Fancher begins another new chapter
Houston Fancher laughed at the suggestion that he might have had the quickest ladder-climb in NCAA history, going from graduate assistant to interim head coach in just two years.
“That is unique,” said Fancher, who, for the time being, is Tennessee’s coach. He has replaced Bruce Pearl, who was fired Monday.
It is different, and the interim label most likely won’t transition into anything permanent in terms of the principal job. But perhaps it could lead to an assistant’s position, an upgrade from his previous status as director of video scouting, and it certainly won’t look bad on a resume.
But that’s not why Fancher is doing it. He says he’s doing it for the players.
“The kids might want to talk to somebody that’s been in the pit with them,” Fancher said. “And they know I’ve been in it with them every step of the way and I think they trust me and we’ll get through this process.”
Fancher was in the pit a couple of years ago, when he was fired as Appalachian State’s coach.
He said he’ll never forget the visit he got from ASU football coach Jerry Moore the day he lost his job.
“Coach left spring practice and came to my house and visited with me and my wife,” Fancher said. “We visited, talked, cried, prayed.
“When Coach Moore walked out the door, he turned back and said, ‘I can’t wait to see what will happen to you next, what God’s plan is.’ I’ll never forget that. And you know what, neither can I. I have trust and faith that it will all work out.”