Spending a majority of his career working for one-company, one-voice men like Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher meant that Jeremy Pruitt didnt spend a ton of time around reporters until taking one of the more visible jobs in the country head football coach at Tennessee. Pruitt continues to look comfortable in that role, though.
The Vols new coach opened his Tuesday speech at The Rotary Club of Knoxville with a joke that quickly won over the crowd. Pruitt noted that he and wife Casey both come from small towns in Alabama him from tiny Rainsville in North Alabama, her from slightly-larger Troy in South Alabama and that living in an area the size of Knoxville would be an adjustment for both of them.
Its truly been a blessing for us, and were excited about it, Pruitt said. I know that myself and Casey, were gonna get involved in as many things as we possibly can here in Knoxville. One thing about us is were from very small towns in rural Alabama, so we usually know everybody in our town. Hopefully, aight, Ill be here long enough that I can know everybody in this town. After giving the crowd a couple of seconds to enjoy that laugh, though, Pruitt brought things down just a notch with a reality check. But weve got a ways to go before we can be able to do that, the coach continued.
As unfamiliar as Pruitt and his wife might be with cities the size of Knoxville, though, Tennessees new coach said the Southern values of his adopted hometown made it feel a lot like home. Pruitt told the crowd he was a big fan of The Rotary Club of Knoxvilles Food For Kids program, and that causes like that became even nearer and dearer to his heart when he began his career as an elementary school teacher and saw poverty-stricken children on a daily basis.
I have firsthand knowledge of this, he said. Fourteen years ago I was a (kindergarten) through third grade elementary school PE teacher. When I got my degree, I wanted to be a high school football coach, and I went to work for my dad. What he did was probably
you know, really he changed my life forever in how I view things, because he said, The first job youre gonna have is youre gonna be a K-through-third-grade PE teacher. He didnt put me in high school, where I wanted to be.
At the time, I really didnt understand what he was doing. But if you sit out there in the mornings and its 20 degrees outside, and you see 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds get off the bus, and they have flip flops on, and they have shorts on. Those kids, you know that probably the only meal that theyre gonna get that week is gonna be at lunch at school every day. You start to appreciate what you have. To me, I think this is a fantastic organization thats doing a phenomenal deed by helping these young kids. Until youve stood out there and watched em, you really dont appreciate what you have, and what you guys are doing. I just want to say thank you for doing that. Its a huge deal.
