Dear Coach Kiffin,
Welcome to Tennessee football and, yes, indeed "It's time." But unlike
what Sheryl Crow sang about in "All I want to do is have some fun,"
not only is this not a disco or a country club, but it's also not L.A.
In nine months on the job, you are to be commended for re-energizing a
fan base and creating a swagger among everyone who's associated with
Tennessee. You have embraced the traditions. You have welcomed in the
past by meeting with former greats like Peyton Manning, Al Wilson and
Johnny Majors, and you have complimented the efforts and legacy of the
guy you replaced, Phillip Fulmer. You have embraced the color orange
and made Tennessee relevant in a lot of conversations around the state
and around the country.
But like I said, this ain't L.A. It's different and this weekend is
unlike anything you will have ever experienced.
The excitement around Tennessee football is always high and,
obviously, with your arrival, it is even higher. So if you thought the
Vol Walk for the Orange and White game was impressive, just wait.
Just wait till the electricity radiates through Neyland Stadium as the
Pride of the Southland forms the human "T" for you and your team to
run through. Simply stated, it's an experience unmatched.
And with it all, as you know, comes a huge responsibility. As you have
figured out, Tennessee football is front page news 365 days a year.
And if it's a big deal in the middle of May, then just imagine how big
it is 12 Saturdays a year in the fall. Fans come by land, sea and air
to watch their team. In these economic times, for many it's an even
bigger sacrifice to come watch the Vols.
But they come because it's their team. It's their program and they
have given you the keys to direct it. The responsibility is a big one
and if you thought your every move was scrutinized this off-season,
wait till Saturday. It won't just be your play-calls that are
analyzed. Your emotions during the Vol Walk will be examined. Your
attire on the sideline will be a topic of discussion. How you come
onto and off of Shields-Watkins Field will be critiqued. People are
waiting to see if you really are going to be a "visor guy" on
Saturdays.
Some might say it's crazy, but those of us who have been around
Tennessee football all of our life see it as nothing but normal.
To understand it better, soak it all in. Witness the Vol Navy roll in
on Friday. Understand that fans will be in the hotel lobby on Friday
night or Saturday morning to get a glimpse of you, Eric Berry and
others. To try and put it in simple perspective for you, there are
probably 50 USC car flags waving on a Friday on the 405 in Orange
County. In Knoxville, there will be 5,000 cars with flags on them.
There will be another 5,000 in West Tennessee alone.
Trust me when I say it's different.
Pay attention to the excitement on the faces of the kid on the
sidewalk taking in his first Vol Walk, as well as the elder Vol fan
who has the same look as the kid like it's Christmas in September.
You see Coach, there's a reason why Tennessee football is the lead
story 365 days a year. It's the passion of not just a handful, not
just of 100,000-plus who can make it to Neyland Stadium, but of
literally hundreds of thousands of people.
That's what General Neyland set out to create when he arrived at
Tennessee, making the Vols not Knoxville's team, but a statewide team
with national recognition as he recruited coast to coast. It's the
platform Doug Dickey built his program on when he arrived from
Arkansas in 1964 with the creation of things like the Vol Network, the
Power "T" on the sides of the helmet and the Checkerboard end zones .
And it's what Phillip Fulmer continued to promote during his
championship tenure.
Coach, Tennessee football is a book that has been in the works for
over 100 years and Saturday you get to start writing your chapter.
The Vol Nation (and Mike Hamilton and the powers that be) has handed
you the keys to their car, so to speak, and they don't want you to
wreck it. It's very important to them. I know you have a sense of that
from the various caravan stops and speaking engagements, but trust me
when I say, Saturday will be different.
Everyone understands your single focus is on making first downs and
scoring touchdowns, as it should be, and that you are not caught up in
things outside of what happens between the hash marks. But don't get
so single-minded this weekend that you miss what Tennessee football is
all about it. Soak it in.
In the eyes of many, you didn't just take a job to coach a football
team, you took on a new way of life. There is a responsibility and a
level of awareness that the head football coach at Tennessee has to
have. It's what all the successful coaches in years past understood.
It's something you have figured out more and more over the last nine
months. And any lingering questions about the significance of being
the University of Tennessee's football coach should hit you on
Saturday.
Because "it" is indeed different than anything you have ever
experienced before in the game of football.
Yes, it indeed is time.
GO TITANS!
ronnie milsaps sang the national anthem.
the mcnair family did the coin toss.
inside lp stadium.
half time performace - tribute to michael jackson.
