KNOXVILLE - In five years as Tennessee's athletic director, Dave Hart became a polarizing figure and a lightning rod of criticism for some of the decisions he had to make.
Despite that criticism, Hart accomplished much of what he set out to do when he took over an athletic department lacking a clear direction, any sort of financial comfort and a successful football program.
Though it was never easy or without controversy, Hart has guided Tennessee into a better place now than where it was when he took over in 2011, but his tenure will reach its conclusion at the end of June 2017. The university announced his so-called retirement on Thursday.
"A lot of times you don't get to choose your exit point," Hart said. "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. My focus will be on us continuing to get better, on us addressing priorities."
The priorities were clear for Hart when he was hired from Alabama, and his progress in taking care of them should define Hart's legacy.
Instead, though, the controversies that popped up frequently during his tenure paint him in a different light to some.
There had been rumblings about Hart's future for months. He was given a contract extension in April 2013, and his current deal was set to expire two years from now. He admitted Thursday he had intentions of remaining at Tennessee through 2020.
Asked if he pushed for an extension, Hart sidestepped the query.
"That's almost moot now," he told the Times Free press, "because I shifted my focus to what is a good target to say, 'It's been a great career, but I'm going to step away.'
"This was a good time."
With Hart's pending exit, the university's leadership transition now is impacting its athletic department. Chancellor Jimmy Cheek announced in June he's vacating his post to return to teaching. Two other Tennessee cabinet members also announced their retirements earlier this year.
Although Hart deemed adequate the support from the school's leaders, it apparently wasn't enough for him to stay on as long as he wished.
"It was a disappointment," Cheek said, "because he's done such a fantastic job here."
The feather in Hart's cap is achieving his primary goal of getting the football program back on track, which Butch Jones has done in four seasons at the helm.
There were plenty of controversies, though, from the two gender-discrimination and Title IX sexual assaults lawsuits the university settled for more than $4 million to the Lady Vols' branding fiasco after Tennessee switched apparel providers. The men's basketball coaching carousel from Cuonzo Martin's departure and the Donnie Tyndall debacle was an embarrassment.
Hart also had to finalize the merger of the separate men's and women's athletic departments, but he became a unifying force for what once was a divided department.
"We had a lot of change that was necessary, but that's what leaders do," Hart said. "Leaders assess the situation and they make tough decisions. I've said this before, I've never been offended with somebody disagreeing with any decision, and I'm human like everyone else.
"You always look back and assess and say, 'Hey, could we have done something differently? Could we have done something better?' We had a steep hill to climb, and we climbed it enthusiastically and we climbed it together. That's why a lot of where we find ourselves today, a lot of the remedies are because people pulled in the same direction.
"Leaders don't disseminate the bullets. They take the bullets. Leaders don't disappear. They go out front. When you do that, there will be some negative feedback, and that's OK, and anybody who's offended by that shouldn't be in this business, because you better have some tough skin."
Hart is proud of Tennessee's tangible progress, particularly the department's record academic performances following the reorganization of the Thornton Center and increased financial stability. And he admitted the construction of the Pat Summitt Plaza, for which "we had to move heaven and earth" to complete, was a special accomplishment.
As for his legacy, Hart hopes his legacy is the coaches, administrators and student-athletes he worked with daily feeling he treated them with respect.
"These jobs are tough, and Dave's had to make some very tough decisions," Cheek said. "But every decision he's made has been built on what's best for the student-athletes and what's best for the future of the University of Tennessee athletic program and the university. That's what his legacy is."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com