Here's a hint to all head coaches in the men's athletic department at Tennessee:

If you want to get in good with your boss, bring him an SEC championship.

As Mike Hamilton approaches his third anniversary as men's director of athletics, he can proudly point to a number of the Vols' accomplishments, on and off the field.

There's the No. 8 finish last year in the Director's Cup, a national all-sports scoreboard. It was UT's highest finish ever.

There was the No. 3 ranking in the Excellence in Athletics and Academics Cup survey. Only Stanford and Duke scored higher.

There was the College World Series berth last summer in baseball.

There was the amazing basketball renaissance that heated up Thompson-Boling Arena last winter.

"We're well thought of nationally. We're competing hard nationally,'' Hamilton said. "We're competing hard in the SEC.

"Certainly, we need to bring home some SEC trophies.''

The UT men last brought home an SEC trophy in the 2002 outdoor track and field season. The tennis team also won the SEC tournament that spring.

In Hamilton's three seasons, UT is one of four SEC schools without a men's championship. The others are South Carolina, Alabama and Vanderbilt.

The Vols did win an Eastern Division basketball title last winter. The football team won the East in 2004, then lost to Auburn in the championship game.

The football Vols also shared a three-way tie for the East title in 2003, but didn't play in the title game.

In that three-year span, Arkansas has won seven titles, all in track or cross-country, and shared a baseball title.

Georgia is the most well rounded SEC men's program with four titles in three different sports, plus a tie in baseball.

LSU is the only school to win football, men's basketball and women's basketball titles in the past three years.

Meanwhile, the Lady Vols have won eight SEC championships in the past three years, plus a share of a volleyball title.

Angela Kelly (soccer) and J.J. Clark (track/cross-country) are proof that hiring the right coach opens championship doors.

Athletic programs and coaches are judged on how they fare at two levels, the conference and then the national level in the postseason.

"Both of those things are important,'' said Hamilton.

"It's got to start with competing for SEC championships. That's ultimately how our coaches will probably be judged.''

If you're good enough to compete for a championship in the SEC, chances are you're good enough to compete for a national championship as well.

UT finished only third in the SEC baseball standings in 2005 but reached the College World Series.

In 2001, John Trembley's swimming team was second in the SEC and third in the NCAA.

Florida won the NCAA basketball tournament last month, but finished second to UT in the SEC East regular-season race.

SEC titles appear more attainable in some sports than others.

Auburn is virtually unbeatable in swimming and Arkansas is cross-country, but it doesn't mean Tennessee will concede.

"I don't like excuses,'' Hamilton said. "Tradition will get you out of the gate but we had not had a lot of great success in volleyball until (coach) Rob Patrick got here and now we've been to a Final Four.

"Softball was a West Coast sport until teams in this league decided we're going to start supporting it and now we've been to a College World Series.

"So for me, I look at this basketball situation and say, 'If Florida won a national championship in basketball and we beat those guys twice we can win a national championship in basketball.''

An SEC championship would be appreciated as well.

Like UT's coaches, Hamilton's contract includes a bonus structure for both high national finishes and SEC titles.

But it's not the money Hamilton yearns for. It's the trophy and the success it represents.

"Absolutely,'' he said.

"If I'm not mistaken, Coach (Doug) Dickey (Hamilton's predecessor) retired being able to say we won at least one SEC championship in each of the sports in which we competed during his tenure.

"I think that's great. I hope we win more than one.''

The following is a brief analysis of each of UT's men's sports and their recent history:

• Football: The most recent SEC title was 1998. The Vols have twice lost in the championship game since.

Since '98, five different schools have won an SEC title.

• Basketball: The most recent regular-season title was a four-way tie in 1999-2000. The Vols are the reigning Eastern Division champs.

UT hasn't won the SEC tournament since 1979 or reached even the semifinals since 1991.

• Baseball: In 1995, Rod Delmonico's team won the regular-season and the tournament, en route to the College World Series.

The Vols went back to the CWS in 2001 and 2005.

• Track: Before Justin Gatlin was "the world's fastest human,'' he led UT to SEC outdoor titles in 2001 and 2002.

UT was national champion outdoors in 2001 and indoors in 2002.

The Vols and Florida are the only schools to break Arkansas' dominance since it joined the SEC.

• Cross country: The last SEC title was 1990. Arkansas entered the league in '91 and is 15-for-15 with 11 NCAA titles in that stretch.

UT has finished between third and seventh in the past five SEC meets.

• Swimming: The Vols haven't won the SEC meet since 1996, but did finish second in 2001 (and third in the NCAA meet). UT has finished fourth in four of the past five SEC meets.

Auburn has won 10 consecutive SEC titles and six NCAA meets in 10 years. Florida usually finishes second in the SEC.

• Golf: UT hasn't won the SEC meet since 1990. David Skinns was medalist in 2005. UT's best team finish under coach Jim Kelson is fourth.

Six different schools have won in the past 12 SEC tournaments. Georgia and Florida have each won two NCAA titles since 1993.

• Tennis: The Vols last won the regular season in 2000 and the SEC tournament in 2002. They lost in the tourney finals in 2005, Chris Mahony's first year as coach.

UT played in the NCAA finals or semifinals from 2000-2002.

Georgia is the league's top program but anyone can win as Ole Miss proved in 2004.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.