Harper, Auriemma back Pat, WBHOF

Harper, Auriemma back Pat, WBHOF

Posted on January 21, 2021
Geno Auriemma & Kellie Harper / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Thursday evening, the No. 25 Tennessee Lady Vols will host the No. 3 UConn Huskies in year two of the Basketball Hall of Fame Revival Series. Widely regarded as the two most successful programs in women’s basketball history, the teams consistently met from 1995-2007 but did not face each other again until year one of the Revival Series in January 2020.

Tonight’s matchup of the two nationally-ranked teams will be highlighted by head coaches Kellie Harper and Geno Auriemma each making a personal donation of $10,000 to the event’s two benefiting non-profits, the Pat Summitt Foundation and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. A check for $20,000 will be presented at tonight’s game televised on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST.

In year one, monies generated by fan attendance supported the event’s donation to the Pat Summit Foundation. With limited fan attendance and challenges faced in year two due to the global pandemic, the Revival Series head coaches stepped-up to support the event’s philanthropic mission.

About Pat Summitt Foundation:
The Pat Summitt Foundation, a fund of East Tennessee Foundation, was established by Pat and Tyler Summitt in November 2011. Its mission is to award grants to non-profit organizations that advance research for treatment and a cure, provide support for patients and caregivers, and educate the public about Alzheimer’s disease. In 2015, The Pat Summitt Foundation formed a strategic partnership with The University of Tennessee Medical Center to create The Pat Summitt Clinic. The clinic, which opened in January 2017, greatly improves access to healthcare services for families and patients facing Alzheimer’s disease in a facility created to advance Alzheimer’s research, detection, treatment, and family caregiver support. To learn more, please visit www.patsummitt.org, like the foundation on facebook.com/patsummittfoundation, and follow it on Twitter and Instagram @webackpat.

About the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame:
The mission of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is to “Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present and Promote the Future” of women’s basketball. The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, opened in June 1999. The WBHOF is an independent, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving the history, celebrating the present and promoting the future of women’s basketball at all levels, both domestically and internationally. Over 170 men and women who have had a significant impact on women’s basketball as players, coaches, officials, and administrators have been inducted into the Hall. The Hall has 32,000 square feet of artifacts and interactive exhibits chronicling the history of the women’s basketball. For more information on the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, visit www.wbhof.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @wbhof or call 1-865-633-9000.

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #HOFRevival or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.

-UT Athletics

Eric Church Has New Music Arriving This April – Heart & Soul

Eric Church Has New Music Arriving This April – Heart & Soul

Posted on January 21, 2021

Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church sent a message to his Church Choir fan club announcing not one, but three new albums coming in April!

Heart, &, Soul are the names of the three projects, with the &, album coming out Tuesday, April 20th – it’s exclusively for members of the Church Choir.

Everyone will be able to access the other two albums – Heart arrives Friday April 16th, and the following Friday, April 23th Soul will be available.

Pre-orders for all three albums begin next Friday, January 29th.

Here’s Eric’s announcement…

As Eric says in the video, this collection of songs is the result of his 28 days spent in mountains of North Carolina.

When it came to the creative process, Eric says, “I’ve always been intrigued when a song is born in a writer room – there is a magic that happens there.” He adds, “I wanted to put that in the studio form. So, every day, we would write a song in the morning and we would record the song that night. Doing it that way allowed for the songwriters to get involved in the studio process and the musicians to be involved in the creative process. You felt a little bit like you were secretly doing something that was special, and you knew it… You started going, ‘hmm, wait ’til the world finds out about this.’”

Eric, and his team, including longtime producer Jay Joyce, kept turning out song after song to the point where they weren’t even sure where the end would be, “The interesting thing about this process is that Jay kept asking me the last three or four days, ‘Are we done?’ and at that time I didn’t know what the project was.”

Eric adds, “I kept saying ‘God, this is going to be really hard. There’s a lot here. Is this a double album? And if it’s a double album, how do we leave out these five or six songs?’ I am the hardest critic on making sure every song deserves to be on the record, and I beat this thing to death going ‘this can’t be that good.’ But, it was just a special, special time and a special, special project that I think will be among our best.”

The end result is three albums…

Heart Track List

“Heart On Fire” (Eric Church)
“Heart Of The Night” (Eric Church, Jeremy Spillman, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell, Travis Hill)
“Russian Roulette” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
“People Break” (Eric Church, Luke Laird)
“Stick That In Your Country Song” (Davis Naish, Jeffrey Steele)
“Never Break Heart” (Eric Church, Luke Dick)
“Crazyland” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Michael Heeney)
“Bunch Of Nothing” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde)
“Love Shine Down” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeffrey Steele)

& Track List

“Through My Ray-Bans” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
“Doing Life With Me” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeffrey Steele)
“Do Side” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“Kiss Her Goodbye” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“Mad Man” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
“Lone Wolf” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell)

Soul Track List

“Rock & Roll Found Me” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Driver Williams)
“Look Good And You Know It” (Eric Church, Jonathan Singleton, Travis Meadows)
“Bright Side Girl” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Scotty Emerick, Clint Daniels)
“Break It Kind Of Guy” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Luke Dick)
“Hell Of A View” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
“Where I Wanna Be” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeremy Spillman, Ryan Tyndell)
“Jenny” (Eric Church)
“Bad Mother Trucker” (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Luke Dick, Jeremy Spillman)
“Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones” (Casey Beathard)

For the latest information and to learn how to join the Church Choir, visit www.EricChurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.

