KNOXVILLE -- Dave Hart is retiring as Tennessee's athletic director in June 2017, more than a year before his current contract was set to expire.
His explanation for the decision was simple.
"Sometimes you just know when it's time," Hart said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
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Hart and the university have agreed to a retirement package, and Tennessee announced Hart's decision earlier Thursday morning nearly six years after he was hired to repair a flailing athletic department in a financial hole and headlined by a football program lost in the wilderness.
Despite plenty of controversy with the Lady Vols branding fiasco and three lawsuits, Hart accomplished two undeniably important goals during his tenure.
He hired Butch Jones, who's turned around the football program, and helped the department's financial reserve increase from less than $2 million to more than $12 million.
"It was a disappointment," chancellor Jimmy Cheek told reporters after Hart's press conference, "because he's done such a fantastic job here."
Hart told his staff at a meeting early Thursday morning he was retiring because he wanted them to know before the university made it public.
"It's exciting to think (about) what's getting ready to happen," Hart said. "My focus and my excitement is centered around this academic and athletic year that has just begun.... I'm not pointing to what's next. I'm going to live in the moment and I'm going to enjoy the moment."
Hart contended any notion that he's being forced out earlier than he wanted.
"He came with the decision made," Cheek said.
Though he admitted at one point he had visions of staying at Tennessee through 2020, Hart said he felt the support from the university's leadership was adequate.
"It was just the right time," he said.
"I felt the support was the there.... Everybody's been supportive of what we're doing and everybody's applauded what we've done collectively."
The instability with Tennessee's leadership, though, did contribute to Hart's decision.
Cheek announced earlier this year he was stepping down to return to teaching, and the university wants to have his replacement hired before the spring.
Two other leaders announced their retirements as well.
"We've got some transition," Cheek said. "It's not unique to any other institution. We're going to find an extremely good chancellor to come here, and I think he or she will do an extremely good job of choosing a new athletic director, because athletics is critical to this campus as well as academics."
Hart indicated a combination of the university's in-flux leadership and a sense of accomplishment from where the athletic department was when he took over to where it is now were contributing factors to his decision to step down next year.
"It became pretty apparent, because of where our program is, because the university is in transition of leadership -- there will be another chancellor at some point before the academic year comes to conclusion -- it'll give that person the ability to decide for themselves who they would like in my current leadership role," he explained.
"That had a lot to do with it. I think because of the hard work of these coaches and staff and the student-athletes, I feel really good about where we are. I feel very good about that.
"A lot of times you don't get to choose your exit point. It just all made sense that it would be a good time to set a direction and let everybody know what that date's going to be. My focus won't change one iota."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.