A Letter From John Currie: July 8, 2017

A Letter From John Currie: July 8, 2017

Posted on July 8, 2017
John Currie / Credit: UT Athletics

Good Afternoon Big Orange Nation!

We trust you and your family enjoyed a safe Fourth of July holiday celebrating the birth of the greatest country in the world 241 years ago. Of course, one of the most uniquely American traditions is college football—can you believe that we are just 59 days from our season-opener on Monday, Sept. 4 in Atlanta’s brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium vs. Georgia Tech? And by my count, there are only eight more “empty” Saturdays between today and our home-opener in Neyland Stadium on Sept. 9. Starting off our season with three games in 13 days—including two contests away from home as we then head to the Swamp on Sept. 16—is as daunting an opening stretch as any in the country, and I am extremely impressed with the leadership and focus of Coach Butch Jones, his staff and our team as they prepare for the season.

An annual milestone in the countdown to kickoff happens on Monday when Coach Jones, along with seniors Emmanuel Moseley, Jashon Robertson and Kendal Vickers travel to Birmingham for SEC Media Days. The progress that has been made rebuilding the Tennessee football program under Coach Jones’ leadership is amazing. In the short time I have been here (99 days today), it has been awesome to observe the chemistry amongst his staff and see how much our coaches truly care about our student-athletes and the traditions of the Big Orange. Our tremendous momentum in recruiting is a testament to Coach Jones’ leadership, organization, attention to detail and the fact that veteran college football observers know the future is extremely bright for the Tennessee football program!

IN THE BLACK FOR 2017 AS FISCAL YEAR 2018 BUDGET UNVEILED

Our financial staff has been especially busy these last few weeks as the fiscal year 2017 ended June 30. I am pleased that UTAD will report another year in the “black” when we close out the books and report results for FY16-17. In the meantime, we are now off and running as of July 1 with fiscal year 2018. Two hallmarks of Tennessee Athletics will be fiscal responsibility and transparency, and thus today I am pleased to provide this overview of our athletic budget for July 1, 2017- June 30, 2018.

Our UTAD operating budget for FY17-18 is $133.7 million. Here are a few specific budget details as we look to further enhance the experience for 500+ female and male student-athletes on 20 sports teams, provide the resources to compete for and win championships while also working toward providing the best fan experience in the Southeastern Conference and the country.

When you break down the numbers, it gives you a true appreciation of the fact that everyone’s support matters. Every single fan makes a difference, as 26 percent of our annual revenue comes directly from ticket sales, including more than 21 percent (close to $29 million) coming from the sale of Tennessee football tickets alone. Gifts made by members of the Tennessee Fund—totaling more than $28.3 million—account for a significant 21 percent of our annual revenue.

So, between ticket sales and personal gifts to the Tennessee Fund, our individual fans collectively provide nearly half of our total annual revenue. We recognize and appreciate the fact that fans who bring their families to Knoxville from Clarksville or Sweetwater or Jackson or Marietta, Ga., could decide at any time to spend that time and money elsewhere. The best fans in the world deserve to enjoy a world-class experience when they travel to Rocky Top for a game—we have work to do in this area, especially for our fans who currently sit in the south and east areas of Neyland Stadium.

Obviously, we are fortunate to be a charter member of the best athletics conference in the country, and a big chunk of our annual revenue comes from SEC and NCAA distributions which total about $40 million (close to 30 percent of our annual revenue). Additionally, our loyal Vol Network corporate partners and sponsors provide an important $11.6 million in revenue (8.7 percent). Thanks for remembering this any time you and your family have an opportunity to patronize those partners!

Tennessee Athletics remains one of only 25 or so programs nationally that operate in the black without direct university funding, tuition or tax dollars.

On the expenses side, nearly 50 percent of our budget goes directly into our sports program operating/travel/recruiting ($44.6 million), scholarships ($14.4 million) and student-athlete support services such as sports medicine, strength training and academic services ($7.4 million).

About 10 percent of the budget goes into regular facility maintenance and utility payments—we’ve previously talked about our painting project at Neyland, and as you can imagine, large stadiums come with big light and power bills!

You will also note that we are intentionally carving out money from annual operating revenues to save for a strategic Neyland Stadium renovation fund (a $3 million line item this year). This stands as proof of our determination to improve fan experience through basic enhancements like entry points in and out of the stadium, safety and security, restrooms and concessions, etc. Certainly, this historic project will require an exponentially larger total, but this allocation is an important component of how we ensure that future generations of Tennessee fans will be able to continue to come to love and enjoy the unique Neyland Stadium experience.

