Craig Morgan stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show on Oct. 17 for a sit-down chat and performance of his new single, “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost.”
The new tune, which Craig penned and produced, honors his late son, Jerry Greer, who passed away after a boating accident in July 2016 at the age of 19.
The touching performance brought tears to the eyes of the titular host, as well as guests Blake Shelton and Eva Mendes.
After Blake Shelton spearheaded a successful viral campaign to get the new tune to No. 1 on the all-genre iTunes Songs chart on Sept. 12, “The Father, My Son & the Holy Ghost” was released to country radio as an official single on Oct. 7 with major-label support from Broken Bow Records, Craig’s label home for six years in the 2000s.
“I am truly humbled by the response to the song so far and to my friend Blake Shelton for what he has done to honor Jerry,” says Craig. “It’s incredible to reunite with the team at Broken Bow to share this song with radio and my hope is, it will be a help to those who need it most.”
Keith Urban is coming to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for 12 dates in 2020.
The Sin City residency—dubbed Keith Urban Live—features multiple dates in January, April, July, August and November. The 12-date residency follows two sold-out performances at the newly renovated venue in September 2019.
Keith Urban Live
Jan. 10, 11, 17, 18
April 24, 25
July 10, 11
Aug. 7, 8
Nov. 20, 21
General ticket prices, which start at $69 (plus applicable tax and fees), go on sale to the general public on Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. PT. Pre-sale for Keith’s fan club members begins on Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. PT.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The United States Basketball Writers Association has named its annual recognition of its women’s national freshman of the year the Tamika Catchings Award. Catchings, vice president of basketball operations for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, was the consensus national freshman of the year during the 1997-98 season when the Tennessee Lady Volunteers won a national championship in a 39-0 season.
Catchings was named to the All-Final Four Team that season and set program freshman records for most points with 711 and a 35-point game against DePaul. She went on to become one of only two four-time WBCA All-Americans at UT.
When Catchings retired in 2016 after 16 seasons of professional basketball with the Fever, she ranked first in league history in rebounds (3,316), first in steals (1,074), first in free throws (2,004) and second in points (7,380). She was a five-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and was named to 11 All-Defense teams. Catchings was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2011 and was the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player during the Fever championship season of 2012.
Catchings played for the United States on Olympic gold-medal winning teams in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
She has a master’s degree in sports studies from Tennessee. Her Catch The Stars Foundation helps disadvantaged youth achieve their dreams by promoting fitness, literacy and youth development.
“There is no better example, mentor and role model for gifted freshmen than Tamika,” said Malcolm Moran, USBWA Executive Director and Director of the Sports Capital Journalism Program at IUPUI. “Her commitment to community service and her move into management are also an inspiration for the next generation. She is an ideal choice.”
USBWA Board Member Mel Greenberg said: “While our focus is on the collegiate world in citing all-timers, Tamika’s starring roles as an Olympic gold medalist and in an All-WNBA playing career with the Fever – where she is blazing a trail in the front office – must be noted.”
The Tamika Catchings Award becomes the fourth named award for women’s college basketball by the USBWA. It joins the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for National Player of the Year, the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, which was named after Catchings’ Hall of Fame coach at Tennessee, and the Mary Jo Haverbeck Award for service to the USBWA.
Here’s an updated list of University of Tennessee players in the National Football League entering Week 7 of the season and all the moves in the last week or so, as well as the VFL in the NFL Player of the Week as named by me.
I’ve included some notes, jersey numbers, unofficial depth chart positions, breakdowns by position and much more.
You will also see all of the players that are inactive in the league, either on injured reserve or on practice squads. Plus, you’ll find the list of players that were at UT at one time before transferring and others that have local ties to the Knoxville area that did not attend the University of Tennessee.
I update this list throughout the season here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.
