The
Tennessee Volunteers and
Lady Volunteers are the
college sportsThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of about 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada...
teams at
the University of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee , sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville...
in
Knoxville, TennesseeFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is also the largest city in East Tennessee. As of the 2000 United States Census, Knoxville had a total population of 173,890; the July 2007...
.
Mike HamiltonMike Hamilton is the current Men's Director of Athletics at the University of Tennessee. Hamilton replaced Doug Dickey in 2003, becoming the school's seventh men's athletic director...
is the current Men's Athletic Director, and Joan Cronan is the current Women's Athletic Director. Men's teams are called the Volunteers and women's teams the Lady Volunteers, with "Volunteers" frequently shortened to "Vols".
Tennessee is unusual among major U.S. universities in having completely separate athletic departments for men's and women's sports; the only other remaining
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of about 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada...
Division IDivision I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States....
school with separate men's and women's programs is
The University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...
. In fact, the men's and women's athletic departments have completely separate websites, with men's sports at
utsports.com and women's sports at
utladyvols.com.
Football
Tennessee competes in the
Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
's Eastern Division, along with
FloridaThe Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida, and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association ....
,
GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 724–384–54...
,
KentuckyThe Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's athletic teams representing the University of Kentucky ,a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. At one time, women's teams and athletes were called "Lady Kats", but the women's programs adopted the "Wildcats" nickname in the early 1990s...
,
South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the Gamecocks. The unique moniker is held in honor of Thomas Sumter, a South Carolina war hero who was given the name "The Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution for his fierce fighting tactics, regardless of his...
, and
VanderbiltThe Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
, and has longstanding
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
rivalries with all of them. However, the Vols most intense and bitter traditional rivalry is with
AlabamaThe Alabama Crimson Tide football program is a college football team that represents the University of Alabama . The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide is one of the most storied and decorated programs in NCAA history...
. The teams battle every year in the
Third Saturday in OctoberThe Third Saturday in October is the name of an annual college football rivalry game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The name refers to the traditional calendar date prior to the 1992 football season, when the Southeastern Conference split...
(which is no longer always held on that date). It could be argued there is now a more intense rivalry with
FloridaThe Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida, and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association ....
. The Volunteers won the 1998 NCAA Division I-A National Championship in football. Also, the Volunteers won the 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, and 1968 National Championship - three under General Neyland, and six total. The Volunteers are coached by
Lane KiffinLane Monte Kiffin , is the head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers college football team. He was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League, and the offensive coordinator of the University of Southern California Trojans.-Early life:Kiffin is a 1994...
and play at
Neyland StadiumNeyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games with the last between the Washington Redskins and Houston Oilers...
, which averages over 107,000 fans per game. Every game since 1974 has been sold out at Neyland Stadium.
Super BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the premier association of professional American football. In most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast. Many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event’s pre-game and...
champions
Peyton ManningPeyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. One of only two three-time NFL MVPs, he is statistically regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time...
and
Reggie WhiteReginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player who played defensive end for 17 seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
are among the most famous
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
athletes to start their careers at the
University of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee , sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville...
.
Men's
The men's basketball program is headed by
Bruce PearlBruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the University of Tennessee men's team, the Volunteers. He is the first coach to lead the Volunteers to a national #1 ranking...
. Through his guidance, the men's program has been revitalized and claimed the 2005–2006 SEC East Title and closed the season with a 22-8 record and a NCAA Tournament berth. In 2007, the Vols made the NCAA tourney for the second straight year, making it to the Sweet Sixteen. In 2008 the Vols claimed their first outright SEC regular season championship in 41 years. One of the highlights of the 2008 season came when UT knocked off number 1 Memphis, who was then undefeated, to claim the number one ranking in the nation. In men's
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
, the most important rivalries are with
KentuckyThe Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the holder of the most all-time victories in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage, with an all-time record of 1988-635-1...
,
VanderbiltThe Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...
,
FloridaThe Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are a member of the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division. They play their home games at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, USA...
and cross-state rival
MemphisThe Memphis Tigers basketball team represents the University of Memphis in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers compete in Conference USA, in which they have won six regular season and four conference tournament championships...
.
Women's
Tennessee has the strongest women's basketball team at the college level, having won eight NCAA Division I titles (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008), the most in women's college basketball history. The
Lady VolunteersThe Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team is one of the most prominent teams in U.S. women's college basketball. Coached by Pat Summitt, the team has been a contender for national titles for over thirty years, having made every NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship tournament since...
are led by
Pat SummittPat Head Summitt is the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She has been coaching since 1974, all with the Lady Vols, winning 8 national championships. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, men or women in any division, and one of only two collegiate...
, who is the all-time winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, having won her 1,000th game as of February 2009, more than any other basketball coach. Coach Summitt also boasts a 100 percent graduation rate for all players who finish their career at UT. Former Tennessee Lady Vols basketball star
Candace ParkerCandace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA star Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...
went No. 1 in the WNBA draft. Tennessee and Summitt also have a
rivalryA sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
with the
University of ConnecticutThe University of Connecticut Women's Basketball team is one of the most prominent teams in U.S. women's college basketball. Under Head Coach Geno Auriemma, the Huskies have won 6 National Championships, advanced to 10 Final Fours, and won over 30 Big East Conference Championships...
in women's basketball. These two schools have consistently fought great
games against each otherThe women's basketball rivalry between the University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the University of Connecticut Huskies is one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball, and perhaps the only one to reach national consciousness out of the women's game...
in recent years, occasionally with the national championship on the line. The regular season rivalry games ended in 2007 when Tennessee decided to not sign a contract continuing them, due to a recruiting dispute. The main women's basketball rivals for Tennessee within the conference are
GeorgiaThe Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team represents the University of Georgia in basketball. The Lady Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference . The "Lady Dawgs," as they are sometimes called, play in Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia...