You can view a breakdown of our complete budget for FY17-18 here. Let me know of your comments and questions, which I’ll be glad to address in future letters.

WELCOME TO ROCKY TOP, JANEEN LALIK

Yesterday we announced the addition of Janeen Lalik as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Initiatives. In addition to being a key member of our senior leadership team, she’ll work daily with UTAD’s Fan Experience department (formerly known as athletic marketing & promotions), ticketing, VFL Films, corporate partnerships, licensing, and serve as the UTAD liaison to IMG College/Vol Network.

Janeen currently serves as senior vice president of College Athletics for Ticketmaster. Click here to read more about her deep background in college athletics, which includes 18 years leading partner growth at IMG College/ISP Sports.

VOLEADERS VISITING VIETNAM

As I write this, Senior Associate AD/Assistant Provost Dr. Joe Scogin is leading the 2017 class of our VOLeaders Academy on a service trip to Vietnam. Our VOLeaders Academy is a dynamic partnership between Tennessee Athletics and the UT Center for Leadership and Service and the Center for Sport, Peace and Society.

Each annual class of VOLeaders spends a full academic year learning how to positively impact their team, campus and communities, culminating with an international service trip. Last summer, our VOLeaders traveled to Rio. Now this year, they’re serving in Vietnam. These incredible opportunities serve as further examples of the extraordinary student-athlete experience we can provide at UT.

BIG ORANGE CARAVAN ROLLING TOWARD NASHVILLE, TRI-CITIES

This summer’s edition of the resurgent Big Orange Caravan concludes with events in Nashville and the Tri-Cities on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. The Nashville event, which coincides with the 51st annual UT All-Sports Picnic, is completely sold out! Tuesday’s event at the Kingsport Farmers Market can accommodate a much larger group, so if the Tri-Cities is an easy drive for you and your family, I’d like to personally invite you to join me, Bob Kesling, Coach Jones, women’s tennis coach Alison Ojeda and director of track & field Beth Alford-Sullivan for an evening of fun and festivities. As I’m sure the nearly 2,000 UT fans who attended the Chattanooga and Memphis events would attest, this year’s new-look caravan has been a blast! Click here for complete event details.

Enjoy the balance of your weekend, and Go Vols!

Janeen Lalik to Lead UTAD Strategic Initiatives

Janeen Lalik to Lead UTAD Strategic Initiatives

Posted on July 8, 2017
Janeen Lalik / Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics John Currie announced Friday that Janeen Lalik (last name pronounced: LAHL-ick) is joining the UTAD leadership team as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Initiatives.

A native of Troy, Michigan, Lalik boasts deep relationships across intercollegiate athletics and currently serves as Senior Vice President of College Athletics for Ticketmaster, a post she has held since early 2016.

Her responsibilities at Tennessee will include leadership of UTAD’s fan experience department (formerly known as athletic marketing & promotions), ticket operations, broadcasting and VFL Films, corporate partnerships, merchandise and licensing, and game production. Lalik will also serve as the UTAD liaison to IMG College/Vol Network.

“To be able to recruit an executive with Janeen Lalik’s experience and credibility throughout the intercollegiate athletics world speaks volumes about the momentum of both the University of Tennessee and Knoxville,” Currie said. “Janeen’s fingerprints are all over intercollegiate athletics, as she has made a remarkable impact in creating partnerships and revenue to enhance both the student-athlete and fan experience over the last 20 years.

“I am excited about the impact Janeen will have across the department and university as a key member of our senior leadership team and know that her ability to collaboratively develop ideas and solutions will further enhance and strengthen our brand as well as our fan and corporate partner relationships. We aspire to be the national leader in fan experience and customer service, and Janeen’s fresh perspective will benefit our fans, student-athletes and the University of Tennessee community as a whole.”

Lalik officially begins her duties in Knoxville on July 24.

“I’ve worked closely with collegiate athletic departments for nearly 20 years, so I’m looking forward to immersing myself inside a department and working to make a difference from within,” Lalik said. “To have this opportunity at an institution like the University of Tennessee, with its revered brand and rich history, is very humbling. This is a department headed in the right direction, and I’m thankful to John Currie for the opportunity to join the outstanding team already in place at Tennessee.”

Prior to joining Ticketmaster, Lalik spent 18 years overseeing incredible collegiate partner growth at IMG College/ISP Sports (ISP Sports was acquired by IMG College in 2010).

With Lalik occupying one of the company’s executive posts, IMG College evolved into the leading multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company in America.

