| Coach Joins Mayor at Campaign Stop in Sevier County, Discusses Leadership
KNOXVILLE – University of Tennessee, Knoxville Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate and Mayor Bill Haslam in his bid for Tennessee Governor.
Pearl joined Haslam at a campaign stop in Sevier County today, discussing leadership and what it takes to be a leader during difficult times. He discussed increasing the expectations of people to challenge them to excel and succeed and tapping into the specific talents of individual players, akin to Mayor Haslam’s regionally-specific economic development plan.
“I talk about raising expectations, focusing on positives and building confidence. I talk about work ethic. I talk about ethics. It’s all about leadership,” Pearl said. “Anybody can sail the ship when seas are calm and everything is favorable…You’ve got to prepare people for the worst times.”
“These are adverse times. This is not going to be an easy job, and it’s not going to happen overnight,” Pearl added. “But if there’s one thing that I know about Bill Haslam, he has an incredible work ethic.”
“What Bill has done for Knoxville he will do for the State of Tennessee,” he continued.
Pearl recently completed his fifth season as head coach of the Men’s Basketball program at UT Knoxville. Revitalizing the program, Pearl has led the Vols to a 126 - 46 record in five seasons, making it the Southeastern Conference’s most successful team during the last five years. Pearl’s Vols teams are also 4-0 at home against Top-Five teams during his coaching tenure in Knoxville.
In the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Pearl’s teams shine. He has coached 18 seasons at the collegiate level, and his teams have made the tournament 16 times and won 26 games. He is one of only five active coaches with 10 Sweet Sixteen appearances, and UT Knoxville is one of six programs to reach the Sweet Sixteen in three of the last four years.
More importantly, Pearl is dedicated to his community, and Knoxville’s Metro Pulse named him “Knoxvillian of the Year” in 2008. Pearl and his wife have also raised more than $225,000 for the basketball program’s OUTLIVE effort, an initiative to support the UT Medical Center’s cancer institute, and they’re committed to raising $1 million during the next four years.
“There is no question Bruce Pearl has made an immediate impact on his teams, UT Knoxville, the local community and the state since he arrived in Tennessee,” Haslam said. “His ability to communicate is unparalleled, and I look forward to and am thankful for his help as the campaign progresses.”
Mayor Haslam is the two-term Republican Mayor of Knoxville, reelected in 2007 with 87 percent of the vote. A hardworking, conservative public servant, Haslam led Knoxville to become one of the top ten metropolitan areas for business and expansion, while reducing the city’s debt, lowering the number of city employees to its smallest amount in 15 years, tripling the rainy day fund, and bringing property taxes to the lowest rate in 50 years. | 
