Jimmy’s blog: Pruitt’s Senior Day presentation riles up fan base

Jimmy’s blog: Pruitt’s Senior Day presentation riles up fan base

Posted on November 18, 2018

By Jimmy Hyams

Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt won fans over when he stopped players on the Vol Walk to acknowledge the crowd.

He lost quite a few fans when he changed the Senior Day tradition of having the seniors run through the `T’ individually.

Instead, players were honored at the same time, had their photo made, then served as game captains.

“That was a Mickey Mouse presentation on the field,’’ said VFL Fuad Reveiz during the Football Finals radio show after the game.

“Ridiculous,’’ said one caller.

“Send Pruitt back to Alabama,’’ said another.

But another said Pruitt is “changing the culture and he’s changing the tradition.’’

Actually, you can change a culture without changing a tradition.

You certainly need to be careful about changing the tradition, especially if you are from Alabama.

To my knowledge, Pruitt gave no explanation for altering the Senior Day routine that has been in existence for more than 40 years, nor was he asked.

Perhaps it had something to do with naming the seniors captains.

Whatever the case, Pruitt did get the fan base riled up.

The fan base will be even more riled up if the Vols don’t beat Vanderbilt on Saturday (4 p.m., SEC Network) and become bowl eligible.

Too often in recent years, Vanderbilt has had its way against Tennessee, winning four of the last six in the series, and scoring over 40 points in each of the last two meetings.

“That game means a lot to a lot of people around here,’’ Pruitt said.

It sure does. And if you lose it, you hurt the equity you’ve built up by beating two ranked teams — Auburn and Kentucky. Because if you can beat two ranked teams, why can’t you beat unranked Vanderbilt?

Tennessee failed to accomplish one of its objectives Saturday.

“Our goal was to be undefeated in November,’’ Phillips said, “and we didn’t do that.’’

Tennessee’s tackling was poor against Missouri. So was its pass defense.

Vanderbilt has a capable offense that could exploit UT’s defense. Vandy quarterback Kyle Shurmur completed 22 of 34 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns against Ole Miss and he’s engineer offenses that scored at least 40 points in each of the Commodores’ last two games against the Vols.

Running back KeShawn Vaughn rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against Ole Miss after rushing for 186 against Missouri the week before. Vaughn is among the SEC’s top three rushers.

UT linebacker Daniel Bituli said something no UT fan or coach wants to hear after the 33-point loss to Missouri: “They played harder than us.’’

Center Ryan Johnson said: “We didn’t raise the bar to their level.’’

If Vandy plays harder than UT and UT doesn’t raise the bar against the Commodores, a 5-7 season will go down as a big disappointment – not progress from 4-8.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Jimmy’s blog: Missouri outplays UT as Tigers score another rout over Vols

Jimmy’s blog: Missouri outplays UT as Tigers score another rout over Vols

Posted on November 17, 2018

By Jimmy Hyams

For all of the improvement Tennessee was supposed to have made over last year’s team, Saturday’s game against Missouri looked eerily similar to last year’s result.

Missouri (7-4) didn’t rack up over 400 rushing yards – which it had done in the last two meetings — but the Tigers did enough to match last season’s 50-17 victory over the up-and-down Vols (5-6).

Only the venue had changed. In Neyland Stadium, the 6-point underdog Vols were expected to make the game competitive – especially after upsetting then No. 12 Kentucky. Didn’t happen.

“That was just an old-fashioned butt whipping,’’ Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said.

“They outcoached us, they outplayed us, they outhit us, out toughed us. They executed better than we did. Had less turnovers (3 to 1). Scored touchdowns in the red area. Took advantage of the mistakes we made. Created negative plays for us on offense and made explosive plays when they had the ball.’’

Missouri’s balanced offense – 227 yards rushing, 257 passing – was too much for a Tennessee team that managed only 255 total yards – 82 rushing. The Tigers converted 7 of 14 on third-down to UT’s 2 of 10 and dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 37 minutes, 22 seconds.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, who completed 21 of 30 passes for two scores, became the SEC’s No. 2 all-time passer during the game.