In her role as Senior Vice President for New Business Development, Lalik used her gifts for relationship development to grow IMG’s collegiate partnerships to more than 100—in addition to multiple conferences and bowls.

Prior to ISP’s acquisition, Lalik’s productivity at ISP landed her a spot on Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” list in 2009. In 2008, she was named a Woman Extraordinaire by Triad Business Journal.

When she joined North Carolina-based ISP in 1997, the five-year old company had just three university clients. Lalik’s leadership saw ISP’s pre-acquisition client list grow to more than 60 university partners, including Alabama, Duke, Georgia, Notre Dame, Syracuse and UCLA. She was named a vice president in 2005 and a senior vice president in 2007. The growth that took place under her direction led to ISP’s evolution from a regional presence to a national force on the intercollegiate multimedia rights landscape.

Lalik’s career in sports began with the Palace of Auburn Hills and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons in 1991. She served the organization until moving to ISP Sports in 1997.

A 1991 Central Michigan graduate with a degree in Business Administration/Marketing, she is an active mentor for women throughout the athletics industry through Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA).

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“John Currie has made a home run hire for my alma mater. Janeen is the rare person in this business with ample experience in both sponsorship/media/marketing and ticket sales. The fact she knows these businesses from the outside contractor perspective will be extremely valuable as John crafts strategy for the future. Plus, she’s one of the finest people I’ve known in more than 40 years of association in the college sports world.”

– Mark Dyer – Executive VP, IMG College Business Ventures (and VFL)

 

“What a tremendous team addition Tennessee has made with longtime athletics industry executive Janeen Lalik. She has a heart for what a campus and institution of higher learning mean for students and those who provide them with a competitive, academic and leadership development experience. Janeen can lead the conversations that compel individuals and business partners to support collegiate athletics. She has forged relationships and friendships throughout her career and is considered an industry trailblazer, mentor and role model.”

– Chris Plonsky – Women’s Athletics Director/Executive Senior Associate AD for External Services, University of Texas

 

“This is a remarkable ‘get’ for the Vol Nation! Janeen Lalik is one of the most talented, trusted professionals in the college sports industry. Her work ethic is unparalleled, and she is a proven leader. She was a key to much of the growth and success of ISP Sports and IMG College and a large part of the reason we were able to build four national market-leading companies in our enterprise. I am really happy for her and for your terrific athletic director and my friend, John Currie.”

– Ben Sutton – Chairman Emeritus, IMG College, LLC (founder of ISP Sports)

 

“Janeen Lalik represents nothing short of a ‘grand slam hire’ at the University of Tennessee. Janeen’s entire body of work speaks perfectly to this appointment as Senior Associate AD for Strategic Initiatives. Again, Janeen’s career has been dramatically underscored at ISP, IMG, and Ticketmaster, by both innovation and futuristic modeling. Janeen is a very rare professional commodity, whereby John Currie made a very thoughtful, if not artful, leadership acquisition.”

– Kevin White – Vice President, Director of Athletics & Adjunct Professor of Business Administration, Duke University

 

“I couldn’t be more excited for UT, the SEC and our relationship with both. Janeen and I started our careers together almost 30 years ago, and the impact I have seen her make wherever she goes is nothing short of remarkable. The results she drives are hard to articulate, as they start with each co-worker, client, innovation, strategy and organizational goal. I have never seen a more humble person leave a bigger impact with each interaction. Her fingerprints are all over some of the most impressive media rights deals in college athletics; to see her return to that industry in such a significant role is an incredible move for her personally and for college athletics, most especially UT. John Currie should be commended for this hire—absolutely tremendous!”

– Sean Henry – President, CEO & Alternate Governor, Nashville Predators

-UT Athletics

 

Watch Lauren Alaina Perform “Doin’ Fine” on “Fox & Friends” Summer Concert Series

Watch Lauren Alaina Perform “Doin’ Fine” on “Fox & Friends” Summer Concert Series

Posted on July 7, 2017

Lauren Alaina may have been feeling under the weather, but that didn’t stop her from performing her new single, “Doin’ Fine,” on Fox & Friends’ All-American Summer Concert series this morning (July 7).

While the New York crowd braved the rain, Lauren belted out her new ditty, which she co-penned with Emily Shackleton and busbee. After the performance, Lauren told the hosts, “I’m not feeling great today, but I wanted to be here, obviously, with you guys, and if [the crowd] is gonna stand in the rain, I’m going to sing for you.”

Watch Lauren’s performance below.

