Happy days, great time to be Tennessee sports fan – Knox TN Today

What an exciting time this is to be a Tennessee sports fan.

Rick Barnes’ basketball team is 8-0 and winning by 25 or 30 points per game. Chaz Lanier is doing quite a bit of what Dalton Knecht used to do.

Josh Heupel’s football Vols are 10-2 and in the scramble for the national championship. Dylan Sampson has set several rushing records. Nico is developing. Jermod McCoy is a rare lockdown corner. The defense is actually surly at times.

We are beginning to see that recent recruiting decommitments may not have been as great a loss as they first appeared. Vol salesmen are closing strong.

Women’s basketball is off to a splendid 6-0 start, after defeating Florida State 79-77 at home on December 4, 2024. Can you believe 100 or more points per game? New coach Kim Caldwell was smart enough to know what she didn’t know about the Southeastern Conference and hired star recruiters as assistant coaches.

Back in June, Tony Vitello’s baseball team won the College World Series. What a thrill that was – Omaha, Omaha!

Tony added to his rock stardom and income. Dr. Danny handled the pay part and easily explained multi-million increased improvement costs at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. He discovered utilities were underground.

Speaking of Daniel J. White, vice chancellor and director of athletics, he’s doing well, thank you for asking. He supposedly picked Pilot’s pockets and secured long-term protection for Neyland Stadium without selling the great arena name. Pilot ads here and there are not offensive.

Enhancements for fans remain an on-going project. New is the need for more and bigger donations and the 10 percent surcharge on future tickets to help cover some of the $22 million or so in forthcoming pay for players. Football sellouts are relevant. So is the waiting list to purchase tickets.

Indeed, these are exciting times to be fans of the Volunteers – a bit expensive but exciting.

TN Men BB Roster

Men’s basketball won the 2024 SEC regular-season title and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. Almost, but no Final Four. Softball won an SEC title. Tennis earned national headlines. Rowing finished No. 3. Volleyball reached the Sweet 16.

UT’s athletic budget is somewhere around $235 million for the current fiscal year. There are results. Most recent tabulation says Tennessee has the best all-around sports program in the SEC, No. 3 in competition for the national Directors’ Cup.

Dr. White said: “We take great pride in being the ‘Everything School.’ We don’t buy into being average or mediocre in anything we do. We have 20 sports and we want to compete for championships in all of them.”

Like the Vols, Dr. White is prospering. His income is No. 1 among SEC ADs and maybe the country. His latest contract calls for $2.75 million in annual salary with the opportunity for bonuses up to $600,000.

Incentives include 10 free private flights per year and extra money for team success in athletics and academics. Contrary to rumor, the bonus plan does not include cash rewards for crowd noise, home runs or three-point goals in baskets.

Dr. Danny, Heupel and his many helpers will benefit from winning a place in the football playoff. The head coach gets $200,000 for making the field. If the Vols win the first-round game, the bonus goes up to $250,000. A spot in the semifinals would boost the reward to $300,000. The championship game is worth $400,000. Prize for the title is $1 million.

Heupel’s assistants are to receive basic bonuses of 12 percent of their salary. With each win, the amount goes up. Dr. White gets only 3 percent and it has to fit under his $600,000 ceiling. He has maxed out in previous years.

The playoff bracket seems simple enough, Tennessee at Ohio State on Dec. 20 or Dec. 21, winner against top-seeded Oregon. Ticket distribution is more complicated.

Stately Ohio Stadium, nestled snugly on the banks of the Olentangy River, seats 102,780. Visitors receive only 3,500 tickets.

That will be just enough for top donors, UT executives, players’ families, athletic department employees and the Pride of the Southland Band.

Old Vols, former lettermen, some financial contributors and ordinary fans will be advised to check secondary ticket markets. Information about TV coverage and kickoff time will be free.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com