Big Orange TipOff

UT Men’s Basketball

Monday, November 30th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Make plans to go with us on our famous Big Orange Bus Mob Trips for away Tennessee men’s basketball games to Georgia on January 23, 2010, & to South Carolina on February 10, 2010. Sign up online at our new website at www.bigorangetipoff.com

A STAR-STUDDED TENNESSEE TRIBUTE TO BIG ORANGE BASKETBALL!

Thursday, February 28th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Saturday night the Big Orange Tipoff Club honors all of the players and coaches who built the foundation of Big Orange Basketball at The University of Tennessee, all of whom we personally invited to be with us as guests at the Foundry at World’s Fair Park in Downtown Knoxville. Coaches Ray Mears and Stu Aberdeen were the dynamic duo that ushered in the Golden Age of Hoops Heaven on The Hill that culminated in the Ernie and Bernie Era, which resulted in banners for Coach Mears, John Ward, Bernard King, and now Ernie Grunfeld being hung in their honor in Thompson-Boling Arena.

No coaching tandem ever had as much impact on Southeastern Conference basketball than Mears and Aberdeen. In their tenure, they recruited and coached 10 All-Americans, nearly half of all of the players who have ever achieved that status at UT. In addition to winning three SEC Championships, they had only one team finish lower than third in the league.

Coaches Mears and Aberdeen each won National Championships at Wittenberg in Ohio and Acadia in Canada, respectively, before they teamed up at Tennessee from 1966 to 1977. At UT, they built a 12-12 record against arch-rival Kentucky, the best any coaches nationally ever managed in the Wildcats’ history.

Their fiery intensity was legendary, at courtside, in the locker room, and in practice. They were masters at everything they did, and did it all in a first-class way. Their genius was not only in coaching but in promoting the game of basketball. They inspired their troops for battle as if they were going to war every time. The excitement they engendered at Stokely Athletics Center made every game an event not to be missed.

It is no coincidence that the emergence of Big Orange Basketball on the national scene came when Mears and Aberdeen arrived at Tennessee. Half of their teams played in national post-season tournaments at a time that only a select few were invited, as only 16 teams were allowed in the NCAA tournament for much of their career.

When their tenure at the helm ended at Tennessee, Mears and Aberdeen ranked second in winning percentage all-time nationally as a coaching staff to Dean Smith’s at North Carolina. Their legacy is in all of the lives they touched in a positive way as motivators, including yours truly, who was proud to coach with them in their Camp of Champions in their last summer in Big Orange Country in 1977.

On a personal note, I also had the privilege of getting to know both Ray Mears and Stu Aberdeen as men off the basketball court. I had the high honor of traveling with them and their teams for many weekends on the road in my years as a UT student in the 1970’s. I can truly say that experience was one of the highlights of my life, to be mentored by men of class and integrity, something that I and everyone else who was ever associated with them will never forget.

- John Mark Hancock, Big Orange Tipoff Club Board of Directors
- Website: www.utfan.com/tipoff
- E-Mail Address: tipoff@utfan.com

BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB SEASON FINALE TO FETE RAY MEARS & STU ABERDEEN ERA – SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 1!

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

The Big Orange Tipoff Club is proud to announce its season finale gala, set for Saturday evening, March 1, at 6:30 p.m., at The Foundry at World’s Fair Park. This will serve as a pre-game bash for Sunday’s Kentucky match-up as well as a gala where a buffet will be served. The theme of the evening will be to honor the late Coach Ray Mears, the winningest coach in Tennessee men’s basketball history, and players, families, and coaches from that era. Long considered the Golden Age of Big Orange Basketball, this event comes on the eve of the retirement of Ernie Grunfeld’s jersey, and Ernie will be on hand for our dinner, so arrive early to make sure you get to see him.

It will undoubtedly be a sellout, as each of our last two dinners have been. The Foundry will open the cash bar at 5:00 p.m., and the buffet line at 5:30 p.m. to accommodate what is expected to be a standing-room-only crowd. The program starts promptly at 6:30 p.m., and will conclude by 8:00 p.m. or so.

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.

UT Coach Bruce Pearl will be there to meet and greet everyone at the dinner and will be a major part of our program that night 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 and speakers that you won’t want to miss.

Tickets are only $25 each, and $250 for a reserved table of 10, and are now on sale. Please get your tickets early so that you won’t get left out. All corporate sponsors and anyone else who wants priority seating are encouraged to reserve a table immediately. This may be the biggest crowd we’ve ever had for any event in our club’s history, so we urge you to get your reservations in now.

You can print and mail, fax, or e-mail the signup form back, or bring it with you along with your check to this week’s luncheon meeting at Calhoun’s on the River at Noon on Wednesday, where we will have tickets awaiting you. The form 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.

FORMER LSU COACH DALE BROWN TO BE TOMORROW’S SPEAKER! FORMER LSU COACH DALE BROWN TO BE TIPOFF SPEAKER WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

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.

COACH BRUCE PEARL TO HEADLINE BIG ORANGE TIPOFF CLUB LUNCHEON THURSDAY! TENNESSEE COACH BRUCE PEARL TO BE TIPOFF SPEAKER THURSDAY, JANUARY 24

Monday, January 21st, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

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.