BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, February 15, 2007
Contact: Mark Hancock, Media & Public Relations, Phone (865) 522-8547,
or Hilary Phillips, E-Mail: tipoff@utfan.com

FORMER ALABAMA MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH WIMP SANDERSON TO BE BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB SPEAKER ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20^TH

The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its next scheduled meeting this coming Tuesday, February 20, at 11:00 a.m., at Calhoun’s on the River in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet luncheon will be served for only $12.50 for members and $15 for guests, including a variety of entrees and side dishes, drink, dessert, etc. That is the day before the UT-Alabama men's game in Knoxville, with former Alabama head basketball coach Wimp Sanderson as the featured speaker. It will be our last weekly luncheon meeting of the year, since the meeting following that one will be the evening pre-game gala dinner event on February 27.

Due to the overwhelming demand for parking at Calhoun’s, please plan to arrive as early as possible for this meeting. Calhoun’s will open the buffet line at 11:00 a.m. to accommodate what is expected to be another overflow standing-room-only crowd to hear Wimp, who has had a wonderful career as a coach and is now a television analyst.

THIS WEEK’S VOL & LADY VOL BASKETBALL CALENDAR: UT Men’s Head Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl is also expected to be in attendance to say a few words about his team’s big game with Alabama coming up the next night, as well as reviewing the big home win over Kentucky, the game on Saturday at South Carolina, and also looking ahead to the trip to Arkansas a week from this coming Saturday. UT Lady Vols Head Coach Pat Summitt will also hopefully be in attendance to speak to us, to review tonight’s big nationally-televised home game with Ole Miss on ESPN2 and fresh from her team’s trip to LSU on Monday, as well as give us a preview her team’s upcoming trip to Arkansas a week from tonight and the final Senior Day game at home against Vanderbilt a week from Sunday afternoon.

The fact that both UT’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are drawing capacity crowds and are ranked high in the college RPI, will drive attendance upward for this meeting. UT Men’s and Women’s Athletics Directors Mike Hamilton and Joan Cronan are also expected to be on hand.

BUS TRIPS TO SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA MEN’S GAMES IN COLUMBIA AND ATHENS: The Club is sponsoring bus trips to the South Carolina and Georgia men’s basketball games in Columbia and Athens, this Saturday, February 17, and Saturday, March 3, respectively. Coach Bruce Pearl has encouraged all Vol fans to go on the road to support the team as they attempt to sweep both the Gamecocks and the Bulldogs this season. We have arranged through our corporate sponsor, Premier Transportation, for nonstop luxury motorcoach roundtrip transportation, meals and entertainment en route, and tickets to the game, all for only $99 per person per trip. These are day-only trips that leave Knoxville mid-morning before the games and return immediately after the games.

We will have sign-up forms at the meeting for those who are interested in going to Georgia, and will take your check or credit card number to secure your place. We would also encourage you, however, to download the form on our website, www.utfan.com/tipoff and to email Hilary Phillips at tipoff@utfan.com immediately or call Lloyd Richardson at 588-5433 or fax him at 588-2083 if you have an interest in making this weekend’s South Carolina trip, as today is the deadline to sign up for it, so that we can secure enough game tickets for everyone. The form is also attached to this email for you to print out.

FEBRUARY 27 SECOND-ANNUAL PRE-GAME BASH AND SEASON FINALE EVENING DINNER GALA EVENT TICKET ORDER FORM ATTACHED: The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its second-annual pre-game bash and season finale evening dinner gala event, on Tuesday evening, February 27, at 6:45 p.m., at The Foundry at World’s Fair Park in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet dinner will be served. UT alumnus, Denver Post journalist, and nationally-known ESPN television personality Woody Paige will be speaking just prior to the final Senior Night home UT men’s basketball game against Florida, which tips off at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27.

The UT cheerleaders and Big Orange Banditos Band will be there as well, making it a festive pre-game pep rally. Dress is “game casual”, so whatever you plan to wear to the game, jeans, sweater, etc., is fine. We are keeping things very informal and prices low so it is affordable for the whole family or all your clients. A special commemorative "thank you" collectible gift will be given to everyone that you don't want to miss.

Tickets are only $20 for members, $25 for guests, and $250 for a reserved table of 10, and are now on sale. Many tables have already been reserved and space is limited. The cash bars will open at 5:30 p.m. and the buffet lines will begin at 6:00 p.m., with the program to start at 6:45 p.m. The event will be over by 8:00 p.m., in plenty of time to get to the big game, since it has a late tipoff time and it is only a short 5-minute ride through Fort Sanders from the Foundry to the arena. We expect this event to be a sellout, as was last year’s, so please get your tickets early so that you won’t get left out.

Parking will be free and plentiful. Jacqui Pearl, daughter of Coach Bruce Pearl, has tentatively agreed to sing the National Anthem for us at this event. Roving photographers will be there to take individual, group, and candid photos that you will be able to purchase as souvenirs.