It was UT’s second most lop-sided loss of the season and continued Missouri’s amazing dominance over the Vols. The Tigers have won three of the last six meetings by at least 28 points (50-17, 50-17, 31-3) and they’ve won three out of four in Knoxville, scoring 50 points twice.

Fewer than 70,000 watched Tennessee’s bowl hopes come down to a final game – an SEC contest at Vanderbilt on Saturday. Whatever good will Pruitt has created this season, a loss to Vandy – right or wrong — would cause many in the Vol Nation to lose faith.

One thing is certain – Tennessee can’t play like it did against Missouri if it aspires to play in a bowl.

How can a team play so well against Kentucky then so badly against Missouri?

“It’s very frustrating,’’ said senior defensive end Kyle Phillips. “We talked this week about sustaining, and we didn’t sustain. We’ve got to do a better job of that, for sure.’’

For sure, Tennessee didn’t match up well against Missouri. Not many teams do. If the Tigers spread the field and the defense spreads with them, they run. If you try to load the box, the Tigers passed.

“It’s pick your poison,’’ Pruitt said.

Tennessee lost starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano to an apparent head injury after three series. Keller Chryst, the graduate transfer from Stanford, made some nice throws early, hitting Jauan Jennings for 41 yards to spark a touchdown drive that gave UT a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter. He later hit a 49-yarder to Marquez Callaway, who made an acrobatic catch that set up a field goal.

But then, Chryst made a critical mistake that you wouldn’t expect Guarantano to make. Chryst’s errant throw was intercepted by DeMarkus Acy and returned 76 yards to the UT 11-yard line with 44 seconds left in the first half. Missouri converted that into a touchdown for a 26-10 lead.

Much like when UT hit a Hail Mary before halftime to beat Kentucky last week, Missouri’s score before half was huge.

Yes, UT did score on the opening possession of the third quarter, thanks in part to a 49-yard pass to Callaway, but Missouri scored the last 24 points of the game for the comfortable victory.

“We didn’t tackle well,’’ Pruitt said, “but maybe it was who we was playing against.’’

Clearly, Missouri is the better team. Truth is, the Tigers should be 8-2 if not for blowing games against South Carolina and Kentucky.

Tennessee is a team with little margin for error against good opponents. And UT made more mistakes on Senior Day than it could afford.

“We didn’t execute at a high level’’ Pruitt said.

Pruitt did something a bit unusual on the Vol Walk. During the walk, Pruitt had the team stop and look around at the massive crowd that cheered each step made by the coaches and players.

“I wanted to let them see who they represent,’’ Pruitt said of the Vol fans decked out in orange and white. “I wanted them to see it and understand it.’’

But ultimately, as Pruitt said: “It didn’t work.’’

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Vols Fall To Missouri In Home Finale, 50-17

Vols Fall To Missouri In Home Finale, 50-17

Posted on November 17, 2018

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It was a back-and-forth affair into the third quarter, but Tennessee was unable to keep pace with a potent Missouri attack in a 50-17 loss in front of a crowd of 88,224 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

“The offense did a good job coming out and getting a score to start the second half, but we just didn’t really stop them defensively,” head coa

Vols RB Ty Chandler / Credit: UT Athletics

h Jeremy Pruitt said. “We will have to go back and regroup. We have one more game to play, and it’s a game that means a lot to a lot of people around here. The only thing I can say is that Missouri out-coached us and out-played us today.”

Sophomore running back Ty Chandler rushed for a pair of scores and 82 yards on 14 carries to lead the Vols’ offense. Redshirt senior Keller Chryst came on for the injured Jarrett Guarantano at quarterback and passed for 173 yards, including a pair of 49-yard tosses to junior wide receiver Marquez Callaway.

Defensively, UT (5-6, 2-5 SEC) was led by senior defensive end Kyle Phillips, freshman cornerback Alontae Taylor and junior safety Nigel Warrior, who registered seven tackles each. Phillips had a sack as well.

