BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
FORMER LSU COACH DALE BROWN TO BE TOMORROW'S SPEAKER!
FORMER LSU COACH DALE BROWN TO BE TIPOFF SPEAKER WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30
The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its next scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 30. The luncheon starts at 1 1 :15 a .m. , at Calhoun’s on the River in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet will be served. Former LSU Head Coach Dale Brown will be the featured speaker.
Please plan to arrive as early as possible for this meeting. Calhoun’s will open the buffet line at 11:15 a.m. to accommodate what is expected to be another standing-room-only crowd, as this meeting will be held just after the men’s nationally televised game against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Tennessee Men's Head Coach Bruce Pearl is also expected to say a few words about his team’s upcoming big road game against Mississippi State Saturday night and their big nationally televised home game next Tuesday night against Florida .
The fact that UT’s men’s basketball team is drawing capacity crowds and is ranked #1 nationally in the RPI, and that the Lady Vols are also at the same time ranked #1 in the RPI, will drive attendance upward for this meeting. A member of the Lady Vol staff will also be on hand to talk about their big nationally televised game they played at Duke Monday night, and also to preview their road trip to Ole Miss on Thursday and their home game against Kentucky on Sunday afternoon.
THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER: Coach Dale Brown is the only Southeastern Conference basketball coach to have appeared in 15 straight national tournaments. He is also the second winningest coach in SEC history, surpassed only by the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky. His LSU teams won numerous SEC titles and appeared in two NCAA Final Fours. He was chosen twice as National Coach of the Year. Legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden has called him one of the most inspirational speakers and motivators in America.
Of Brown's players that attended at least 4 years at LSU, he had an 84% graduation rate. He was North Dakota's leading scorer in high school, and was the only athlete ever to earn 12 letters in basketball, football, and track combined at Minot State University in his home state. He has been inducted into both the North Dakota and Louisiana Sports Halls of Fame, as well as being named an SEC Living Legend. He retired after 44 years in coaching, 25 of which were as Head Coach of the LSU Tigers.
HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The Tipoff Club will be hosting the Knox County boys and girls high school basketball players of the week, as we do weekly, who will be awarded certificates by The Knoxville News-Sentinel and will be honored along with their coaches.
PICK'N'WIN CONTEST: One lucky member each week will win prizes 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.
MEDIA INFORMATION: All media are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to record any portion of the meeting, ask questions of Coach Brown 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. Local talk show hosts are planning live remote radio broadcasts for some meetings.
All media are also invited to call Media & Public Relations Director J. Mark Hancock at 522-8547 to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various members of the Big Orange Tipoff Club Board of Directors, including Lloyd B. Richardson, Charles W. Morgan, Barry J. Smith, Michael J. Turner, Christy Gentry, Kelly Pesterfield, Justin Cazana, Jim Darlington, 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. Board of Directors members have been making radio and television appearances and doing newspaper interviews regularly, and are available for speaking engagements to any groups.
BUS ROAD TRIP TO ATHENS FOR THE U.T.-GEORGIA MEN’S GAME ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16: We are offering one of our very popular away game bus road trips to Athens on Saturday, February 16. The tipoff for that game will be at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
The trip would include roundtrip luxury motorcoach transportation, a ticket to the game, a box lunch, snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc.), and all taxes and tips, for only $100 per person. It will leave Knoxville on Saturday morning and return immediately after the game, so no one will have to miss work or church.
The trip will include video UT basketball highlights en route. Our previous day trip to Cincinnati for the Xavier men's game and overnight trip to Columbia for both the South Carolina men's and women's games proved to be wildly successful, and our overnight trip to the men's game in Memphis on Saturday, February 23, is already a sellout. Coach Pearl has indicated that he wants to have as many Vol fans as possible as "witnesses" to follow the team on the road, and the Big Orange Tipoff Club has answered that call. The trip to Georgia has always been our most popular, so don't be left out as we take over Stegeman Coliseum and make it a sea of Big Orange, as we have done the past two seasons.
Please e-mail us back immediately at tipoff@utfan.com or visit our website at www.utfan.com/tipoff if you have an interest in this trip. You can reserve your spot and pay for it with your credit card through the link we have provided to Paypal on our website and can also download the signup form and bring it with you to the meeting or mail it to us with your check. Time is of the essence and space is limited, as the game is a sellout and we have only a limited number of spots still available to sell.
You do NOT have to be a member of the club to go on the trip. Anyone is welcome and invited, including children. If you’ve never been on a road trip to follow the Vols, they are a lot of fun and this is your opportunity to do so. For more information on this trip, please call Lloyd Richardson at 588-5433, Mike Turner at 599-2959, or Barry Smith at 384-3412.