Big & Rich Announce New Album, “Did It for the Party” + Track Listing

Big & Rich Announce New Album, “Did It for the Party” + Track Listing

Posted on July 7, 2017

Big & Rich are slated to release their upcoming sixth studio album, Did It for the Party, on Sept. 15. The 13-song offering includes new single, “California,” which is currently No. 39 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 17 weeks.

“This new record is gonna rock America’s boots off,” said John Rich. “Can’t wait for y’all to hear it.”

“It’s been a blast working on this album and we can’t wait for everyone to hear our new songs,” added Big Kenny.

Big & Rich fans can pre-order the album now on Apple Music/iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, where they will receive an instant download of “California,” along with the title track, “Did It for the Party.”

Did It for the Party Track Listing

  1. “California”
  2. “Did It for the Party”
  3. “Congratulations (You’re a Rockstar)”
  4. “Turns Me On”
  5. “Wake Up Wanting You”
  6. “Smoke in Her Eyes”
  7. “No Sleep”
  8. “We Came to Rawk”
  9. “Funk in the Country”
  10. “The Long Way Home”
  11. “Freedom Road
  12. “My Son”
  13. “Lie Cheat Or Steal”

photo courtesy of Webster PR

Jackie Lee Talks Touring With Dan + Shay, Working on His Debut Album and Paying Tribute to His Mother Who Passed Away in 2016

Jackie Lee Talks Touring With Dan + Shay, Working on His Debut Album and Paying Tribute to His Mother Who Passed Away in 2016

Posted on July 7, 2017

Jim Casey talks with Jackie Lee about growing up in a musical family, playing in a bluegrass band with his father and mother, how the death of his mother has affected his life over the past year, performing Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe” in tribute to his mother on the Grand Ole Opry, the greatest Travis Tritt song, touring with Dan + Shay, working on his debut album and more.

Show Participants

  • Jackie Lee
  • Jim Casey, NCD director of editorial

Show Notes & Links

https://youtu.be/iRqMq3tCm1w

The Writers Room, Ep. 102, 23 minutes
photo by Jason Simanek

Fifth Time’s the Charm: Dylan Scott Finds Success With Wife-Inspired Fifth Single, “My Girl”

Fifth Time’s the Charm: Dylan Scott Finds Success With Wife-Inspired Fifth Single, “My Girl”

Posted on July 7, 2017

From 2013 to 2015, Curb Records recording artist Dylan Scott released four singles to country radio: “Makin’ This Boy Go Crazy,” “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm,” “Lay It On Me” and “Crazy Over Me.” Only one—“Crazy Over Me” (No. 36)—cracked the Top 40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Nevertheless, the Louisiana native managed to keep a glass-half-full mindset with a little support from his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Blair.

“We started dating at 15, so she’s known since then exactly what I wanted to do,” says Dylan to Nash Country Daily. “She’s never once given me a hard time. There were times when we were dating and I’d tell her, ‘I just don’t know if this is what I’m really supposed to be doing. It’s just so tough. All these other guys are coming on the scene and going straight to the top.’ And she’d just tell me, ‘You have the best job, you’re there, you’re doing it, it will work.’ She was just a great motivator. She still is.”

NCD editor Jim Casey (left) and Dylan Scott in studio. photo by Jason Simanek

That motivation led Dylan and songwriter Josh Kerr to pen a Blair-inspired song, “My Girl,” which Dylan released in July 2016 as the third single from his self-titled debut album. After 44 weeks on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, “My Girl” is No. 3 this week and Dylan is finally enjoying some of the success that he dreamed of when moving to Music City seven years ago.

“‘My Girl’ was 10 years in the making,” says Dylan. “My wife and I, we’ve been together over 10 years now—been married for one—and ‘My Girl’ is basically about our life over the past 10 years. Almost everything in that song is true. We lived it.”

One thing that “My Girl” didn’t make mention of is the recent news that Dylan and Blair are expecting their first child in December. While Dylan plans to “take the whole month of December off,” he’s motoring ahead with a busy summer tour schedule. In addition, he recently announced that he will release a deluxe version of his self-titled debut album on August 4, featuring three addition tunes to the original 13-song offering, including “Sleeping Beauty,” a song he co-penned with Lee Brice.

“I toured with Lee for three or four months,” say Dylan. “Watching him onstage is incredible. He’s just such a hard worker. He’s a fine example of someone [I look up to] . . . and watching how real he is onstage is so cool.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEKLeWBr9jY

main photo by Joseph Llanes

Dolly Parton’s Former Nashville Home Is On the Market for $1.2 Million [Photo Gallery]

Dolly Parton’s Former Nashville Home Is On the Market for $1.2 Million [Photo Gallery]

Posted on July 7, 2017

You can own the former home of Dolly Parton and husband Carl Dean for $1.2 million.