Senior signal-caller Drew Lock finished the day 21 of 30 for 257 yards and two touchdowns for Missouri, which moved to 7-4 overall and 3-4 in league play. Three different Tiger running backs scored TDs, including the game’s leading rusher, Larry Rountree, who had 135 yards on 26 attempts.

MU opened the scoring on its first possession. The Tigers marched 58 yards in nine plays and salvaged a drive that stalled at the UT 17 with a 35-yard Tucker McCann field goal to go on top, 3-0, with 11:34 remaining in the first quarter.

Mizzou again found itself deep in Vols territory late in the opening stanza, knocking on the door with a first and goal at the UT 10. The Big Orange stiffened once more, however, forcing the Tigers to settle for another McCann field goal, this time from 23 yards out, to make the score 6-0 with 1:15 left in the period.

Tennessee struck back and grabbed the lead early in the second quarter with Chryst under center after Guarantano left the game. UT started at its own 31 instead of the 16, thanks to a targeting penalty assessed to Tavon Ross on his tackle of Callaway during a punt return.

Tosses of 41 yards to redshirt junior Jauan Jennings and 13 to sophomore Josh Palmer from Chryst helped the Vols move down the field in short order, and Chandler finished the six-play, 69-yard drive with a bruising carry up the middle for six yards. Brent Cimagliabooted the PAT to push the Vols into the lead, 7-6, with 10:45 to go before the half.

Mizzou wasted little time wrestling the lead right back, covering 66 yards in five plays in a span of 2:24 with running back Tyler Badie scoring from four yards out. McCann’s PAT made it 13-7 Tigers with 8:15 to go in the second.

The Vols responded with points on their next drive. With a 49-yard pass from Chryst to Callaway providing much of the real estate covered on the five-play, 61-yard drive, UT trimmed the deficit to 13-10 with 5:36 left before the half via a 21-yard Cimaglia field goal.

The back-and-forth scoring continued on Missouri’s next possession, the fifth-straight series where UT and MU scored consecutively. The Tigers went 75 yards in 13 plays, with eight-yard pass to Dominic Gicinto capping the drive. McCann’s extra point attempt was blocked by Phillips, and MU held at 19-10 lead with 1:30 remaining in the half.

A 35-yard kickoff return by freshman Bryce Thompson set the Vols up at their own 37 with 1:30 on the clock. Aided by a 33-yard rush by Chandler, Tennessee looked to be in position to answer with a score of its own. An interception and 76-yard return by Mizzou cornerback DeMarkus Acy, however, gave the Tigers an opportunity to put more points on the board.

Set up at the UT 11, Mizzou needed only three plays to tack on points. A three-yard pass from Lock to Johnathon Johnson was the capper with 15 seconds remaining. McCann added the PAT to provide the Tigers a 26-10 lead that they took into the half.

The Vols came out of the locker room and used a pair of big plays to close the scoring gap. A Madre London 41-yard return of the second-half kickoff and a 49-yard connection from Chryst to Callaway put Tennessee in business. Three plays later, Chandler hit pay dirt from two yards out for his second score of the game. Cimaglia tacked on the PAT to make it 26-17 with 12:50 left in the third frame.

Missouri quickly responded, covering 74 yards in seven plays over 2:29, with Rountree’s two-yard rush producing points for the Tigers. McCann’s PAT made it 33-17 Tigers with 10:15 remaining in the third.

On the Vols’ next series, Missouri’s defense put points on the board. Nate Anderson knocked the ball out of running back Carlin Fils-aime’s hands, and Joshuah Bledsoe was there to scoop it up and race 39 yards to the end zone. McCann’s extra point pushed the lead to 40-17.

Missouri added 10 points over the final 15 minutes for the final margin, including a 39-yard McCann field goal and two-yard run by Simi Bikare.

The Vols close out the regular season next Saturday in Nashville, taking on the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 4 p.m. ET contest. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.