Moves In The Last Week – U. of Tennessee/One-Time Vols/Local Players in the NFL
-RB John Kelly was signed to the 53-player from by the Rams from their practice squad
-FB Jakob Johnson of the Patriots was placed on IR
-TE Alex Ellis was waived from Eagles IR via an injury settlement
-TE Ethan Wolf was released by the Packers from their practice squad
Notes and Numbers – Vols in the NFL
*Currently 23 U. of Tennessee players are on NFL 53-player rosters
*UT had 25 entering Week 1
*9 UT players are in the league, but inactive (6 on IR & 5 on practice squads)
*2 VFL rookies are in the NFL, both made teams as undrafted free agents
*Pittsburgh has the most active UT players with 3
*DB & DL are the largest positions of VFLs in the league right now with 4 active
*17 of the 32 teams have a UT player on active rosters
*There are 2 players on active rosters that were once at U. of Tennessee but then transferred
*There are 3 players on active rosters that didn’t attend UT, but have Knoxville/East TN ties
*8 of the 23 Vols on active rosters started their most recent game (not counting special teams or missed games due to injury)
Vinny’s VFL Player of the Week Steelers DB Cam Sutton Sutton helped close-out the Steelers road win at the Chargers on Sunday Night Football on NBC with an over-the-shoulder interception of Phillip Rivers. He finished the game with one interception, 3 passes defensed, 1 tackle, 26 return yards on the interception and a marvelous onside kick recovery at the end of the game to end the Chargers’ hopes.
CB Cam Sutton had 1 tackle, 3 passes defensed, a recovery of an onside kick attempt & a game-ending INT against the Chargers.
Tomlin: "He upheld the standard with the quality of his play. Not only a defense, but, man, that onside kick recovery was a spectacular play." #Steelershttps://t.co/UEgfxoEZa2
Tennessee Volunteers On Active NFL Rosters as of 10/17/19 (23) x = rookie
Atlanta Falcons Luke Stocker (80) TE (2nd team TE)
Baltimore Ravens Morgan Cox (46) LS (starting LS)
Carolina Panthers Michael Palardy (5) P (starting P/H) Rashaan Gaulden (28) DB (3rd team SS)
Chicago Bears Cordarrelle Patterson (84) WR/KR (2nd team WR & starting KR)
Dallas Cowboys Jason Witten (82) TE (starting TE)
Denver Broncos Alexander “AJ” Johnson (45) LB (starting ILB) Ja’Wuan James (70) OT (injured – starting RT)
Detroit Lions Jalen Reeves-Maybin (44) LB (2nd team OLB) Justin Coleman (27) DB (starting CB)
Houston Texans Zach Fulton (73) OL (starting RG)
Jacksonville Jaguars Joshua Dobbs (1) QB (2nd team QB)
Kansas City Chiefs Dustin Colquitt (2) P (starting P/H)
Los Angeles Rams John Kelly (42) RB (3rd team RB)
Minnesota Vikings Britton Colquitt (4) P (starting P/H)
New Orleans Saints Alvin Kamara (41) RB (starting RB/2nd team KR) Shy Tuttle (74) DT (2nd team DT)
New York Jets Kyle Phillips (98) DE (2nd team DE)-x
Philadelphia Eagles Derek Barnett (96) DE (starting DE)
Pittsburgh Steelers Ramon Foster (73) OG (starting LG) Daniel McCullers (93) NT (2nd team NT) Cameron Sutton (20) DB (2nd team NCB)
San Francisco 49ers Emmanuel Moseley (41) CB (starting RCB)
One-Time Vols That Transferred On Active Rosters (2) x = rookie
Buffalo Bills Lee Smith TE (85) *Powell HS/Tennessee/Marshall (2nd team TE)
Miami Dolphins Preston Williams (82) WR *Tennessee/Colorado St (starting WR)-x
Knoxville Area Players That Didn’t Play At U. of Tennessee On Active Rosters (3) x = rookie
Dallas Cowboys Randall Cobb (18) WR *Alcoa HS/Kentucky (injured – starting WR) Chris Jones (6) P *Carson-Newman (starting P/H)
Minnesota Vikings Harrison Smith (22) S *Catholic HS/Notre Dame (starting SS)
Inactive Players From UT, One-Time Vols & Local Players In The NFL Injured Reserve
LB Colton Jumper – New Orleans Saints
QB Matt Simms – Atlanta Falcons
TE Jason Croom – Buffalo Bills
LB Jordan Williams – Tennessee Titans
