I'm not one for single-link posts, but the Pat Forde article that is currently on ESPN's front page is worth it.  He outlines Pearl's career from the days as an assistant in Iowa, through a long Division II run that Forde describes as "Bruce Pearl's purgatory", up to the assignment at UT.

It's a human-interest story, to be sure.  But it's very straight-up and doesn't try to get cute.  If you ever needed a breakdown of Pearl's career history, this is about all you need.  H/T to Forde for a well-done article - perhaps even Pearlfect?

Update [2008-3-19 6:13:32 by Joel]: Yeah, this is a must-read piece by Forde. Don't miss the $100 broomstick and million dollar meeting quotes. Fantastic.