-UT Athletics

 

Hoops Preview: N0. 12/12 Lady Vols vs. Florida A&M

Hoops Preview: N0. 12/12 Lady Vols vs. Florida A&M

Posted on November 17, 2018
Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 12/12 Tennessee closes out an eight-day, three-game home stand on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, as Florida A&M pays at visit to Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Lady Vols stand at 2-0 after capturing at 73-46 victory over UNC Asheville on Wednesday night in Knoxville. The Rattlers, meanwhile, come to Rocky Top with a 0-2 record after a 64-53 loss at North Florida on Friday evening in Jacksonville, Fla. This marks the second all-time meeting between these programs but first since the 1995 NCAA Tournament.

After Sunday’s match-up, the Lady Vols will prepare to hit the road for the first time, as they travel to Bimini, Bahamas, for the 2018 Junkanoo Jam at Resorts World Bimini on Nov. 22-24. The Lady Vols depart Tuesday afternoon and open play against Clemson on Thanksgiving day at 3 p.m. ET in the tournament’s Junkanoo Division. The winner meets the winner of Oklahoma/UAB at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while the loser plays the OU/UAB loser at 7:45 p.m. on Friday.

Florida A&M will play its next game and spend its Thanksgiving in Miami, taking part in the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament. The Rattlers are schedule to meet FIU at noon on Friday.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • Michael Wottreng (play-by-play), Madison Blevins (analyst) and Maddy Glab (sideline) will describe the action for the UT-Florida A&M online broadcast on SECN+.
  • Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

PROMOTIONS FOR THE GAME

  • It’s Knox County Schools Day. Donate two school supplies items and receive one complimentary ticket. Please donate at Gate C, Gate E or the ticket tent located on Phillip Fulmer Way prior to entering Thompson-Boling Arena. All donations benefit the Knox County School Supply.
  • Enjoy the pre-game Kids’ Corner at Gate F. It opens one hour prior to tip-off! Fun includes free face painting, the Big Orange prize wheel, visits from Smokey, cheerleaders and – on Nov. 18 – Smokey X! The Kids’ Corner crafts include princess crowns for National Princess Day and hand turkeys!
  • There will be postgame lay-ups. Kids 12 & younger can shoot a lay-up on the court after the game!
  • Kids 12 & younger can pick-up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pre-game High-5 Tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, contact 865-946-7000.
  • Free parking & shuttle service will be available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip.
  • The UT men’s basketball team used the successful campaign, #FeedTheFloor, a year ago, and this year the Lady Vols are reinforcing the importance of active, vocal fans with a #SparkTheSummitt initiative. Fans can ignite the home team’s players on their appropriately-named court (The Summitt) with relentless enthusiasm. Fans can give their all for Tennessee, just like the Lady Vols.

LADY VOL NOTABLES

  • COUNT OF 10: UT forced four backcourt violations all last season. They already have prevented foes from crossing the timeline five times in 2018-19 (4 vs. Presb.).
  • TURN ‘EM OVER: Lady Vol opponents are committing an average of 29.5 turnovers per game. UT forced 39 by Presbyterian in the opener, which was the most by a foe since Dec. 9, 1992 (40 by Charlotte).
  • GETTING TO THE LINE: Tennessee has gone to the free throw line 56 times in two games for an average of 28 per contest (17.0 made). UT’s foes have shot 22 FTs for an average of 11 per game (7.0 made).
  • HITTING THREES: The Lady Vols have made 12 of 27 threes and are hitting 44.4 percent after shooting 30.7 a year ago. Five UT players already have hit threes. Only six Lady Vols hit threes last season.
  • CONSISTENT SCORING: UT has scored 21 or more points in seven of eight quarters this season. The anomaly was eight/3Q vs. UNCA.
  • SHARING THE MINUTES: UT’s Holly Warlick has spread out the minutes among her players during UT’s exhibition and first two regular-season games. No player saw more than 25 minutes of action vs. Carson-Newman, Presbyterian or UNCA, except Rennia Davis (28 vs. UNCA).
  • EFFICIENT WESTBROOK: Evina Westbrook leads the team in scoring (15.5), 3FG% (1.000), assists (4.5) and steals (3.5) in only 19.5 minutes per game.
  • PLAYING WITH A CHIP…: Rae Burrell is the only UT freshman who didn’t make the McDonald’s All-American Game, but she leads her Lady Vol classmates at 12.0 ppg. and 6.5 rpg. (tied with Mimi Collins) through two games.

