Do Grads of other Tenn. Colleges Root for the Vols?

[Sgt.Rock]

I was a VOL fan long before college entered the picture. My Mom was from Bristol and Tennessee is all there was. We lived in NC but the only TV stations we could pick up were 6 and 10 out of Knoxville. On Saturdays when helping my Dad doing side plumbing jobs (he was a Union pipefitter out of a Chattanooga local) we had to pull the pickup as close as possible to the house, turn the radio up as loud as it would go, so we could hear the game. I was charged with occasionally cranking the motor to keep the radio from draining the battery. Yes, it was that long ago and my introduction to Detroit internal combustion. A family friend worked for Lays Packing in Knoxville and occasionally received UT tickets that he shared with my parents. When they left for a game it was a huge event in our house, Mom dressed up, and everything took on a more excited special vibe. I was planning to go to UT until I discovered that I had to take the ACT test after already taking the SAT, at the time was too much for me, adding to the fact that I was madly in love with the girl who would become my wife and I chose Western Carolina to be closer. I graduated DeKalb College, Georgia State, took courses at Stanford and UTC, and lived in Chattanooga for 36 years. My football allegiance has always been Tennessee, and always will be. It's in the blood--which runs orange. The schools I attended have nothing to do with that.

 

[peaygolf]

Oh boy.........

I could get in a lot of "trouble" on where this thread is going.........degrees and such......

But to answer OPs question.......I've been nothing but welcomed on VN, and you can see where my allegiance is.
My grandmother went to UT and traveled to the 1940 Rose Bowl via train. We had season tickets as a child and I started going at age 4 in 1974.

I probably know more useless information about UT football than most.......I've always loved UT and been a fan....................... but never really wanted to go there.

Even before college golf recruiting started, I had desires to go somewhere different. I wanted to get away from the "norm" I still rooted for, went to games, etc..........

Then.........UT didn't recruit me.......I wasn't good enough. Period. So I went where I decided was best for me for golf. Austin Peay was a good decision for me.

I played 4 years of college golf at The Peay
We won an OVC Championship
I was captain for two years
I am a Gov.

Everyone on VN knows I will root for The Peay anytime they play anyone.......including the University of Tennessee. But it's UT over everyone else.

VN is also really good about welcoming anyone who is "respectful"

 

[Savannahbayvol]

I finally found you! LOL, I thought I was the only one who thought this way...

I 100% agree with you - you should have two schools - your alma mater and the flagship program WHERE YOU LIVE.

It drives me nuts the number of Georgia fans that surround me. They don't pay taxes to Georgia. They don't live in Georgia. They never attended a school in Georgia. They haven't lived in Georgia in over 25 years, yet they consider it 'home'? What the heck? If I ask you if you are going 'home'...that place is in TENNESSEE!

So...I'm assuming you were a dog fan until coming home to TN?

Nope Vol fan all the way. Grew up in Chattanooga but did live in Atlanta for 25 yrars.

 

[TennCan]

Serious question…. What did you do in your spare time there? It’s a beautiful place, but damn…. It’s in the middle of nowhere.

My daughter was thinking about going there and playing basketball so we went down, talked to the coach and toured campus.
I didn’t realize that students that excelled academically wore gowns. As we were leaving, two guys crossed the road in front of us and I rolled the window down and said “Hey! Harry Potter, where’s Dumbledore?”

I thought my daughter would laugh, but she was embarrassed and was hiding her face as we drove off.

I played baseball, so that ate up some of my free time. Before starting there I thought I would end up spending a lot of weekends in Nashville, Chattanooga, or my hometown, but in four years I can count on one hand the times I actually left the mountain. It is a very social school. Every weekend somebody (fraternity/sorority) is having a big party often with a live band. Unlike most schools the Greek parties are open to everyone. You end up with most of the school at the same party.

I went to grad school at a larger university in a large city with all the events, sports, bars, clubs, etc. and did not have half of the fun that I had at Sewanee.

 

[ut93vol]

By what metric?

I would say roughly the same thing about any R1 school. These schools rarely produce faculty who teach as well as smaller schools. Smaller schools tend to offer more personal attention and value the classroom more. In contrast, UTK is publish or perish. Bad teachers who research well will remain on faculty at these schools.

UTK also tends to shove more students into their classrooms, which almost always hurts the teaching. And, more graduate students teach more classes at R1’s. They are just figuring things out.

I also attended UTK for two degrees and had a son attend both UTK and UTC very recently. Plus, I am on faculty at UTC and have been a faculty member at multiple institutions over a two decade career.

There are good and poor teachers at both schools. The good ones are just fewer and further between at UTK. UTC is currently shifting its emphasis to become more similar to UTK so I’m also watching that firsthand.

Put simply, R1 faculty are not paid to teach well so it rarely becomes their priority. That’s just an informed opinion so take it for what it’s worth.

 

[Tarkus]

My son is a UT Martin grad and he is a Vol fan and my nephew is a Memphis grad and he cheers for UT unless we are playing Memphis.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

I swear some people will never learn that it's FBS and FCS. It's been almost 20 years since they changed it. They just should've never changed it and now it makes less sense because there is a playoff now lol.

 

[perico]

I’m a UT-Chatt grad and lifelong Vol fan in all sports. I cheer for the Vols every game in any sport with one exception, when they play the Mocs in basketball. The only college basketball I care about is the Mocs.

 

[#1volsfan]

I went to TTU i live 15 minutes from cookeville up the mountain. I was a vol loooong before i went to school. So i say wings up and go vols!

 

[Yanks24]

ETSU grad. Lifelong Vol.

 

[SalVolinus]

Parents are Vols alums and I was raised in it. Degrees at WVU and VCU, but never swayed as a VFL. I root for VCU basketball secondarily to anything UT. Apathetic towards WVU athletics. Nothing compares to Knoxville and the UT sports experience.

 

[voldurham]

I assume people connected with Division 1-A programs like Memphis and Vanderbilt don’t. Just curious if grads of other schools that are not Division 1-A in football like Belmont, ETSU, MTSU, UT South, UT Martin, Austin Peay, etc. root for and attend Vols games? Are they welcomed by Vols fans even though they have connections to other schools?

Tennessee Tech grad here.

My stepfather took me to see UT vs. Auburn in 1961 when I was a little kid. Been hooked ever since. Went to Tech for various reasons - not the least of which had to do with a girl who I couldn’t seem to manage being apart from and who wound up becoming my wife just before my senior year.

But I’ve been a Vols fan since childhood and always will be.