News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club November 24, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
This is our final week of the 2014 season of the Knoxville Quarterback Club. Come on out and support Butch Jones as our featured speaker. There have been years when we struggle to get the head coach to even come at all. Coach Jones will be making his second speaking appearance. He also has been very supportive as he sends an assistant to come every week. Let’s have a big crowd and thank him.
We also will have the honor of recognizing our 4th LaTain McGhee scholarship recipient from the Knoxville Quarterback Club. Ms. Mallary Hayes, a Halls High School graduate and the 2014 scholarship recipient, is attending the University of Tennessee. Many thanks to your generous giving. This year we will be celebrating our 5th scholarship year! Don’t miss kicking off this fund raising event. We may even have a visit from a “Jolly Old Fellow”.
Yesterday’s Hero: Stockton Adkins
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club November 17, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Defensive Coordinator Jon Jancek and Senior Writer for the Sporting News, Matt Hayes, will be our speaker this week. Jancek has been the defensive coordinator for the last two years. Prior to Tennessee, he spent three years with Butch Jones as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. He also served as the Georgia defensive coordinator as well.
I googled Matt Hayes and the below image came up. I don’t think this is who our speaker is, but did think he beared a striking resemblance to our club president, Jeff Hagood. Matt will have a great handle on the landscape of college football. We look forward to hearing from him.
Assistant Coach:
Yesterday’s Hero: Mike Price
Line-up for the 24th:
Speaker: Butch Jones
Assistant Coach:
Yesterday’s Hero: Stockton Adkins
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club November 10, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
New UT basketball coach, Donnie Tyndall, will be our featured speaker this week. Tyndall got his first head coaching job at Morehead State from 2006-2012. In a situation that Tennessee can relate to, he took over a program that had only 3 returning players. The previous year, Morehead State was 4-23. Tyndall was able to improve to a 12-18 record his first year. He then went on to win at least 20 games in three different seasons. His 2011 team upset Louisville in the NCAA tournament and made it to the third round.
In 2012, he became head coach of Southern Miss. While there, he compiled a 56-17 record, share for the conference regular season championship, and his last squad had a 15-0 home record and an RPI in the 30’s.
Lady Vol coach, Holly Warlick, will also attend Monday’s meeting. She played under Pat Summit and was a three time All-American. She is the first player in Tennessee sports history to have her jersey retired, she was named to the 1980 Olympic team, and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981. She has coached at Tennessee for 28 years.
Assistant Coach:
Yesterday’s Hero: Steve Chancey
Line-up for the 17th:
Speaker: John Jancek and Matt Hayes
Assistant Coach: Zach Azzanni
Yesterday’s Hero: Mike Price
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club November 03, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Former Arkansas and Ole Miss Coach, Houston Nutt, will be our featured speaker this week. Nutt was a star football and basketball player growing up. He initially played at Arkansas, but transferred to Oklahoma State and played both sports there.
After graduation, Nutt was a grad assistant for Jimmy Johnson at Oklahoma State and then Lou Holtz at Arkansas. Nutt then returned to Oklahoma State as an assistant coach and mentored Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas during his time there.
After head coaching stints at Murray State and Boise State, Nutt became head coach of Arkansas in 1997.In the first six seasons, he led the Razorbacks to a bowl game in each year and averaged eight wins a year. Arkansas had up and down years for the next several years and Nutt eventually resigned in 2007.
In November of 2007, he was hired as head coach at Ole Miss. He started strong but ended with an overall record of 24-26 over four years. He is responsible for the SEC enacting the scholarship signing limits.
Please come and enjoy Houston Nutt. He is full of energy and a great speaker. We look forward to seeing you there.
Assistant Coach: Jon Jancek
Yesterday’s Hero: Jim Gaylor
Line-up for the 10th:
Speaker: Basketball Coach Donnie Tyndall
Assistant Coach:
Yesterday’s Hero: Eddy Powers or Bruce Wilkerson
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club October 26, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Tommy Bowden will be our featured speaker this week. Bowden was an assistant coach at Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Kentucky and Florida State before he became a head coach at Tulane. He spent two years at Tulane and his 1998 team went 11-0 and a top 10 final ranking. In 1999, Bowden became head coach at Clemson. Bowden coached at Clemson from 1999 through 2008 when he resigned midway through the season and Dabo Swinney took over. His teams qualified for a bowl game every year that he was there. Tommy and his father, Bobby Bowden, participated in the “Bowden Bowls” when Clemson would lay Florida State.
Assistant Coach: Don Mahoney
Yesterday’s Hero: Mike Casteel
Line-up for the 3rd:
Speaker: Houston Nutt Former Arkansas and Ole Miss Head Coach
Assistant Coach: Jon Jancek
Yesterday’s Hero: Jim Gaylor
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club October 20, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Mack Brown grew up in Cookeville, TN and played for Putnam County High School. Brown began school at Vanderbilt and later graduated from Florida State. Brown began his coaching career at Florida State working with the wide receivers. He has served as an assistant for Florida State, Southern Miss, Memphis State, Iowa State, and LSU.