Even though the Memphis trip is a sellout, we will still put you on a waiting list if you use the convenient form that is attached to this email and send it to us with payment or download it from our website and bring it with you to our meeting Thursday or mail it to us. We will not cash your check until you are assured of a space.
NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Next week’s Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 6, with Raycom TV analyst Joe Dean, Jr., former Kentucky assistant coach & Mississippi State player, & now the Athletics Director at Birmingham-Southern, as the featured speaker.
Other speakers to follow include former Lady Vol National Champion & Olympian Tamika Catchings, and former Tennessee Vol SEC Champion forward Steve Ray.
BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB SEASON FINALE PRE-GAME BASH & GALA EVENING DINNER EVENT ON SATURDAY NIGHT, MARCH 1: The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its season finale pre-game bash & evening dinner gala event Saturday evening, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. , at The Foundry at World’s Fair Park in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet dinner will be served.
Please plan to arrive as early as possible for this meeting to avoid the crunch, as it will undoubtedly be a sellout, as each of our last two have been. The Foundry will open the cash bars at 6:00 p.m., and the buffet lines at 6:30 p.m. to accommodate what is expected to be an overflow standing-room-only crowd, as it will be on the eve of the big nationally-televised Tennessee-Kentucky men's basketball game at Thompson Boling Arena. The program starts promptly at 7:30 p.m., and will conclude by 9:00 p.m.
The UT cheerleaders and the Big Orange Banditos Band will be on hand as well, making it a festive pre-game pep rally. Dress is “game casual” and very informal. Just wear whatever you normally wear to a game, jeans, sweater, etc. We are also keeping prices so low that it is affordable for the whole family or you can bring all of your business clients. A special commemorative "thank you" collectible gift will be given to everyone that you don't want to miss.
Tickets are only $25 each and $250 for a reserved table of 10, and are now on sale. Many tables will be reserved by our corporate sponsors and space is limited. We expect this event to be a sellout, as it was the past two years, so please get your tickets early so that you won’t get left out.
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 this week's luncheon meeting to purchase your tickets, which will go fast, is available on our website, www.utfan.com/tipoff , where you can also buy tickets via Paypal with your credit card. We encourage you to get your order in as soon as possible to secure your seat.
UT Coach Bruce Pearl will be there to meet and greet everyone prior to the dinner and will say a few words prior to the big Tennessee-Kentucky home game that will be nationally televised at Noon on Sunday. We will also have UT Lady Vols representatives there as well before they go to Athens for their game with the Lady Bulldogs on Sunday night.
Parking will be free and plentiful. 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, as well as surprise celebrity guests.
XXX
The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its next scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 30. The luncheon starts at 1 1 :15 a .m. , at Calhoun’s on the River in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet will be served. Former LSU Head Coach Dale Brown will be the featured speaker.
Please plan to arrive as early as possible for this meeting. Calhoun’s will open the buffet line at 11:15 a.m. to accommodate what is expected to be another standing-room-only crowd, as this meeting will be held just after the men’s nationally televised game against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Tennessee Men's Head Coach Bruce Pearl is also expected to say a few words about his team’s upcoming big road game against Mississippi State Saturday night and their big nationally televised home game next Tuesday night against Florida .
The fact that UT’s men’s basketball team is drawing capacity crowds and is ranked #1 nationally in the RPI, and that the Lady Vols are also at the same time ranked #1 in the RPI, will drive attendance upward for this meeting. A member of the Lady Vol staff will also be on hand to talk about their big nationally televised game they played at Duke Monday night, and also to preview their road trip to Ole Miss on Thursday and their home game against Kentucky on Sunday afternoon.
THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER: Coach Dale Brown is the only Southeastern Conference basketball coach to have appeared in 15 straight national tournaments. He is also the second winningest coach in SEC history, surpassed only by the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky. His LSU teams won numerous SEC titles and appeared in two NCAA Final Fours. He was chosen twice as National Coach of the Year. Legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden has called him one of the most inspirational speakers and motivators in America.
Of Brown's players that attended at least 4 years at LSU, he had an 84% graduation rate. He was North Dakota's leading scorer in high school, and was the only athlete ever to earn 12 letters in basketball, football, and track combined at Minot State University in his home state. He has been inducted into both the North Dakota and Louisiana Sports Halls of Fame, as well as being named an SEC Living Legend. He retired after 44 years in coaching, 25 of which were as Head Coach of the LSU Tigers.
HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The Tipoff Club will be hosting the Knox County boys and girls high school basketball players of the week, as we do weekly, who will be awarded certificates by The Knoxville News-Sentinel and will be honored along with their coaches.
PICK'N'WIN CONTEST: One lucky member each week will win prizes 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.
MEDIA INFORMATION: All media are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to record any portion of the meeting, ask questions of Coach Brown 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. Local talk show hosts are planning live remote radio broadcasts for some meetings.
All media are also invited to call Media & Public Relations Director J. Mark Hancock at 522-8547 to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various members of the Big Orange Tipoff Club Board of Directors, including Lloyd B. Richardson, Charles W. Morgan, Barry J. Smith, Michael J. Turner, Christy Gentry, Kelly Pesterfield, Justin Cazana, Jim Darlington, 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. Board of Directors members have been making radio and television appearances and doing newspaper interviews regularly, and are available for speaking engagements to any groups.
BUS ROAD TRIP TO ATHENS FOR THE U.T.-GEORGIA MEN’S GAME ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16: We are offering one of our very popular away game bus road trips to Athens on Saturday, February 16. The tipoff for that game will be at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
The trip would include roundtrip luxury motorcoach transportation, a ticket to the game, a box lunch, snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc.), and all taxes and tips, for only $100 per person. It will leave Knoxville on Saturday morning and return immediately after the game, so no one will have to miss work or church.
The trip will include video UT basketball highlights en route. Our previous day trip to Cincinnati for the Xavier men's game and overnight trip to Columbia for both the South Carolina men's and women's games proved to be wildly successful, and our overnight trip to the men's game in Memphis on Saturday, February 23, is already a sellout. Coach Pearl has indicated that he wants to have as many Vol fans as possible as "witnesses" to follow the team on the road, and the Big Orange Tipoff Club has answered that call. The trip to Georgia has always been our most popular, so don't be left out as we take over Stegeman Coliseum and make it a sea of Big Orange, as we have done the past two seasons.
Please e-mail us back immediately at tipoff@utfan.com or visit our website at www.utfan.com/tipoff if you have an interest in this trip. You can reserve your spot and pay for it with your credit card through the link we have provided to Paypal on our website and can also download the signup form and bring it with you to the meeting or mail it to us with your check. Time is of the essence and space is limited, as the game is a sellout and we have only a limited number of spots still available to sell.
You do NOT have to be a member of the club to go on the trip. Anyone is welcome and invited, including children. If you’ve never been on a road trip to follow the Vols, they are a lot of fun and this is your opportunity to do so. For more information on this trip, please call Lloyd Richardson at 588-5433, Mike Turner at 599-2959, or Barry Smith at 384-3412.
Even though the Memphis trip is a sellout, we will still put you on a waiting list if you use the convenient form that is attached to this email and send it to us with payment or download it from our website and bring it with you to our meeting Thursday or mail it to us. We will not cash your check until you are assured of a space.
NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Next week’s Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 6, with Raycom TV analyst Joe Dean, Jr., former Kentucky assistant coach & Mississippi State player, & now the Athletics Director at Birmingham-Southern, as the featured speaker.
Other speakers to follow include former Lady Vol National Champion & Olympian Tamika Catchings, and former Tennessee Vol SEC Champion forward Steve Ray.
BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB SEASON FINALE PRE-GAME BASH & GALA EVENING DINNER EVENT ON SATURDAY NIGHT, MARCH 1: The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its season finale pre-game bash & evening dinner gala event Saturday evening, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. , at The Foundry at World’s Fair Park in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet dinner will be served.
Please plan to arrive as early as possible for this meeting to avoid the crunch, as it will undoubtedly be a sellout, as each of our last two have been. The Foundry will open the cash bars at 6:00 p.m., and the buffet lines at 6:30 p.m. to accommodate what is expected to be an overflow standing-room-only crowd, as it will be on the eve of the big nationally-televised Tennessee-Kentucky men's basketball game at Thompson Boling Arena. The program starts promptly at 7:30 p.m., and will conclude by 9:00 p.m.
The UT cheerleaders and the Big Orange Banditos Band will be on hand as well, making it a festive pre-game pep rally. Dress is “game casual” and very informal. Just wear whatever you normally wear to a game, jeans, sweater, etc. We are also keeping prices so low that it is affordable for the whole family or you can bring all of your business clients. A special commemorative "thank you" collectible gift will be given to everyone that you don't want to miss.
Tickets are only $25 each and $250 for a reserved table of 10, and are now on sale. Many tables will be reserved by our corporate sponsors and space is limited. We expect this event to be a sellout, as it was the past two years, so please get your tickets early so that you won’t get left out.