ABOUT THE RATTLERS

  • FAMU is directed by LeDawn Gibson, who is in her 11th season at the school and owns an 142-165 record.
  • Gibson is a 2000 graduate of Warner Southern College.
  • The Rattlers welcome 13 newcomers this season out of a roster of 16, including eight freshmen, three junior college transfers and two graduate transfers.
  • Center Shalaunda Burney-Robinson is the leading returning scorer and rebounder from 2017-18 at 9.5 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. Forward Dy’Manee Royal was close behind at 8.1 ppg. and 6.3 rpg.
  • Florida A&M finished 8-24 last season, including 3-12 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
  •  Ten players departed the team after last year, including All-MEAC Second Team selection Florence Quattara, who averaged 14.5 ppg.

UT/FAMU SERIES NOTES

  • Sunday’s match-up between the Lady Vols and Rattlers will be the second-ever meeting between the programs.
  • The last time these schools met, back on March 16, 1995, a No. 3/2 Lady Vols squad rolled to a 96-59 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
  • FAMU is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and UT owns a 4-0 record against current members of the league.
  • The last MEAC team UT met was Florida A&M in 1995.

UT’S LAST GAME

  • Five Tennessee players scored in double figures, fueling the No. 12/12-ranked Lady Vols to a 73-46 win over UNC Asheville Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
  • Senior guard Meme Jackson led Tennessee (2-0) with a team-high 13 points, while redshirt senior forward Cheridene Green tallied 12 on 5-of-6 shooting to help UT improve to 2-0 on the season. Sophomore point guard Evina Westbrook chipped in 11 points, while sophomore forward Rennia Davis returned from missing Sunday’s game to contribute 10 points and eight rebounds, as did freshman guard/forward Rae Burrell.
  • UNC Asheville (0-2) got 14 points from Sonora Dengokl and 12 from Ali Trani, who was 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line.
  • Although shooting 39 percent from the floor on the night, Tennessee hit at a 66.7 percent clip (8-of-12) in the fourth quarter to close the game.  The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Bulldogs 46-24 on the glass, including 21-8 on the offensive end, and outscored UNCA 27-2 in second-chance points. UT also forced 20 turnovers by the visitors.

FAMU’S LAST GAME

  • The North Florida women’s basketball team picked up its second consecutive home win this week as the Ospreys came away victorious in a 64-53 decision over Florida A&M on Friday night in UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
  • FAMU fell behind 17-6 in the opening quarter and trailed 32-19 at the half after playing the Ospreys to within 15-13 in the second frame.
  • The Rattlers outscored North Florida, 18-14, in the third quarter, before the Ospreys sealed the decision with an 18-16 advantage in the final period.
  • Florida A&M put two players in double figures, including Mya Moye with a game-high 24, bolstered by 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Dy’Manee Royal added 11 for FAMU.

UT Athletics

Jimmy’s blog: Missouri run game has hurt UT more than the pass

Jimmy’s blog: Missouri run game has hurt UT more than the pass

Posted on November 16, 2018

By Jimmy Hyams

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock passed for an SEC-record 44 touchdown last season.

He has more career scoring passes than Peyton Manning.

He has been projected by some to be a first-round NFL draft choice.

But Lock isn’t Tennessee’s biggest concern Saturday.

Missouri’s run game is.

Lock has done well against the Vols. He has thrown for 537 yards and five touchdowns in the past two seasons combined.

But Missouri’s run game has run all over Tennessee. The Tigers have rushed for 853 yards in the last two games against the Vols. The Tigers have scored 87 points and totaled 1,399 yards in those two games.

Lock has completed less than 50 percent on those two games. In fact, in his three starts against UT, Lock has completed 46 percent of his passes.