Brown’s first head coaching job was at Appalachian State. After one season, he went to work under Barry Switzer at Oklahoma as the offensive coordinator. The next year he switched jobs again and became the head coach at Tulane. He would eventually lead them to a bowl game. This was only their fifth bowl game in 40 years. In 1988 he became head coach of North Carolina. Brown spent 10 years at North Carolina and revitalized the program.
In 1999, Brown took over at the University of Texas. He coached the Longhorns until 2013. While he was there, he posted a 158-48 record, a National Championship and a Big 12 Championship. Brown was the 2005 Coach of the Year, he had 20 consecutive winning seasons, 18 consecutive bowl appearances, 21 consecutive conference wins in the Big 12, and numerous other honors. Please come and welcome Mack Brown.
Assistant Coach: Robert Gillespie
Yesterday’s Hero: Clark Duncan
Line-up for the 27th:
Speaker: Tommy Bowden Former Clemson head Coach
Assistant Coach: Don Mahoney
Yesterday’s Hero: Mike Casteel
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club October 13, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Former Tennessee and Dallas Cowboy great, Bill Bates, will be our featured speaker this week. Bates attended Farragut High School and played under current Carson-Newman coach Ken Sparks. In 1979, Bates went to the University of Tennessee and earned Freshman All-American honors. He started all four years at Tennessee. He earned second-team ALL-SEC as a junior and senior.
Bates was not drafted in the 1983 NFL draft, but decided to sign as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. He was known for his hard work and hustle and excelled on special teams that earned him a spot on the roster. During his rookie year, he was named the NFC special teams player of the year. The next season he became the first player in NFL history to earn a Pro Bowl spot for special teams. The NFL had to create a designation for him.
Bates would become a starter at strong safety for a few years and spent a total of 15 years with the Cowboys. He is one of the most beloved Cowboys of all time. Tom Landry said, “If we had 11 players on the field who played as hard as Bill Bates does and did their homework like he does, we’d be almost impossible to beat.” He also said Bates was one of the hardest hitters he had ever seen.
Assistant Coach: Steve Stripling
Yesterday’s Hero: Jeff Hall
Line-up for the 20th:
Speaker: Mack Brown, Former University of Texas Coach
Assistant Coach: Robert Gillespie
Yesterday’s Hero: Clark Duncan
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club October 06, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Jim Donnan will be our featured speaker this week. Donnan is currently a TV analyst as well as a motivational speaker. Donnan won a Divison I-AA National Title as the coach at Marshall University. He also became head coach at the University of Georgia.
After serving as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma under Barry Switzer, he took over the Marshall job and went 64-21 from 1990-1995, where he we went to four championship games. In 1996, he became Georgia’s head coach. While at Georgia, he led them to a record of 40-19 and four consecutive bowl victories.
Donnan was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2009. In 2012, Donnan was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for a part of an $80 Million ponzi scheme. In May of this year he was cleared of those charges.
Assistant Coach: Willie Martinez
Yesterday’s Hero: Bruce Wilkerson or Jeff Hall
Line-up for the 13th:
Speaker: Bill Bates, Former Tennessee and Dallas Cowboys Player
Assistant Coach: Steve Striling
Yesterday’s Hero: Jeff Hall
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club September 29, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
We welcome Doug Dickey back to the Quarterback Club on Monday. Dickey is a former Tennessee and Florida football coach and the former athletic director of Tennessee. Dickey was a walk-on at Florida as a defensive back in 1951. He wound up seventh string quarterback and worked himself into the starting position in 1952. He led the Gators to their first bowl game and win.
Dickey was an assistant coach on Frank Broyles staff at Arkansas from 1957-1963. In 1964, he was hired as the Vols coach. Dickey led Tennessee for 6 years and won the SEC title twice. Prior to Dickey’s hire, Tennessee had not been to a bowl game since 1957. Dickey led them to 5 consecutive bowls and an overall record of 46-15-4.
Dickey is credited with placing the “Power T” on the helmet, having the end zones painted orange and white checkerboard, and having the Pride of the Southland Marching Band form a T for the players to run through. He also was responsible for recruiting the first African-American player to Tennessee.
In 1970 Dickey returned to Florida as their head football coach. He compiled a 58-43-2 in nine seasons as head coach. After the 1978 season, Dickey’s final season at Florida, he finished his coaching career with an overall record of 104-58-6.
From 1985-2002, Dickey served as the athletic director at Tennessee. He is credited with expanding Neyland Stadium to over 100,000 seats, Thompson-Bowling Arena, Goodfriend Tennis Center, and the Lindsey Nelson Baseball Stadium. He has won the Robert Neyland award, John Toner award, inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, and College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.