Here’s the video for Eric Church’s “Doing Like With Me”

You can also check out the video for “Through My Ray-Bans”…

Headline Photo Credit: Anthony D’Angio

Additional Images courtesy of UMG Nashville

Adopt a Grandparent with Above the Rest

Adopt a Grandparent with Above the Rest

Posted on January 21, 2021
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Complete the 4 easy steps HERE to Adopt-a-Grandparent & send a Loving Balloon Buddy to every Grandparent you adopt.  Adopt as many grandparents as you want–1, 2, 4 or more. Heck, you can even adopt an entire community. 

Current community is Elmcroft West.  They are 68 residents there. 

They are 71% adopted–only 19 to go! 
Thanks for ordering so we can deliver some smiles and joy.

 

Bonuses for business/church sponsorships:

  • For every 10 grandparents you adopt, we will donate 2 adoptions.
  • You will receive social media recognition.
  • When you adopt an entire Assisted Living Community of 50 or more residents, we will also put your company logo on the gift tag that is attached to the Balloon Buddy.
  • Your selected community will move to the top of the list to be started as soon as we complete the one we are currently serving.  If you don’t have a specific community, we will move to the next one on our list.
  • You will receive social media recognition.
  • We will donate 5 Balloon Buddies toward the next community.
  • We will deliver a surprise balloon design to your business to brighten your employees’ day.
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Loving Balloon Buddy

  • Table top Loving Balloon Buddy, features an 18″ smiley face foil and latex body.
  • Delivered with uplifting note of encouragement.
  • Colors will vary based on availability.

 

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Above the Rest is providing free delivery.

Gift tag poem will say:

Here’s a Buddy who’s come your way

With a big smile to brighten your day.

Sent with joy & hugs just for you
Hoping you feel loved through & through!

Love, your secret friend (or your preferred signature)

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We are SO THRILLED to be bringing some smiles to Knoxville’s senior citizens. There are 15 communities so far which means over 400 residents waiting for a Balloon Buddy and some SMILES!  Thats why the word needs to spread.

Link to Adopt a Grandparent Details and order form:
http://bit.ly/AdoptaGranparentBusiness

Link to WATE segment on Adopt a Grandparent
https://www.wate.com/news/assisted-living-residents-surprised-with-balloon-buddies-for-smiles-and-companionship/

Testimonials:
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From Senior Citizen recipient:
“I just want you to know what it means to me and all the others that I’ve talked to.  You know we are in strict confinement because of Covid so those little balloon guys you brought just absolutely brightened everyone’s life and mine especially.  I took a picture of the whole group of the balloons when they came and then took a picture of the one I got.  I sent it to my family.  I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”  Phone call from a 101 year-old-resident.  Ms. C. (photo above)

From a corporate sponsor:
Answer when I asked, “Why is your company choosing to sponsor?”

“Dianna, I love this idea.  I have been trying to think of ways we could give back to those in our community that are shut in.  My staff and I are still working everyday and interacting with each other and clients.  We see how much this has impacted our co-workers who are not able to report to the office.  Thank you for partnering with us to show our senior citizens we love them and care about them.”  Donnie P., First Bank

 From an adopter:
“What a wonderful thing you are doing for assisted living residents! My Mom lived in Atria Weston Place for fourteen months, she passed away on November 29th. She would have loved this! It haunts me that the last 8 months of her life was spent in lockdown. Thank you for doing this. I hope Atria is on your list. The staff is amazing and the other residents are so sweet. Blessings to you all. As you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me”. Leslie A., Adopter

 

From Assisted Living Director at Morning Pointe:
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“The whole experience with the delivery of the Balloon Buddies and delivering them to our residents was such an absolutely wonderful experience. With last year being so difficult, this act of kindness was so deeply touching.  I will always have fond memories of this day.  Thank you for the smiles.”  Holly S., Director
Image preview
Dianna Glandon, CBA

Above the Rest Event Designs
We Put the WOW in Your Special Event
(865) 719-8110
Danny White Named UT Director of Athletics

Danny White Named UT Director of Athletics

Posted on January 21, 2021
Danny White – UT AD / Credit: UT Athletics

Dr. Danny White, recently ranked the fourth-best athletic director in the country by Stadium, will become the new athletic director at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Chancellor Donde Plowman announced today. His consistent record of transforming college athletic programs to win championships, drive growth, and achieve success, have made him a rising star in college athletics.

“Danny White is an innovative leader in college athletics with a strong track record in recruiting and developing leaders. He brings the combination of winning attitude, competitive drive, and dedication to integrity and academics that we are looking for,” Chancellor Plowman said. “We undertook this search with urgency and found strong interest from a robust candidate pool, enabling us to act quickly and with great confidence. I’m proud to say we found our leader, and I’d like to thank President Boyd, our trustees, and our staff for their support and hard work.”