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 this week's luncheon meeting to purchase your tickets, which will go fast, is available on our website, www.utfan.com/tipoff , where you can also buy tickets via Paypal with your credit card. We encourage you to get your order in as soon as possible to secure your seat.
UT Coach Bruce Pearl will be there to meet and greet everyone prior to the dinner and will say a few words prior to the big Tennessee-Kentucky home game that will be nationally televised at Noon on Sunday. We will also have UT Lady Vols representatives there as well before they go to Athens for their game with the Lady Bulldogs on Sunday night.
Parking will be free and plentiful. 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, as well as surprise celebrity guests.
XXX
Monday, January 21, 2008
COACH BRUCE PEARL TO HEADLINE BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB LUNCHEON THURSDAY!
TENNESSEE COACH BRUCE PEARL TO BE TIPOFF SPEAKER THURSDAY, JANUARY 24
The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its next scheduled meeting this coming Thursday, January 24, our only Thursday meeting of the year at 11:00 a.m. , at Calhoun’s on the River in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet luncheon will be served. Tennessee Basketball Head Coach Bruce Pearl, whose Volunteers have just become the highest ranked men's basketball team in the history of the program at #3 nationally in the latest Associated Press poll, will be the featured speaker.
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 Bruce, as this meeting will be held just after the Tennessee men’s game against Kentucky in Lexington that is being nationally televised by ESPN tonight, and just prior to the big women’s home game with Arkansas on that Thursday night. Coach Bruce Pearl is also expected to say a few words about his team’s upcoming big home game against SEC Eastern Division rival Georgia Saturday night and their road trip to Tuscaloosa next week .
The fact that UT’s men’s basketball team is drawing capacity crowds and is ranked in the #3 in the AP poll and #1 nationally in the RPI, and that the Lady Vols are also at the same time ranked #1 in the RPI, will drive attendance upward for this meeting. UT Men’s Athletics Director Mike Hamilton is also expected to be on hand, as will a member of the Lady Vol staff.
THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER: Bruce Pearl is leading a major renaissance period in Tennessee basketball history in his third season as the program’s head basketball coach. UT men's basketball has been revitalized in terms of fan support, facilities and victories since Pearl’s arrival in March 2005.
Vols basketball games have become must-see events during the winter months. In 2006-07, the Vols ranked fourth nationally with an average attendance of 19,661 — the second-largest total in school history. During Pearl’s tenure, attendance at Thompson-Boling Arena has grown by 7,436 fans per game.
As soon as the 2006-07 regular season was completed, a $15 million renovation began on the 20-year-old arena. As part of the first phase of the renovation, 32 new luxury suites and 166 side court loge seats were added. Additionally, a center-hung scoreboard was also added and the concourse was refurbished to add updated graphics.
Also opening in time for this season was the state-of-the-art practice facility adjoining Thompson-Boling Arena. Named in honor of UT alumnus Larry F. Pratt, the Pratt Pavilion houses two full-size courts — one each for the men’s and women’s basketball teams — as well as space for an athletic training room, weight room and film study room.
While the physical changes to Thompson-Boling Arena and the new Pratt Pavilion practice facility may be significant, nothing can match the changes on the court for the Vols. In two seasons at Tennessee, Pearl has led the Vols to an average of 23 wins per year, an SEC Eastern Division title and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. His 46 wins in his first two seasons are five more victories than any other UT coach in his first two seasons. His current 16-1 record this season ties the school's best start in history.
Pearl has achieved this success while playing in what is regarded as the toughest basketball league in the nation — the Southeastern Conference. Pearl’s 22 SEC wins over the last two years is second only to two-time national champion Florida’s 23 league wins during that time. Only one school in the SEC has a winning record against the Vols since Pearl’s arrival.
The Tipoff Club will be hosting the Knox County boys and girls high school basketball players of the week, as we do weekly, who will be awarded certificates by The Knoxville News-Sentinel and will be honored along with their coaches.
One lucky member each week will win some nice prizes 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. Other door prizes will also be given to guests and prospective club members. The club will have several surprise celebrity guests on hand regularly, including former players, coaches, and other nationally-known basketball personalities.
CLUB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ATTACHED: 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 all members of a firm, are still being offered at only $250.
Annual membership applications are still available by calling Lloyd Richardson at (865) 588-5433 or Mike Turner at (865) 599-2959, 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 , where you will find a membership application for downloading with the Big Orange Tipoff Club logo on it.
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 alumni, friends, and students, as well as the general public, are invited to attend and join as well. Many members of the UT athletics administration, coaches, etc., are in attendance regularly.