Assistant Coach: Tommy Thigpen
Yesterday’s Hero: Daryl Dickey
Line-up for the 6th:
Speaker: Jim Donnan, University of Georgia/Marshall University
Assistant Coach: Willie Martinez
Yesterday’s Hero: Bruce Wilkerson or Eddy Powers
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club September 22, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Roy Kramer is coming at a perfect time to share his opinions on the changing landscape of college football. Kramer was the Commissioner of the SEC from 1990-2002. During his leadership, the conference won 81 National Championships which was the most ever in a decade by the league.
Kramer led the last expansion of the SEC with the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. He created the divisional play and first ever Division 1A Conference Football Championship Game. Kramer was also responsible for the Bowl Championship Series. This should be an interesting discussion with the football playoffs beginning this year.
Assistant Coach: Tommy Thigpen
Yesterday’s Hero: Nate Sumpter
Line-up for the 29th:
Speaker: Doug Dickey, Former University of Tennessee Coach and AD
Assistant Coach: Mark Elder
Yesterday’s Hero: Daryl Dickey
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club September 15, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
We look forward to seeing you on Monday for our second meeting of the season. The speaker this week will be Tim Brando. Brando is currently an announcer on Fox Sports. He was formerly with ESPN and CBS Sports where he primarily covered collegiate football and basketball. He has served as radio host, studio host,play-by-play and halftime host. He has called NCAA championship games, NFL games, and SEC football games. He is an authority on college football and you will enjoy his humor.
Our Yesterday’s Hero this week is Bob Fry.
Assistant Coach: Mike Bajakian
Please visit the website at www.knoxqbclub.com to see a full list of speakers and to complete your membership application. There is a printable version that you can print off and mail or bring in to the first meeting as well. Johnny Durden has done a fantastic job on the site. You can also follow the club on Facebook and Twitter and thank you to Michael Greene for heading that up.
Line-up for the 22nd:
Speaker: Roy Kramer, Former SEC Commissioner
Assistant Coach: Tommy Thigpen
Yesterday’s Hero: Nate Sumpter
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club September 08, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Welcome back to football season! This is a reminder that the 63rd year of the Knoxville Quarterback Club will be kicking off its first meeting on Monday, September the 8th at Calhoun’s on the River. Come be a part of the club as we honor yesterday’s hero, high school athlete of the week presentations, and recognizing an outstanding official of the week. Jeff Hagood has done an excellent job again this year of booking some outstanding speakers. We will have Tim Brando, Roy Kramer, Mack Brown, Bill Bates, and other great speakers. We will also have assistant coaches speak for a few minutes every week. If you don’t like the speakers, then you will sure to be entertained by Jeff’s introductions, Jesse Smithey’s humor and Tim Bush’s pick-of-the-week.
Please visit the website at www.knoxqbclub.com to see a full list of speakers and to complete your membership application. There is a printable version that you can print off and mail or bring in to the first meeting as well. Johnny Durden has done a fantastic job on the site. You can also follow the club on Facebook and Twitter and thank you to Michael Greene for heading that up.
Head coach, Butch Jones, will be our featured speaker on Monday September 8th. Jones has re-energized the fan base and has brought in a tremendous recruiting class. We look forward to hearing what he has to say.
NOTE: The first meeting only will not begin until 12:15 to allow Coach Jones to come back from a press conference. This will be the only meeting that will start this late.
Next Weeks Speaker: Tim Brando Fox Sports/Lindsey Nelson Award Winner
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
News from the Knoxville Quarterback Club August 21, 2014
Dear Quarterbacker,
Welcome back to football season! This is a reminder that the 63rd year of the Knoxville Quarterback Club will be kicking off its first meeting on Monday, September the 8th at Calhoun’s on the River. Come be a part of the club as we honor yesterday’s hero, high school athlete of the week presentations, and recognizing an outstanding official of the week. Jeff Hagood has done an excellent job again this year of booking some outstanding speakers. We will have Tim Brando, Roy Kramer, Mack Brown, Bill Bates, and other great speakers. We will also have assistant coaches speak for a few minutes every week. If you don’t like the speakers, then you will sure to be entertained by Jeff’s introductions, Jesse Smithey’s humor and Tim Bush’s pick-of-the-week.
Please visit the website at www.knoxqbclub.com to see a full list of speakers and to complete your membership application. There is a printable version that you can print off and mail or bring in to the first meeting as well. Johnny Durden has done a fantastic job on the site. You can also follow the club on Facebook and Twitter and thank you to Michael Greene for heading that up.
Head coach, Butch Jones, will be our featured speaker on Monday September 8th. Jones has re-energized the fan base and has brought in a tremendous recruiting class. We look forward to hearing what he has to say.
NOTE: The first meeting only will not begin until 12:15 to allow Coach Jones to come back from a press conference. This will be the only meeting that will start this late.
Go Vols!
Jonathan Johnson
