Orangemen."
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:49 AM on January 24, 2007
Here's a thought for everyone: Does acting like you've been there before (Pearl's comment from lilnemo's link above) require that you are stoic and unaffected by a big win? I think that this was completely okay; celebrate the win. That's why you play! I think acting like you've been there before should refer to when you are in the presence of the player/team you just beat. When you are alone as a team, go crazy.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:54 AM on January 24, 2007
Can you envision Coach K. or UCLA's legendary leader having so little dignity to act like this? Okay, I know, I'm a prude and a fuddy duddy, yadda, yadda, yadda.
posted by ChiefsSuperFan at 11:06 AM on January 24, 2007
You're not a prude or a fuddy fuddy, but this is a reminder that there is more than one way to motivate your team and the school you represent. Coach K (and, for that matter, Pat Summitt) would never do this in a million years, but their ability, success, passion and commitment to their school and their program are beyond question. Pearl is a bit of an odd bird, but you will never question his passion and commitment to his sport, the Vols, or Tennessee, will you? A certain type of high school kid will want to come to Knoxville because of stuff like this. There is no downside whatsoever to this kind of a stunt. Aside from seeing Coach topless, I guess. But even then. Different strokes, etc.
posted by chicobangs at 11:44 AM on January 24, 2007
Point well taken, Chicobangs. I'd never question Pearl's heart. A generation ago parents of potential recruits would have thought twice about sending their son to a school with a coach like Pearl preferring the stayed and traditional such as Duke or UCLA. But, things are different now--for better or for worse. Nonetheless, Coach Topless' actions don't merit criticism, and I agree, "Different strokes..." And, hey, beats the heck out of coaches taking thier players to strip clubs.
posted by ChiefsSuperFan at 12:25 PM on January 24, 2007
And, hey, beats the heck out of coaches taking thier players to strip clubs. It also beats the heck out of male coaches and athletes showing no support whatsoever for women's teams at their school. This seems like the upside of school spirit to me. Go Vols!
posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:09 PM on January 24, 2007
Cool...as long as Charlie Weis doesn't get any ideas from this.
posted by louisville_slugger at 03:04 PM on January 24, 2007
I'd be alright if Charlie took inspiration from this and shaved his head and painted it gold, and kept his shirt on. I'm surprised ND isn't already known for this practice.
posted by apoch at 09:52 AM on January 25, 2007
That's the most egregious over use of self-tanners I've ever seen.
posted by fenriq at 06:18 PM on January 25, 2007
And here's the clip of Pearl "Hulking Out" after defeating Kentucky in 06. I'm gonna go rinse my eyes with iodine.