Missouri’s balanced offense – 12 touchdowns rushing and passing – will give UT’s defense fits. Running backs Larry Rountree and Demarea Crockett have each rushed for at least 699 yards and combined for 16 touchdowns. And the Tigers have rushed for at least 200 yards in six games.

Tennessee’s defense is better against the run this year, allowing 152.7 yards per game compared to 251 a year ago. But four teams have rushed for more than 200 on UT.

If Missouri rushes for more than 200 yards, the Vols are in trouble.

If Missouri rushed for 400, Vol fans can leave the game early.

Last week: 6-1

Overall: 75-15

Recap: The only game we missed last week was UT’s win over Kentucky … We picked Alabama by 28 and the Tide won by 24 over Mississippi State … We hit Florida winning by 4 over South Carolina … We picked LSU to win by 6 over Arkansas, the Tigers won by 7 … We took Georgia by 10 over Auburn, the Bulldogs won by 17 … We took Texas A&M by 9 over Ole Miss, the Aggies won by 14 … We took Missouri by 10 over Vanderbilt, the Tigers won by 5 … Thus, of the six games were picked correctly, we didn’t miss any spread by more than 7 points.

Missouri 34-30 over Tennessee.

Mississippi State 31-13 over Arkansas.

Vanderbilt 38-34 over Ole Miss.

Texas A&M 27-17 over UAB.

Alabama 50-6 over The Citadel.

Florida 34-7 over Idaho

South Carolina 30-10 over Chattanooga

Kentucky 24-17 over MTSU

Auburn 41-10 over Liberty

Georgia 47-10 over UMass

LSU 40-13 over Rice

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Kenny Chesney Reveals 18 “Songs for the Saints Tour” Dates

Kenny Chesney Reveals 18 “Songs for the Saints Tour” Dates

Posted on November 16, 2018

After Kenny Chesney’s 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour hit more than a dozen major stadiums and more than 20 amphitheaters, the Tennessee native is scaling back his 2019 tour, which he has dubbed the Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour.

“I wanted to change it up,” says Kenny. “Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don’t take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live . . . strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate.”

The 18-date tour will make stops in Louisville, Washington, D.C., Atlantic City and more.

“This is the kind of thing you do for passion,” Kenny says. “To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don’t when we’re in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I’m fired up for 2019.”

Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour

April 4 | Louisville, KY | KFC Yum! Center
April 5 | Champaign, IL | State Farm Center
April 6 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena
April 12 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum
April 13 | Jacksonville, FL | Daily’s Place
April 18 | Washington, DC | The Anthem
April 25 | Charleston, SC | Volvo Car Stadium
April 26 | Tallahassee, FL | Donald L Tucker Civic Center
April 27 | Orange Beach, AL | The Wharf
May 2 | Columbia, MO | Mizzou Arena
May 3 | Wichita, KS | INTRUST Bank Arena
May 4 | Oklahoma City, OK | Chesapeake Energy Arena
May 9 | Albany, NY Times | Union Arena
May 10 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Mohegan Sun Arena
May 11 | Atlantic City, NJ | Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
May 16 | Des Moines, IA | Wells Fargo Arena
May 17 | Sioux Falls, SD | Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 18 | Lincoln, NE | Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 24 | Tuscaloosa, AL | Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

photo by AFF-USA.com

Country Stars Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Chris Young & More Remember Roy Clark

Country Stars Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Chris Young & More Remember Roy Clark

Posted on November 16, 2018

Roy Clark died on Nov. 15 at the age of 85 due to complications from pneumonia at his home in Tulsa, Okla. If anyone in the country realm could be termed “multimedia star,” the amiable singer/guitarist fit that bill. He won the CMA Entertainer of the Year honor in 1973, copped Grammy awards for his instrumental prowess and co-hosted the long-running Hee Haw variety show from 1969 to 1992. Roy became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1987. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Many country stars shared their remembrances of Roy on social media, and we’ve included some of them below.

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Country News

Weather

  • Forecast
  • Currents
  • Planner