The Big Orange Tipoff Club hosted a standing-room-only crowd yesterday of nearly 400 fans and media at Calhoun's on the River in Downtown Knoxville at their first weekly buffet luncheon meeting for the 2006 basketball season. Legendary Voice of the Vols broadcaster John Ward made a rare public appearance as the club's inaugural speaker and brought the house down with his stories on the history of Big Orange basketball at The University of Tennessee and memories of his time in building the Vol Radio Network.

Pictured right is Ed Balloff , who introduced the legendary broadcaster John Ward (left) who
enthralled the 345 attendees at the inaugural Big Orange TipOff Club meeting.

The Tipoff Club also hosted the Knox County boys and girls high school basketball players of the week, who were awarded certificates by The Knoxville News-Sentinel and were honored along with their coaches.

The Big Orange Tipoff Club is the primary booster organization for The University of Tennessee men's and women's basketball programs. The club is still soliciting individual members at $60 for the season and discounted senior citizen memberships for those 55 and over at $50. Spouses of members are free. In addition, corporate memberships, which include all members of a firm, are still being offered at $250.

Membership applications are still available by calling Club President Lloyd Richardson at 588-5433, by faxing a request to 588-2083, by e-mailing the club at tipoff@utfan.com , or by visiting their website at www.utfan.com/tipoff .

All former UT men's and women's basketball lettermen, former UT Orange Tie Club members, and current Knoxville Quarterback Club members, VASF donors, Boost-Her Club members, and UT alumni, friends, and fans, as well as the general public, are invited to attend and join as well. Legendary former UT Head Basketball Coach Ray Mears is an Honorary Member.

Coach Bruce Pearl and Coach Pat Summitt and their staffs are committed to attending any and all meetings when they are in town to make brief comments about the status of their teams and their seasons, both of which are doing quite well in the Southeastern Conference. Many members of the UT athletics administration, coaches, etc., including Athletics Directors Mike Hamilton and Joan Cronan, are attending regularly as well.

All media are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to record and film any portion of the meeting, ask questions of the speaker in a public forum at the conclusion of their remarks, and interview them, as time allows, on both a group and individual basis, after the meetings.

All media are also invited to call Mark Hancock at 522-8547 to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various Big Orange Tipoff Club steering committee members, including Charlie Morgan, Gary Rowcliffe, Barry Smith, Michael Turner, and Christy Gentry, regarding the club, its promotion of UT basketball, its purposes, its sponsoring of awards and contributions to scholarships, and its charitable endeavors in supporting college and amateur athletics in East Tennessee. Steering committee members have been making radio and television appearances and doing newspaper interviews regularly.

Larry Smith, a Knoxville insurance executive and Club Historian, who is also available for speaking engagements, will have a wealth of UT memorabilia on display at selected meetings. The club will also have other surprise celebrity guests on hand regularly, just as they did at the first meeting, including former players, coaches, and other nationally-known basketball personalities.

PLEASE NOTE: Next week's Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting will be the ONLY meeting of the year that will be held on a THURSDAY, JANUARY 19. All other weekly luncheons for the rest of the season will be on Wednesdays. First-year UT Men's Head Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl, who is currently 11-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC, and who will be fresh from his team's trip to Memphis on Wednesday night, will be our featured speaker. His popularity is very high, drawing nearly 22,000 rowdy fans to the arena last night in the big win over Georgia, so plan to arrive early, as parking spaces and seats, just as they were for the first meeting, will be at a premium to hear him.

Other speakers to follow are former Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Azzi on January 25, former UT Head Coach Don DeVoe on February 1, UT Head Coach Pat Summitt on February 8, former Auburn Head Coach Sonny Smith on February 15, Sporting News Columnist Mike DeCourcy on February 22, and former NBA All-Star Gale Goodrich on March 1. Goodrich will be speaking at a special evening meeting just prior to the final home UT men's basketball game of the season against Kentucky.