The four-bedroom, three-bath stucco house sits on 2.4 acres in Nashville’s Glencliff neighborhood. Carl and Dolly owned the 4,795-square-foot home, which was built in 1941, between 1980–1996.

Located in a gated neighborhood, the home features an eat-in kitchen, walk-in closets, covered patio, four-car garage, out building, possible airbnb and more.

Check out the photo gallery below, courtesy of realtor.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_wN1_9FpBg

photos via realtor.com

Randy Rogers Announces 9th Annual Golf Jam & Concert With Wade Bowen, Bruce Robison & More

Randy Rogers Announces 9th Annual Golf Jam & Concert With Wade Bowen, Bruce Robison & More

Posted on July 7, 2017

Rand Rogers will host his ninth annual Golf Jam and Concert on Sept. 18 in Spring Branch, Texas.

Following the golf tourney at River Crossing Club, this year’s concert will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will feature Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Bruce Robison and Jim Beavers.

Since its inception in 2009, the annual golf tournament and concert have raised roughly $500,000 for area organizations. This year’s proceeds will benefit Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, an organization that provides affordable health care to musicians in Austin.

Tickets are on sale now.

photo courtesy Jim McGuire/Shore Fire Media

Jimmy’s blog: After evaluating, Serrano changes mind and signs

Jimmy’s blog: After evaluating, Serrano changes mind and signs

Posted on July 7, 2017

By Jimmy Hyams

While Tennessee pitcher Kyle Serrano drew a line in the sand at $300,000 to sign with the Houston Astros, further evaluation led him to change his mind.

Serrano signed Thursday at 4 p.m. for $203,000 after being selected in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball draft in early June.

Serrano had intended to return to Tennessee for his senior year if Houston didn’t meet his request, even saying he looked forward to being a part of a “dynamic’’ pitching staff at Tennessee and that he had a good relationship with new UT coach Tony Vitello.

But when Serrano stepped back to assess the situation, finances, the risk of injury and going to school led him to sign a pro deal, according to his father and former UT coach Dave Serrano.

Former Vols Jordan Rodgers, a sixth round pick, signed for about $5,000; former Vols Jeff Moberg and Hunter Martin signed for about $1,000, Dave Serrano pointed out.

If Kyle Serrano had returned to UT, he would have lost his bargaining power and rolled the dice on staying healthy.

“When Houston jumped up $70,000 from the slotted position,’’ Dave Serrano, “Kyle felt (signing) was the right thing to do.’’

Even if Kyle Serrano had been a second-round pick next year, he might not have gotten much more than $200,000, Dave Serrano said.

Dave Serrano said Kyle’s advisors, the Boras Group, thought accepting the Astros’ offer was the right thing to do.

Houston also agreed to pay $40,000 so Kyle Serrano could finish his college education.

Nonetheless, Kyle signing was a tough decision because “he really liked the (UT) coaching staff,’’ Dave Serrano said of Vitello and new pitching coach Frank Anderson.

“It’s real important that I say what a wonderful job they did courting him,’’ Dave Serrano said. “I’m very grateful for that.

“I have a lot of respect for what they’re trying to do and how they handled my son.’’

Another factor for Kyle Serrano was having had Tommy John surgery two years ago.

“He’s only pitched nine innings the last two years, he’s had Tommy John surgery and he was in a rehab center,’’ Dave Serrano said. “Despite those three things, Houston still offered that amount of money.’’

Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Be One of the First to Listen to Darius Rucker’s New Single, “The First Time”

Be One of the First to Listen to Darius Rucker’s New Single, “The First Time”

Posted on July 7, 2017

Following the chart success of his No. 1 single, “If I Told You,” in June, Darius Rucker has released a new single, “For the First Time.”

Co-penned by Darius, Derek George and Travis Hill, the new tune will be a part of Darius’ as-yet-untitled fifth album with Capitol Records Nashville. The new record is expected to be released later this year with producer Ross Copperman at the helm.

“As a songwriter, sometimes the smallest idea can elicit a feeling and then you have this daunting task of trying to relay that emotion and energy into a three-minute song,” says Darius. “When we wrote ‘For the First Time,’ we each had to dig deep for that moment—for me it was ‘you say you’ve never danced to a dashboard singin’ REM under summer stars.’ After that it was all over.”

Listen to Darius’ “For the First Time” below.

Country News

Weather

  • Forecast
  • Currents
  • Planner