Deadspin: Bruce Pearl

Recruit Says Bruce Pearl Sent A Beautiful Girl To Tell Him To Attend Tennessee

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:25:20 EST

Small forward Jordan Adams is one of the many prospects out of Oak Hill Academy, and ESPN has him ranked as the 50th best recruit in the nation. He's going to UCLA in the fall, but they weren't the only ones who were interested: Bruce Pearl, while still at Tennessee, apparently called in the services of one of his top recruiting specialists: More »

Banished From The NCAA, Bruce Pearl Will Now Sell You Groceries

Jack Dickey — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:10:00 EDT

With good reason, no one's letting former Tennessee Vols coach Bruce Pearl anywhere near a basketball court anytime soon. (He's been confined to barbecues instead.) He had a bad season, and he broke NCAA rules, so Tennessee fired him. Then Pearl received a three-year banishment from college basketball. More »

Bruce Pearl Hosts BBQ To Address NCAA Sanctions For BBQ He Once Hosted

Emma Carmichael — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EDT

On Wednesday, the NCAA announced that it would penalize former Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl with a three-year show-cause penalty. The decision, which effectively shuts him out of a college coaching job for three years, is a result of infractions Pearl committed during his tenure at UT, which included impermissible contact with a recruit at a barbecue at his house in September 2008. Yesterday, Pearl addressed the media—during a barbecue at his house. More »

Bruce Pearl May Be Headed To The D-League

Emma Carmichael — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:20:00 EDT

Former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl is likely set to take over the Texas Legends, the Dallas Maverick's D-League affiliate that went 24-26 and made it to the playoffs in the 16-team, two-conference organization last season. ESPN's Marc Stein reported the team's initial invitation this afternoon, and with a press conference scheduled with Donnie Nelson tomorrow, NBA.com's Art Garcia presumes the deal might be done. The Legends "could neither confirm nor deny" that Pearl has officially been hired, so we'll go ahead and speculate that they're just waiting for the ink to dry to make it official. More »

Steven Pearl Laughs On Twitter At Dad's UT Replacement

Jack Dickey — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EDT

You didn't really expect Bruce Pearl and kin to exit Knoxville quietly, with great dignity, especially when Tennessee didn't wait a full week before hiring a replacement, Cuonzo Martin, did you? More »

The Weeping Kansas Jayhawk, In Happier Times

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for March 28, the day Lindsay became the artist formerly known as Lindsay Lohan. More »

These People At The Bruce Pearl Rally Are Now Unwitting Internet Heroes

A.J. Daulerio — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:50:00 EDT

Oh dear. Rocky Top Talk took one of the first photos of these Pearl supporters who showed up with their mullets and that sign to his rally, which is just the perfect sendoff to a coach whose legacy will be forever tarnished. Like a dimond. (H/T Twitterverse) More »

Bruce Pearl's First Con, And The World That Created A Monster

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:10:02 EDT

The first time I met Jimmy Collins was in 2004. I was working on a profile of UW-Milwaukee's ascendant basketball coach Bruce Pearl and had come to Chicago to get the other side of the story. Collins was coaching at the University of Illinois-Chicago, but by that point he was much better known as Pearl's foil, a sort of perpetual other side of the story. The short version goes like this: In 1989, Pearl, then an assistant at Iowa, accused Collins, then an assistant at Illinois, of offering a Chevy Blazer and $80,000 to a recruit named Deon Thomas, who was a star at Chicago's Simeon High School. Pearl had proof: a surreptitious recording of a phone conversation with Thomas. The controversy that ensued temporarily crippled one Big Ten program and two coaching careers, and it was still very much on the principals' minds in 2004 when Pearl offered a handshake before a game and Collins rejected it. This had caused some squirming around the Horizon League. Beyond that, nobody much gave a shit. More »

Bruce Pearl Between Rock And Hard Place

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:40:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for March 22, the day our road signs finally warned us of the zombie menace. More »

LeBron James Turned The Atlanta Hawks Into The Cleveland Cavaliers For 12 Minutes

Brian Hickey — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 09:15:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for March 19, the day after it became wise to snatch a few domain names ending in ".xxx". More »

They Called The Cops On UTEP Coach Tim Floyd Last Night

Brian Hickey — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST

Your morning roundup for Feb. 24, the day Edward James Olmos turns 63. More »

The Man In The Orange Suit Could Not Believe His Eyes

Emma Carmichael — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:45:00 EST

Your morning roundup for Feb. 9, the day we realized we'd developed a dangerous addiction to Hint Of Lime Tostito chips. More »

Bruce Pearl Gets In Amusing Zinger On "Dumbass" Lane Kiffin

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:25:00 EST

Pearl, on his suspendable offenses: "I've made mistakes, I clearly did, but what I was hoping for was that some other dumbass would get on the front page and take me off the hook. I miss Lane Kiffin." [Knoxville News Sentinel] More »

Bruce Pearl's Wife Rushes To His Defense With Ill-Advised Crucifixion Comparison

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:15:00 EST

Bruce Pearl received an 8-game suspension for recruiting violations that he admitted to. To Brandy Pearl, that makes him just like Jesus. More »

Vera Zvonareva is a Youth-Prison Riot Fetishist's Wet Dream

Brian Hickey — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day. More »