All media are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to record and film any portion of the meeting, ask questions of Coach Pearl 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 contact Media & Public Relations Director J. Mark Hancock to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various members of the Big Orange Tipoff Club Board of Directors, including Lloyd B. Richardson, Charles W. Morgan, Barry J. Smith, Michael J. Turner, Christy Gentry, Kelly Pesterfield, Justin Cazana, Jim Darlington, 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. Board of Directors members have been making radio and television appearances and doing newspaper interviews regularly, and are available for speaking engagements to any groups.
BUS TRIP TO ATHENS FOR THE U.T.-GEORGIA MEN’S GAME ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16: We are offering one of our very popular away game bus road trips to Athens on Saturday, February 16. The tipoff for that game will be at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
The trip would include roundtrip luxury motorcoach transportation, a ticket to the game itself, a box lunch, snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc.), and all taxes and tips, for only $100 per person. It will leave Knoxville on Saturday morning and return immediately after the game, so no one will have to miss work or church.
The trip will include video UT basketball highlights en route. Our previous day trip to Cincinnati for the Xavier men's game and overnite trip to Columbia for both the South Carolina men's and women's games proved to be wildly successful, and our overnite trip to the men's game in Memphis on Saturday, Feburary 23, is already a sellout. Coach Pearl has indicated that he wants to have as many Vol fans as possible to follow the team on the road, and the Big Orange Tipoff Club has answered that call. The trip to Georgia has always been our most popular, so don't be left out as we take over Stegeman Coliseum and make it a sea of Big Orange, as we have done the past two seasons.
Please e-mail us back immediately at TIPOFF@UTFAN.COM or visit our website at www.utfan.com/tipoff if you have an interest in this trip. You can reserve your spot and pay for it with your credit card through the link we have provided to Paypal on our website and can also download the signup form and bring it with you to the meeting or mail it to us with your check. Time is of the essence and space is limited, as the game is a sellout and we have only a limited number of spots still available to sell.
You do NOT have to be a member of the club to go on the trip. Anyone is welcome and invited, including children. If you’ve never been on a road trip to follow the Vols, they are a lot of fun and this is your opportunity to do so.
Even though the Memphis trip is a sellout, we will still put you on a waiting list if you use the convenient form that you can obtain on our website and send it to us with payment or download it from our website and bring it with you to our meeting Thursday or mail it to us. We will not cash your check until you are assured of a space.
NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Next week’s Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 30, with former LSU Head Coach Dale Brown as the featured speaker.
Other speakers to follow include former Lady Vol National Champion & Olympian Tamika Catchings, and former Tennessee Vol SEC Champion forward Steve Ray.
XXX
The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its next scheduled meeting this coming Thursday, January 24, our only Thursday meeting of the year at 11:00 a.m. , at Calhoun’s on the River in Downtown Knoxville, where a buffet luncheon will be served. Tennessee Basketball Head Coach Bruce Pearl, whose Volunteers have just become the highest ranked men's basketball team in the history of the program at #3 nationally in the latest Associated Press poll, will be the featured speaker.
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 Bruce, as this meeting will be held just after the Tennessee men’s game against Kentucky in Lexington that is being nationally televised by ESPN tonight, and just prior to the big women’s home game with Arkansas on that Thursday night. Coach Bruce Pearl is also expected to say a few words about his team’s upcoming big home game against SEC Eastern Division rival Georgia Saturday night and their road trip to Tuscaloosa next week .
The fact that UT’s men’s basketball team is drawing capacity crowds and is ranked in the #3 in the AP poll and #1 nationally in the RPI, and that the Lady Vols are also at the same time ranked #1 in the RPI, will drive attendance upward for this meeting. UT Men’s Athletics Director Mike Hamilton is also expected to be on hand, as will a member of the Lady Vol staff.
THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER: Bruce Pearl is leading a major renaissance period in Tennessee basketball history in his third season as the program’s head basketball coach. UT men's basketball has been revitalized in terms of fan support, facilities and victories since Pearl’s arrival in March 2005.
Vols basketball games have become must-see events during the winter months. In 2006-07, the Vols ranked fourth nationally with an average attendance of 19,661 — the second-largest total in school history. During Pearl’s tenure, attendance at Thompson-Boling Arena has grown by 7,436 fans per game.
As soon as the 2006-07 regular season was completed, a $15 million renovation began on the 20-year-old arena. As part of the first phase of the renovation, 32 new luxury suites and 166 side court loge seats were added. Additionally, a center-hung scoreboard was also added and the concourse was refurbished to add updated graphics.