DT Malik Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles
FB Jakob Johnson – New England Patriots
QB Nathan Peterman – Oakland Raiders (Pitt)
WR Jalen Hurd – San Francisco 49ers (Baylor)
Practice Squads
QB Tyler Bray – Chicago Bears
OG Kahlil McKenzie – Seattle Seahawks
WR Josh Malone – New York Jets
TE Daniel Helm – San Francisco 49ers (Duke)
DE Dewayne Hendrix – Miami Dolphins (Pitt)
Teams Without Any Players From UT On Active 53-Player Rosters (15)
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins
UT Players In The NFL By Position (23)
QB – 1
RB – 2
WR – 1
TE – 2
FB – 0
OL – 3
DL – 4
LB – 2
DB – 4
P – 3
PK – 0
LS – 1
Josh Turner won his first Gospel Music Association Dove Award at the 50th annual GMA Dove Awards on Oct. 15 in Nashville.
Josh took home the trophy for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year for “I Saw The Light.”
“I Saw the Light” is featured on Josh’s first album of gospel music, I Serve a Savior, which was released in 2018. The 12-song offering boasts a number of gospel classics, including Amazing Grace,” “Great Is Your Faithfulness” and “Doxology,” as well as the cover of Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light.”
Josh, who has scored a handful of No. 1 hits on the country charts, netted two additional Dove Award nominations for Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for “How Great Thou Art” and Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year for I Serve A Savior.
Chris Young took the stage—as a previously unannounced performer—at the CMT Artists of the Year Awards in Nashville on Oct. 16 to honor Kane Brown’s late drummer, Kenny Dixon, with a rendition of his current single, “Drowning.” Kenny, 27, passed away on Oct. 12 after sustaining injuries in a car wreck.
Co-penned by Chris, Corey Crowder and Josh Hoge, “Drowning” was partly inspired by the death of Chris’ close friend, Adam, and features lyrics: “So tonight I’m gonna pull out pictures, ones with you in ’em / Laugh and cry a little while reminiscing / By myself, I can’t help that all I think about is / How you were taken way too soon / It ain’t the same here without you / I gotta say, missing you comes in waves / And tonight I’m drowning”
Kane, who was being recognized as one of CMT’s five Artists of the Year, was overcome with emotion by the performance and tearfully expressed his gratitude.
One of the most recognizable radio voices in the world, Bob Kingsley, 80, passed away at his home in Weatherford, Texas, on Oct. 17 after a battle with cancer.
As the former host and executive producer of Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40, Bob has been inducted into both the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Bob was a mainstay on radio for 60 years. In 1978, he took over as host of American Country Countdown after four years as the show’s producer. In 2006, he and his wife and business partner Nan Kingsley established Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40, still running on more than 320 stations. Bob received many of broadcasting’s top honors and was named to the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2016. He is the namesake and was the first recipient of the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award, presented each year since 2014 at the Grand Ole Opry House and benefiting the Opry Trust Fund.
Blair Garner, host of The Blair Garner Show and a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame, shared his sentiments with NCD upon hearing of Bob’s passing.
If you’re lucky, at some point during your lifetime, you might meet someone by whom all others are judged. For any of us in country radio, that man was Bob Kingsley. To accurately convey his impact on country music, and the broadcast industry at large, would inevitably fall short of the reality.