Swiperboy And Bruce Pearl's Son Make Tennessee Most Entertaining (Or Infuriating) Sweet 16 Team

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:30:19 EDT

Looking for a bandwagon NCAA team now that yours has been eliminated? How about Tennessee? At the very least, their smooth rhymes and maddening nepotism will give you something talk about at the water cooler. More »

Bruce Pearls Sticks Gun Foot In Mouth

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:45:00 EST

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Four players suspended after being caught with handguns? No problem, says Pearl. "We still have got weapons." [Kentucky Sports Radio] More »

UT Hostesses Now Recruiting Bruce Pearl

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST

Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day. More »

Yukkks: Bruce Pearl Apologizes For Klan Joke

Tommy Craggs — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:15:58 EDT

Pearl, the chuckling Rotarian nuisance who is approximately one Holocaust clown movie removed from Jerry Lewis, recently told a zinger at a fundraiser that might've gone over better if he hadn't suggested that some of his Tennessee constituents were Klansmen. More »

Best of the Brissed: The First and Last Deadspin Maccabiah Games Preview

yonibrenner — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:15:55 EDT

Named after the Maccabee family, who vanquished the Greeks despite 6-1 odds and stingy handicapping; the Maccabiah Games bring together 7,000 of the world's best Jewish athletes to satisfy their insatiable lust for gold. Whoa. That came out wrong. More »

Sorry Ladies: Bruce Pearl Is Off The Market!

Dashiell Bennett — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:45:00 EDT

Hearts are a-breakin' all across the Smokies today as Bruce Pearl has announced that he's affianced to lady friend Brandy Miller. Do they sell creamsicle-colored tuxedo shirts? [Knoxville News Sentinel] More »

Bruce Pearl Attempts To Use His Roguish, Swarthy Charm On Layla Kiffin

A.J. Daulerio — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:50:51 EDT

Bruce Pearl is tireless in his pursuit of younger, very attractive women. Even married mother of three, Layla Kiffin is not off-limits from his creepy advances. More »

Yep. That's Bruce Pearl Rapping With No Shirt On

Dashiell Bennett — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Apparently, the coaches at the University of Tennessee are involved in some sort of wager to determine which one will be elected Mayor of Crazy Town. Check and mate, Bruce Pearl. More »

The Women Of Knoxville Profiting From Bruce Pearl's Divorce

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:45:10 EST

There are three kinds of divorces in this world. One, is when both parties realize it just isn't working out and they amicably part ways. Two, is when one person has had enough, but the other clings desperately to the relationship, always believing that it could somehow still work out. The third is—"I hate you for everything you ever did to me and I'm never going to let you or anyone else forget it." I can't say for certain, but I'm guessing Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl and his ex-wife fall into that last group. More »

Bruce Pearl Is Still No. 1 In Our Search Engines

storming the floor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:40:36 EST

The College Basketball Closer is written by the gang at Storming the Floor. More »

ESPN Now To Issue Pepper Spray To All TV Correspondents

rickchand — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:40:35 EST

Ready For Some Good, Old-Fashioned College Basketball Nightmare Fuel?

rickchand — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:00:29 EST

Note to Bruce Pearl: There's such a thing as overselling an event, as may be the case tonight when Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt is supposed to appear at the men's game against No. 5 Florida and "do something special." Pearl (personal motto: Dignity, Always Dignity), the Tennessee men's coach, painted himself orange and cheered in the student section for the women's game against Duke on Jan. 22. And he says that Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, is going to go quid pro quo. And he gets his point across in this chilling paragraph: More »

Well, That's One Way To Scare Off Pat Summitt's Recruits

Leitch — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:00:13 EST

Our longtime enmity toward Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was founded in adolescence and is probably going to stick with us til death, even if the guy ended up taking down a squadron of Al Qaeda operatives. Sometimes, you can't shake your past. More »

Oh, You Clever Shocker Cheerleaders

mjdeadspin — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 17:38:49 EST

Okay, so that Florida/Milwaukee game wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The Gators ended up winning by 22, which is not what you'd call close. Still, to me, it felt like less of a blowout than the Duke/GW game. Maybe it's just me. More »

Now It Gets Real

mjdeadspin — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 15:28:54 EST

Duke has put the finishing touches on their romp of George Washington. They're the first team in the Sweet 16, Dick Vitale has written them in on his bracket with a glitter pen, and blah blah blah... We're done with the appetizers. Here comes the steak. More »

Inside The SEC Tournament

Leitch — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:15:58 EST

Deadspin Mole Dominic Bonvissuto is sitting courtside at the SEC Men s Basketball Tournament at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn. Here's a notebook of what's happening over there. More »

Bruce Pearl Coaches Crackheads. Yeah! Take That!

Leitch — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 12:45:20 EST

As longtime readers know, we never miss an opportunity to knock around Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl. We know this isn't fair — he's a great coaching story, he's done a great job and the man is a world champion sweater — but Bruce Pearl's fate was sealed with us back in the early '90s when he was an assistant coach at Iowa. It's not fair, we know, and we don't really care. Bruce Pearl could cure cancer, find Osama bin Laden and write a script that would erase the words "Skip" and "Bayless" from the vocabulary, and we'd still hate him. Sorry. It's how we feel. More »