University of Tennessee Athletics
A Letter from John Currie: Sept. 29, 2017
September 29, 2017
Good Morning, Big Orange Nation!
As I close in on completing my sixth month as your athletic director, it has been a packed week of activity for me, including visiting lots of great Tennessee friends in Nashville Tuesday and Wednesday. I then traveled to north Alabama last night with Chancellor Davenport for a gathering of Big Orange alumni and supporters. And speaking of Alabama, congratulations to Coach Pensky and our #25-ranked women's soccer team, who improved to 10-1-1 on the year with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Crimson Tide yesterday in Tuscaloosa! Next up for Tennessee soccer will be a top-25 showdown with #18 Ole Miss on Thursday night, Oct. 5 in Regal Stadium at 7 p.m. — hope to see you there!
In the meantime, our entire athletics staff family has been working overtime preparing for Big Orange weekend as the #7 Georgia Bulldogs roll into Neyland Stadium for a classic SEC contest at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. Did you know that this will be the 47th time Tennessee and Georgia have squared off on the gridiron? We lead the all-time series, 23-21-2.
We are delighted to welcome the live broadcast of SEC Nation on the Ayres Hall lawn Saturday from 10-noon. Fans and students can begin entering the spectator area near the set starting at 6:30 a.m. Saturday also will be my first opportunity to experience a "Checker Neyland" game in person, and I can't wait to see how the greatest fan base in world transforms the world's greatest football stadium into a human checkerboard of more than 100,000 Vol faithful! You can check online to see which color shirt you should wear based on your seat location by visiting CheckerNeyland.com
As we host our neighbors from Georgia, please remember that each of us play a role in creating the Best Fan Experience in the SEC. Let's be warm, welcoming and LOUD!
I'd encourage fans to bookmark the following page, as it's updated each week and includes all pertinent gameday information in one convenient place: http://www.UTsports.com/gameday
SPECIAL HALFTIME CELEBRATION RECOGNIZES PEYTON MANNING AND TENNESSEE HALL OF FAMERS
You'll want to remain in your seats during halftime, as the National Football Foundation will honor legendary VFL Peyton Manning for his selection into the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame. Part of the NFF's tradition is an "On-Campus Salute" of each new Hall inductee in the fall prior to the December induction ceremony in New York. Peyton has added to the specialness of this day—and honored those who came before him—by personally inviting all of Tennessee's living NFF Hall of Famers to join him on Shields-Watkins Field for the presentation! It will be an incredible moment to have these Hall of Famers—Doug Dickey, Frank Emanuel, Phillip Fulmer, Bob Johnson, Chip Kell, Steve Kiner, Johnny Majors and John Michels (represented by his daughter)—on the field at halftime. Dr. Ryder and the Pride of the Southland Marching Band will top off the halftime festivities with a Peyton Manning-themed halftime performance.
Prior to the game, at 1:15 p.m., be sure to check out the Vol Walk as Coach Jones and Team 121 welcome Peyton and our Hall of Fame members to join the Vol Walk from the Torchbearer to the stadium.
FALL COMPETITION CONTINUES TO RAMP UP AS TENNIS TEAMS BEGIN PLAY
Our football team is 3-1. Soccer is 10-1-1. Volleyball is 8-3. Our men's golf team has one fall tournament under its belt, while women's golf has played a pair of events—including a second-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at Cherokee Country Club.
Both tennis programs opened their fall tournament season last weekend, with the men splitting their squad to compete at the Princeton Invitation and the Gator Plus Invitational. The women's team had a strong showing at the Debbie Southern Fall Classic at Furman University.
Our cross-country squads will compete at the historic Paul Short Run today at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. And this afternoon here on campus, starting at 3:30 p.m., the swimming & diving program will conduct its annual Orange & White Intrasquad Meet at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. Admission is free.
Volleyball is traveling this weekend. They play at Florida tonight and South Carolina Sunday. Sunday's match will be shown on SEC Network at 1 p.m.
And don't forget that the Tennessee baseball and softball teams are in the midst of their fall practice seasons. Fans are welcome to come out to Lindsey Nelson Stadium and Sherri Parker Lee Stadium to check out the 2018 Vols and Lady Vols on the diamond. Details on practice and game schedules can be found on UTsports.com.
NEW CONTRACTS FOR KREDICH, WEEKLYS
Over the past week, I've been pleased to announce new contracts for head swimming coach Matt Kredich and softball co-head coaches Karen & Ralph Weekly. Both programs appear poised to compete at a championship level both athletically and academically, and I believe they are contributing to our vision of standing as America's Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program.
The Weeklys have guided the Lady Vols to seven appearances in the Women's College World Series, including national runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2013. You can read more about their impressive tenure HERE.
In his five years guiding our combined men's and women's swimming & diving program, Coach Kredich has seen Tennessee capture more than 20 individual or relay SEC titles while earning more than 200 All-America honors. More highlights from his head coaching tenure can be found HERE.
BASKETBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE
Today is the official first day of men's basketball practice and I can't wait to see both our teams take the floor on Oct. 13 for our Rocky Top Tip-Off event. Coach Warlick welcomes back U23 National Team members Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared and unveils the nation's #1-ranked women's basketball recruiting class, while our men's team is coming off of an undefeated 3-0 European tour and is ready to go, featuring four returning starters.
As you may know, there has been some disturbing news across the men's college basketball world this week. I am grateful for the character and integrity of Rick Barnes. He's building a championship program the right way with outstanding young men. While we always must be vigilant and intentional in our commitment to our Mission Goal #2 of Responsibility and Integrity, I am completely confident in the values of our head men's basketball coach and his staff, amidst a perplexing world.
Both Coach Barnes and Coach Warlick have challenged our student-athletes with major non-conference opponents visiting Thompson-Boling this season. Circle Dec. 17 on your calendar, as the defending NCAA men's champion North Carolina Tar Heels visit Knoxville for the first time since 1949, while the Lady Vols will host longtime rival Texas on Dec. 10. Single-game tickets for Tennessee home games go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 10. To purchase tickets, fans may visit AllVols.com or call 1-800-332-8657.
WELCOME TO ROCKY TOP, DR. DEREK GREENFIELD
Next week, I'm excited to welcome Dr. Derek Greenfield to Rocky Top. One of the most compelling speakers I've ever met, Dr. Greenfield will guide all our student-athletes, staff and coaches through a dynamic workshop titled "Building Inclusive Excellence." Dr. Greenfield does a great job of facilitating discussion and understanding—all of which are critical elements of building resilience, toughness and unity throughout our teams and department, directly impacting the overall student-athlete experience and our competitiveness! During his stay in Knoxville, Dr. Greenfield also will interact with UT students at the Frieson Black Cultural Center. It's wonderful that his message can be shared beyond athletics and can impact the university as a whole—another example of healthy cross-campus collaborations!
Today for lunch, we'll be hosting donors who have endowed scholarships for our student-athletes. It's a great way for our student-athletes to thank the donors who helped make their student-athlete experience possible. Anyone interested in endowing a scholarship for one of your young men or women is encouraged to call Andrea in our Tennessee Fund office at 865-974-1218.
Thanks for reading and for continuing to send me your questions and comments via the "Hey John" portal on UTsports.com. Enjoy your Big Orange Friday, remember to come early tomorrow, and...
Go Big Orange!