Also opening in time for this season was the state-of-the-art practice facility adjoining Thompson-Boling Arena. Named in honor of UT alumnus Larry F. Pratt, the Pratt Pavilion houses two full-size courts — one each for the men’s and women’s basketball teams — as well as space for an athletic training room, weight room and film study room.
While the physical changes to Thompson-Boling Arena and the new Pratt Pavilion practice facility may be significant, nothing can match the changes on the court for the Vols. In two seasons at Tennessee, Pearl has led the Vols to an average of 23 wins per year, an SEC Eastern Division title and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. His 46 wins in his first two seasons are five more victories than any other UT coach in his first two seasons. His current 16-1 record this season ties the school's best start in history.
Pearl has achieved this success while playing in what is regarded as the toughest basketball league in the nation — the Southeastern Conference. Pearl’s 22 SEC wins over the last two years is second only to two-time national champion Florida’s 23 league wins during that time. Only one school in the SEC has a winning record against the Vols since Pearl’s arrival.
The Tipoff Club will be hosting the Knox County boys and girls high school basketball players of the week, as we do weekly, who will be awarded certificates by The Knoxville News-Sentinel and will be honored along with their coaches.
One lucky member each week will win some nice prizes 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. Other door prizes will also be given to guests and prospective club members. The club will have several surprise celebrity guests on hand regularly, including former players, coaches, and other nationally-known basketball personalities.
CLUB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ATTACHED: 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 all members of a firm, are still being offered at only $250.
Annual membership applications are still available by calling Lloyd Richardson at (865) 588-5433 or Mike Turner at (865) 599-2959, 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 , where you will find a membership application for downloading with the Big Orange Tipoff Club logo on it.
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 alumni, friends, and students, as well as the general public, are invited to attend and join as well. Many members of the UT athletics administration, coaches, etc., are in attendance regularly.
All media are invited to attend and will have the opportunity to record and film any portion of the meeting, ask questions of Coach Pearl 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 contact Media & Public Relations Director J. Mark Hancock to schedule radio, television, and newspaper interviews with various members of the Big Orange Tipoff Club Board of Directors, including Lloyd B. Richardson, Charles W. Morgan, Barry J. Smith, Michael J. Turner, Christy Gentry, Kelly Pesterfield, Justin Cazana, Jim Darlington, 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. Board of Directors members have been making radio and television appearances and doing newspaper interviews regularly, and are available for speaking engagements to any groups.
BUS TRIP TO ATHENS FOR THE U.T.-GEORGIA MEN’S GAME ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16: We are offering one of our very popular away game bus road trips to Athens on Saturday, February 16. The tipoff for that game will be at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
The trip would include roundtrip luxury motorcoach transportation, a ticket to the game itself, a box lunch, snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc.), and all taxes and tips, for only $100 per person. It will leave Knoxville on Saturday morning and return immediately after the game, so no one will have to miss work or church.
The trip will include video UT basketball highlights en route. Our previous day trip to Cincinnati for the Xavier men's game and overnite trip to Columbia for both the South Carolina men's and women's games proved to be wildly successful, and our overnite trip to the men's game in Memphis on Saturday, Feburary 23, is already a sellout. Coach Pearl has indicated that he wants to have as many Vol fans as possible to follow the team on the road, and the Big Orange Tipoff Club has answered that call. The trip to Georgia has always been our most popular, so don't be left out as we take over Stegeman Coliseum and make it a sea of Big Orange, as we have done the past two seasons.
Please e-mail us back immediately at TIPOFF@UTFAN.COM or visit our website at www.utfan.com/tipoff if you have an interest in this trip. You can reserve your spot and pay for it with your credit card through the link we have provided to Paypal on our website and can also download the signup form and bring it with you to the meeting or mail it to us with your check. Time is of the essence and space is limited, as the game is a sellout and we have only a limited number of spots still available to sell.
You do NOT have to be a member of the club to go on the trip. Anyone is welcome and invited, including children. If you’ve never been on a road trip to follow the Vols, they are a lot of fun and this is your opportunity to do so.
Even though the Memphis trip is a sellout, we will still put you on a waiting list if you use the convenient form that you can obtain on our website and send it to us with payment or download it from our website and bring it with you to our meeting Thursday or mail it to us. We will not cash your check until you are assured of a space.
NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Next week’s Big Orange Tipoff Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 30, with former LSU Head Coach Dale Brown as the featured speaker.
Other speakers to follow include former Lady Vol National Champion & Olympian Tamika Catchings, and former Tennessee Vol SEC Champion forward Steve Ray.
XXX
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
BOB & BERT SPEAK AT THE BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB TODAY!