, Vanderbilt, and
LSUThe LSU Lady Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. The team is currently coached by Hall-of-Famer Van Chancellor and has enjoyed recent success, including five straight Final Four trips in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008...
. The Lady Vols' first-round loss to
Ball StateBall State University's athletic teams are called the Cardinals. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Mid-American Conference and located in Muncie, Indiana...
in the
2009 NCAA TournamentThe 2009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships commenced March 21, 2009 and concluded April 7 when the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Louisville Cardinals 76-54.-Subregionals:...
ended their record of having made the Sweet Sixteen of every NCAA Tournament since its
inception in 1982The 1982 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament was the first NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament ever held. It featured 32 teams. Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Cheyney, and Maryland met in the Final Four, held at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and hosted by Old Dominion University,...
.
Baseball
The University of Tennessee baseball team has reached the NCAA College World Series four times (1951, 1995, 2001 and 2005). They have produced players such as
Todd HeltonTodd "Lynn" Helton is the starting first baseman for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball....
,
Joe RandaJoseph Gregory Salvatore Randa is a former Major League Baseball player. He was primarily a third baseman during his career.-High School Years:...
,
Chris BurkeChris Burke may refer to:*Chris Burke , an American actor*Chris Burke , a baseball player in the Atlanta Braves organization*Chris Burke , a Scottish professional footballer...
, and the number one overall pick in the 2006
MLBMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
Draft,
Luke HochevarLuke Anthony Hochevar is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization. He is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee. His name is of Slovenian origin....
.
Softball
In recent years the women's softball team has gained notoriety, reaching the
Women's College World SeriesThe Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Women's Softball Tournament for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series to...
three consecutive times. They placed third in 2005 and 2006 and second in 2007. Former pitcher
Monica AbbottMonica Cecilia Abbott is an American athlete who pitched for the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004-2007...
is the all-time career NCAA leader in strikeouts (2,440), shutouts (112), wins (189) and innings pitched (1448.0). The
Salinas, CaliforniaSalinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The most current estimate from the California Department of Finance sets the 2006...
, native won the U.S. Softball National Player of the Year award and the Honda Award for Softball in 2007. She was also honored by the
Women's Sports FoundationThe Women's Sports Foundation "is an educational nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King." Its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."...
as its Team Sport Player of the Year over such high-profile candidates as
Kristine LillyKristine Marie Lilly is an American soccer player, who has been a fixture on the U.S. women's national team since 1987 and is currently the captain of the team. She now plays the striker position after playing midfield for most of her career. She grew up in Wilton, Connecticut and now resides in...
of the
U.S. women's soccer teamThe United States Women's National Football Team represents the United States in international football competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The team is ranked 1st in the world by the FIFA Women's World Rankings...
and
Lauren JacksonLauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. She is often called LJ or Loz. She is a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA, the Australian national team The Opals and, until 2006, the Canberra Capitals of the Australian WNBL...
of the
WNBAThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of thirteen teams. The league was founded in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the NBA...
.
Recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Americans from the University of Tennessee include Abbott (2004-07), India Chiles (2007), Lindsay Schutzler (2005-07), Tonya Callahan (2006-07), Kristi Durant (2005-06) and Sarah Fekete (2005-06).
Facilities
UT's best-known athletic facility by far is
Neyland StadiumNeyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games with the last between the Washington Redskins and Houston Oilers...
, home to the football team, which seats over 107,000 people and is one of the country's largest facilities of its type. Neyland is currently undergoing a renovation costing over $100 million.
http://s159447050.onlinehome.us/utvols/phillipfulmer/neyland2/neyland-front.html The Volunteers have practiced at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center since 1989, which underwent an expansion in 2006. The Neyland-Thompson Sports Center which features 2 exterior fields, 1 indoor field and provides the University of Tennessee athletes with the finest strength and conditioning, dressing, health care, meeting and coaching facilities in the country.
http://www.utsports.com/sport/page.aspx?id=9724 The Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams play in
Thompson-Boling ArenaThompson-Boling Arena is a 21,000 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams. It is named after B. Ray Thompson and former university president Dr....
, the largest arena (by capacity) ever built specifically for basketball in the United States. Both basketball programs now practice at the newly completeled Pratt Pavilion
http://www.utsports.com/facilities/page.aspx?id=49270, which besides 3 basketball courts, has an athletic training room, a weight room, a film study room and a place to host recruits. The former home of both basketball teams,
Stokely Athletic CenterThe Stokely Athletic Center is an on-campus arena located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. It currently houses the women's volleyball team, but prior to the building of Thompson-Boling Arena, it also housed the men's and women's basketball teams starting in 1966. It is...
, still stands and is now used by the Lady Vols volleyball program.
The Alumni Memorial Gym was another indoor athletic facility. It was built in 1934 during a construction campaign under school president James D. Hoskins, and was replaced by the Stokely Athletics Center in 1967. The facility hosted the
Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
men's basketball tournament in 1936 and 1937 and again in 1939 and 1940. It is now used as a performing arts center and seats 1,000 spectators.
The Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, completed in 2008 is a $30 million center that features one outdoor 50-meter pool, an indoor 50-meter pool, a new 50-meter competition pool and a separate competition diving well featuring five platforms and six springboards. It will allow for 2,800 seats. The facility also includes a weight room, a training room, a team-meeting room, several locker rooms for Vols, Lady Vols and two visiting teams, seven offices for coaches, a multipurpose room, an elevated timing booth and an improved Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.
http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=50904