We are all left now to honor his efforts. His tireless dedication to the format, the singers, and especially the songwriters. Bob’s philanthropic efforts with those who serve, or have served our country. An incredible spirit that we’ll not likely see again.
Personally, Bob was my mentor. The way he honored his craft. The way he stood as a man of character and integrity. I feel a bit numb with his loss.
Mostly I will miss seeing Bob and his wife of 30 years, Nan, as that amazing powerhouse of a couple. The magic in their eyes for each other was so plainly visible. Please keep Nan in your prayers, and take a moment to realize the gravity of this all.
Bob, I love you and will miss you dearly.
Blair
A celebration of life will be held in Nashville on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. at The CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Kingsley’s name to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum or the Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund.
CMT’s Artists of the Year celebration invaded Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Oct. 16.
The star-studded evening featured performances from some of country’s biggest names as CMT honored its five Artists of the Year—Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett—as well as Reba McEntire (Artist of a Lifetime award) and Ashley McBryde (Breakout Artist of the Year award).
Performances included:
Dan + Shay – “Tequila”
Chrissy Metz – “Even Though I’m Leaving” in honor of Luke Combs
Chris Young – “Drowning” in honor of Kane Brown’s drummer, Kenny Dixon, who passed away on Oct. 12
Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
Carrie Underwood – “Two Black Cadillacs” and “Blown Away” from her tour stop in Cleveland
Thomas Rhett – “Dream You Never Had” and leading the audience in a prayer for Kenny Dixon
Lady Antebellum – “Is There Life Out There” in honor of Reba
Sam Hunt – “Fancy” in honor of Reba
CMT Artists of the Year will re-air Oct. 18 at 7:30 a.m. ET; Oct. 19 at 1 a.m. ET; and Oct. 20 at noon ET; the full show is available for viewing now via CMT.com.
Football, Baseball and Men’s Basketball Post Record Multi-Year Scores
The NCAA on Wednesday announced Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Federal Graduation Rate for the 2009-10 to 2012-13 freshman cohorts for all Division I institutions as part of the annual NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program.
This year’s Tennessee-specific data revealed an overall multi-year GSR of 87 percent—the highest in UT history. It marked the seventh straight year of improvement in Tennessee’s multi-year score.
Tennessee received a particularly strong showing from three of its high-profile men’s sports, as football (74 percent), baseball (86 percent) and men’s basketball (90 percent) all posted record multi-year scores. Six other teams—women’s golf, rowing, softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball—earned perfect 100 scores.
Tennessee’s single-year (2012 cohort) GSR of 90 percent also was its all-time best, as a dozen teams posted a single-year GSR of 100 percent.
“A key component of our mission is to prepare our student-athletes to graduate, lead and positively impact the world,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “These GSR numbers validate those efforts and are a credit to the commitment of our student-athletes and the efforts of our Thornton Center staff. Our overall GSR has risen each year since 2012, which is outstanding.”
The GSR is calculated differently than the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR). The GSR allows institutions to add scholarship transfers that fit into their respective freshman cohorts and remove those students that choose to leave and are academically eligible according to NCAA Progress-Toward-Degree-Requirements.
One of Tennessee Athletics’ key objectives is to graduate student-athletes and prepare them for real-world experiences. In 2001, the University of Tennessee opened the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center to provide student-athletes with superior academic support programs and personal and career development assistance.
Sport-Specific Highlights (Multi-Year GSR)
Volleyball earned a perfect 100 for the 13th consecutive year.
Rowing earned a perfect 100 for the sixth consecutive year.
Men’s tennis earned a perfect 100 for the fifth consecutive year.
Women’s golf earned a perfect 100 for the fourth consecutive year.
Women’s tennis earned a perfect 100 for the fourth consecutive year.
Men’s basketball posted a program-record score of 90 percent.
Baseball posted a program-record score of 86 percent.
Football tied its all-time best score, with a score of 74 percent (tied with last year’s score).