Don't forget to join us today for our big luncheon meeting at Calhoun's on the River in Downtown Knoxville, Wednesday, January 16, 2008. The Big Orange Tip-off Club is proud to have Bob Kesling & Bert Bertelkamp, the Voices of the Vols, the UT men's basketball broadcasting team, as our featured speakers. The buffet line will open at 11 a.m.
If you have not already done so, please download the attached membership form, fill it out, & bring it with you with your 2008 membership dues today. We had several people who came last week thinking they had paid their dues who had not. We offered a joint membership in our club & the Knoxville QB Club last fall, but if you did not take advantage of that, please make sure that your Big Orange Tipoff Club dues have been paid so that we can continue to bring you the nation's best speakers. For your convenience, please also note that you can pay your dues online by credit card via the Paypal link we have established on our website at www.utfan.com/tipoff
Also, please be aware that our next bus road trip will be to Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, February 16, 2008, to see our men put an old fashioned East Tennessee dawg-whuppin' on the Bulldogs that afternoon at 3 p.m. This will be day-only trip. Our first day trip to the Xavier game in Cincinnati and the overnite trip we took to Columbia for the South Carolina men's & women's games last weekend were both smashing successes, & everyone had a super time, so don't be left out of this one as we take over Stegeman Coliseum & make it a sea of Big Orange for the third year in a row. If you want to sign up for that trip, please do so by downloading the attached signup sheet & bringing it with you to today's meeting with your check or by doing so online by credit card at our website, www.utfan.com/tipoff
We will also have Coach Bruce Pearl to speak briefly at today's meeting, just a day before our big home game with the Vanderbilt Commodores Thursday night, as well as honor the local high school players of the week with the Knoxville News-Sentinel. We will also be honoring some of our corporate sponsors and recognizing some of the local charities we support. Don't forget to take advantage of some great prizes by participating in our weekly Pick'N'Win contest as well.
Our men's team is ranked #3 in the RPI nationally and will be starting a 3-game stretch in which we will be televised nationally all 3 times on ESPN & CBS. The Ohio State home game on Saturday afternoon will be followed by the big road game at Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats. A member of the 2nd-ranked Lady Vol basketball staff will also be on hand today to discuss their own road trip to Lexington Thursday night, as well as their always-big home game against Vanderbilt that is coming up Sunday afternoon. Never before have both our men's & women's teams been ranked so high at the same time nationally. It's truly a great time to be a Tennessee basketball fan!
We look forward to having you there with us for all of the fun & excitement. With both our UT men's & women's teams being ranked so high nationally, we expect to have another standing-room-only crowd today, so make sure & get there early!
GO BIG ORANGE!
If you have not already done so, please download the attached membership form, fill it out, & bring it with you with your 2008 membership dues today. We had several people who came last week thinking they had paid their dues who had not. We offered a joint membership in our club & the Knoxville QB Club last fall, but if you did not take advantage of that, please make sure that your Big Orange Tipoff Club dues have been paid so that we can continue to bring you the nation's best speakers. For your convenience, please also note that you can pay your dues online by credit card via the Paypal link we have established on our website at www.utfan.com/tipoff
Also, please be aware that our next bus road trip will be to Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, February 16, 2008, to see our men put an old fashioned East Tennessee dawg-whuppin' on the Bulldogs that afternoon at 3 p.m. This will be day-only trip. Our first day trip to the Xavier game in Cincinnati and the overnite trip we took to Columbia for the South Carolina men's & women's games last weekend were both smashing successes, & everyone had a super time, so don't be left out of this one as we take over Stegeman Coliseum & make it a sea of Big Orange for the third year in a row. If you want to sign up for that trip, please do so by downloading the attached signup sheet & bringing it with you to today's meeting with your check or by doing so online by credit card at our website, www.utfan.com/tipoff
We will also have Coach Bruce Pearl to speak briefly at today's meeting, just a day before our big home game with the Vanderbilt Commodores Thursday night, as well as honor the local high school players of the week with the Knoxville News-Sentinel. We will also be honoring some of our corporate sponsors and recognizing some of the local charities we support. Don't forget to take advantage of some great prizes by participating in our weekly Pick'N'Win contest as well.
Our men's team is ranked #3 in the RPI nationally and will be starting a 3-game stretch in which we will be televised nationally all 3 times on ESPN & CBS. The Ohio State home game on Saturday afternoon will be followed by the big road game at Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats. A member of the 2nd-ranked Lady Vol basketball staff will also be on hand today to discuss their own road trip to Lexington Thursday night, as well as their always-big home game against Vanderbilt that is coming up Sunday afternoon. Never before have both our men's & women's teams been ranked so high at the same time nationally. It's truly a great time to be a Tennessee basketball fan!
