Knoxville man named Special Olympics Tennessee ‘Athlete of the Year’ nominee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Brent Anderson, otherwise known as the VFL Superfan, has had a passion for sports for as long as he can remember.

Whether it is playing a sport, watching a sport or just going to games to cheer, sports has been a huge part of Brent’s life.

“I’ve never seen an athlete as determined as Brent Anderson. I mean, he does everything, like I said, and he’s always there. He’s there to support. He’s there to participate. He just, he’s everywhere,” Brent’s former coach, Gina Legg, said.

For the past few years, Brent has competed in the Special Olympics games in Tennessee.

“So I went to Nashville for the Summer Games. I did track and field for more than 800 athletes from across the states competing, for track and fields, bocce, pickleball, power lifting, you name it,” Brent said.

Brent participates in any sport, activity and club that he can find throughout the year. This past month, Brent brought home some new hardware for his trophy case from the summer games.

“Yeah I’m fulfilled. I collect too many trophies at my house. I’ve earned every sports season in a Special Olympics athlete representing Greater Knoxville and stay in Tennessee,” Brent said.

This year, Brent was nominated as the Special Olympics Tennessee Athlete of the Year. This is his second consecutive nomination, and he is hoping next year he can go for the three-peat.

“I was nominated for Special Olympics Athlete of the Year again for the second year in a row,” Brent said. “For my training dedicating myself training and athletic performance and competitive edge I show every sports season.”

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