We expect many former players to attend. There will be a silent auction of autographed UT basketballs signed by our speakers for the year, as well as by the UT men’s and women’s basketball coaching staffs and lettermen.

Attached please find a ticket order form for that event for you to print and mail, fax, or e-mail back, or bring it with you along with your check to the meeting to purchase your tickets, which are going fast. The form is also available on our website.

We encourage you to get your order in as soon as possible to secure your seat. Since it is Senior Night, we hope to host Dane Bradshaw’s family and a contingent from Memphis, and the Chris Lofton’s family and friends from Maysville, Kentucky, have also indicated they may attend.

OFFICIAL BIG ORANGE TIPOFF PHOTOS: Many of you may not be aware that we now have an official Big Orange Tipoff Club photographer, Megan Ellis. You may have seen her roaming around our big meeting room taking pictures before, during, and after our meetings. If you would like Megan to take some photos of you, the people at your table, your guests, etc., please don’t hesitate to flag her down when you see her and her camera, as she will be most happy to do so for you. To view and purchase pictures from last week’s Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting and those for future meetings from her, please go to www.meganellisphotography.com and click on the “TN LOGIN” page. The password is simply “tipoff”. You can also e-mail Megan with any questions you may have at megan@meganellisphotography.com .

THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER: Wimp Sanderson began his coaching career at Carbon Hill High School, where he went 25-4. The next season he became a graduate assistant to Hayden Riley at the University of Alabama for the 1960-61 season and was elevated to a full-time assistant's post the following year. He held that spot until C.M. Newton's retirement in 1980.

Then, after 20 years as an assistant coach, Sanderson was named Alabama's 16th head coach on April 15, 1980. In his first 11 years (1981-91) as head coach, Sanderson took Alabama to nine NCAA Tournaments, one NIT and reached the NCAA's "Sweet Sixteen" six times. He also took the Crimson Tide to the finals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament eight times and won five (1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991).

Wimp had seen almost 50 percent of all basketball games in which Alabama participated in up until 1991. He was named "SEC Coach of the Decade" for the 1980s by the Lexington Herald-Leader. During his first 11 years at Alabama, Sanderson compiled a 241-110 record at the time of his induction in 1990 into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Sanderson went on to coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and now hosts a TV show, “Talkin’ Hoops,” with former Auburn Coach Sonny Smith, one of our Big Orange Tipoff Club speakers last season. He also does television commentary for various games around the South.

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The Big Orange Tipoff Club will also be hosting the Knox County boys and girls high school basketball players of the week, as they do weekly, who will be awarded certificates by prep sports Editor Jesse Smithey of The Knoxville News-Sentinel and will be honored along with their coaches.

PICK AND WIN: One lucky member each week will win a pair of tickets to each of the next home UT men’s and women’s basketball games by participating in the club’s weekly Pick’N’Win Contest for only $1 and picking the winners of a selection of men’s and women’s SEC games. The club will have several surprise celebrity guests on hand regularly, including former players, coaches, and other nationally-known basketball personalities.

CLUB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE: The club is still soliciting individual members at only $75 and discounted senior citizen memberships at only $60. Spouses of members are free, making this an excellent deal. In addition, corporate memberships, which include up to 5 members of a firm, are still being offered at only $250.

Annual membership applications are still available by calling Club President Lloyd Richardson at (865) 588-5433, by faxing a request to (865) 588-2083, by e-mailing at tipoff@utfan.com , or by visiting the website at www.utfan.com/tipoff . A membership application for downloading with the Big Orange Tipoff Club logo on it is available on the website.

All former UT men’s and women’s basketball lettermen, former UT Orange Tie Club members, Knoxville Quarterback Club members, VASF donors, Boost-Her Club members, UT students, UT alumni and friends, 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. Many members of the UT athletics administration, coaches, etc., are in attendance regularly.

MEDIA INFORMATION: All media are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to record and film any portion of the meeting, ask questions of Tom Boerwinkle in a public forum at the conclusion of his remarks, and will be able to interview him, as time allows, on both a group and individual basis. Each of our meetings so far has been covered extensively by print and broadcast media, including TV stations and several newspapers. Local talk show hosts are planning live remote radio broadcasts for some meetings.

All media are also invited to call J. Mark Hancock at (865) 522-8547 or e-mail Hilary Phillips at tipoff@utfan.com to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various Big Orange Tipoff Club steering committee members, including Charles W. Morgan, Barry J. Smith, Michael J. Turner, Christy Gentry, J. Mark Hancock, and Club Historian R. Larry Smith 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, and are available for speaking engagements to any groups.

OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE: The Big Orange Tipoff Club is offering special merchandise for sale with the distinctive club logo on it, including T-shirts and caps, each for the low price of only $10. Only a limited number of each is available, and they are quickly becoming collectors’ items.

NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Next week’s Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 27, with ESPN’s Woody Paige as the featured speaker, at the special evening dinner event gala mentioned above at the Foundry, just prior to the Florida men’s game.

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