We look forward to having you there with us for all of the fun & excitement. With both our UT men's & women's teams being ranked so high nationally, we expect to have another standing-room-only crowd today, so make sure & get there early!
GO BIG ORANGE!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
ALL ABOARD THE BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB BUS TO SOUTH CAROLINA SATURDAY!
The Big Orange Tipoff Club is sponsoring another trip to Columbia on Saturday, January 12, to see both the Tennessee-South Carolina men's game that night, which tips off at 8 p.m., & also the Lady Vols-South Carolina game on Sunday afternoon, January 13, which starts at 3 p.m.
We will leave the UT campus from the UT Faculty Club at the corner of Neyland Drive & Kingston Pike at 12 Noon on Saturday, have a box lunch on the way down to Columbia, check in at the Marriott, & go along with the Lady Vols to the men's game that night. Dinner will be on your own at any number of great restaurants within walking distance, or you can eat at the arena itself. A hot cooked-to-order buffet breakfast is available on your own on Sunday morning at the hotel & there are several churches within walking distance for you to attend.
We will leave to come back to Knoxville immediately after the women's game & will be back home no later than 10 p.m. on Sunday. We will have a box dinner on the way back.
Tickets to both games, a Big Orange shaker, & satellite TV & UT basketball highlight videos are also all included on the trip, along with snacks, soft drinks, & all taxes & tips.
Everything in the entire package is only $200 per person double occupancy, meaning that you would share a room with someone else. If you want to have an individual room of your own, there is a $75 supplement for that.
Our first bus trip to Cincinnati for the Xavier game last month was a super success & everyone had a great time. Don't miss out on our first overnite bus trip that we've ever sponsored & enjoy a great time with fellow Big Orange fans.
Join us as we take a luxury motorcoach across the Great Smoky Mountains to beat the Gamecocks this coming weekend! You can sign up online with your credit card or download the form on our website & mail it in with your check.
We will be accepting reservations up until Wednesday, January 9, the date of our first luncheon meeting at Calhoun's on the River at 11:30 a.m. in Downtown Knoxville, where Pat Summitt, Head Coach of the 7-Time National Champions, will be our featured opening speaker. Everyone is invited to go on our trips & attend our meetings, & you can join our club online as well.
Again, all of this is open to the general public, whether you are a past member of our club or not. Here are the website links to sign up for both the upcoming bus trip & to join the Big Orange Tipoff Club:
http://www.utfan.com/tipoff/
http://www.utfan.com/tipoff/paypal.htm
If you have any questions, please call 865-588-5433 or 865-599-2959.
GO BIG ORANGE!
We will leave the UT campus from the UT Faculty Club at the corner of Neyland Drive & Kingston Pike at 12 Noon on Saturday, have a box lunch on the way down to Columbia, check in at the Marriott, & go along with the Lady Vols to the men's game that night. Dinner will be on your own at any number of great restaurants within walking distance, or you can eat at the arena itself. A hot cooked-to-order buffet breakfast is available on your own on Sunday morning at the hotel & there are several churches within walking distance for you to attend.
We will leave to come back to Knoxville immediately after the women's game & will be back home no later than 10 p.m. on Sunday. We will have a box dinner on the way back.
Tickets to both games, a Big Orange shaker, & satellite TV & UT basketball highlight videos are also all included on the trip, along with snacks, soft drinks, & all taxes & tips.
Everything in the entire package is only $200 per person double occupancy, meaning that you would share a room with someone else. If you want to have an individual room of your own, there is a $75 supplement for that.
Our first bus trip to Cincinnati for the Xavier game last month was a super success & everyone had a great time. Don't miss out on our first overnite bus trip that we've ever sponsored & enjoy a great time with fellow Big Orange fans.
Join us as we take a luxury motorcoach across the Great Smoky Mountains to beat the Gamecocks this coming weekend! You can sign up online with your credit card or download the form on our website & mail it in with your check.
We will be accepting reservations up until Wednesday, January 9, the date of our first luncheon meeting at Calhoun's on the River at 11:30 a.m. in Downtown Knoxville, where Pat Summitt, Head Coach of the 7-Time National Champions, will be our featured opening speaker. Everyone is invited to go on our trips & attend our meetings, & you can join our club online as well.
Again, all of this is open to the general public, whether you are a past member of our club or not. Here are the website links to sign up for both the upcoming bus trip & to join the Big Orange Tipoff Club:
http://www.utfan.com/tipoff/
http://www.utfan.com/tipoff/paypal.htm
If you have any questions, please call 865-588-5433 or 865-599-2959.
GO BIG ORANGE!
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