Commenting on his appointment, White said, “I am thrilled to be headed to Knoxville and to a university with a great competitive tradition and a spirited and devoted fan base. Volunteer fans have an expectation to win, and my first task will be taking on the search for a new head football coach. But I want all Vols to know that I am deeply committed to excellence in all of our athletic programs.”

Winning with Integrity
White’s own record of excellence since he took over as athletic director at the University of Central Florida is extraordinary. It includes two consecutive American Athletic Conference football championships, multiple bowl appearances, and a 25-game winning streak. Beyond football, his record includes NCAA tournament appearances for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the baseball team, and the soccer team. UCF was the only NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision program in which each of its sports produced winning records across several years. He has also been successful in raising funds to improve the quality of athletic facilities.

White grew up around college athletics and comes from a family who are all leaders in college athletics including his father, Kevin White, now vice president and athletic director at Duke University; his brother, Michael, head men’s basketball coach at the University of Florida; his brother, Brian, vice president and director of athletics at Florida Atlantic University; and his sister, Mariah, assistant athletics director for administration at SMU. White has been widely recognized for his achievements. He has been recognized as one of “40 Under 40” by Sports Business Journal as well as the Orlando Business Journal, and he was a finalist for the 2018 SBJ Athletics Director of the Year honor. In 2020, Stadium rated him as number four on the nationwide list of college athletic directors.

He has also emphasized the “student” part of student-athlete. During his tenure at UCF, teams combined for 25 consecutive semesters with a 3.0 GPA or better, and a record 253 Knights earned spots on the 2019 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.

“Danny White is a great fit for the programs we are building at Tennessee,” UT System President Randy Boyd said. “He combines a strong vision for competitive excellence with a deep commitment to winning with integrity. The greatest decade in UT Athletics begins now.”

Prior to arriving at UCF in 2015, White was athletic director at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 2012to 2015. White worked with athletics administrators, coaches, and staff to transform the Bulls’ program and culture, shattering previous school records for student-athlete GPAs, NCAA Championship berths, fundraising, and football ticket sales. Prior to his position at SUNY Buffalo, he served as senior associate athletics director at University of Mississippi, assistant athletics director at California State University–Fresno, and assistant athletics director at Northern Illinois University.

White played college basketball at Towson University and the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 2002. He earned master’s degrees in business administration and sports administration from Ohio University, and earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Mississippi in 2016.

-UT Athletics

Tennessee quickly lands AD, hiring Danny White from UCF

Tennessee quickly lands AD, hiring Danny White from UCF

Posted on January 21, 2021

Tennessee has moved quickly on a new Athletics Director hire first reported by USA Today and now confirmed by the University of Tennessee.

Reaction and discussion continues on 99.1 The Sports Animal, AM 990, here on 991TheSportsAnimal.com, the free WNML mobile app and on your smart speakers.

Neyland Stadium / Credit: UT Athletics
Dolly Parton Remembers Her Brother, Randy, As He Loses His Battle With Cancer

Dolly Parton Remembers Her Brother, Randy, As He Loses His Battle With Cancer

Posted on January 21, 2021

Sad news to report as Dolly Parton shares that her brother Randy has died.

She posted the following message to social media…

“My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time. We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family that have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms.
Randy was a great singer, writer, and entertainer. He sang, played guitar and bass in my band for many years. He headed his own show at Dollywood since it opened in 1986. He’s had several chart records of his own, but his duet with me on “Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You” will always be a highlight in my own career.
‘You Are My Christmas,’ our duet on my latest Christmas album, joined with his daughter Heidi, will always be a favorite. It was his last musical recording and he shined on it just like he’s shining in heaven now.
He is survived by his wife Deb, his daughter Heidi, son Sabyn, grandsons Huston and Trent.
We will always love him and he will always be in our hearts”
Those wishing to pay tribute to Randy can make a donation to the Imagination Library in honor of his dad, Robert Lee Parton.
Headline Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Additional images courtesy of Dolly Parton
Cainer’s Corner: Mass Exodus

Cainer’s Corner: Mass Exodus

Posted on January 21, 2021

By: Eric Cain / @_Cainer

Anytime you make a head coaching change, the fear is always roster management. What about the recruiting class? What about the players on the roster? And now in 2021, it’s never been easier to make a move.

Tennessee certainly didn’t help itself with the timing of this mess – the mess being firing Jeremy Pruitt for cause on Monday. Some of it couldn’t have been avoided, as there was (and still is) an ongoing investigation into the program.  

But the program has been in a state of limbo dating all the way back to when reports first surfaced of alleged recruiting violations and more into the program. That first came about right before kickoff against Texas A&M on December 19.

Prior to this week, we’ve seen 13 players who began the 2020 season as Vols enter the transfer portal. There’s been constant rumors and credible reports of more to come, but up until 48 hours following the firing of Pruitt – no Vol had darted away.

Then came 5:58 pm (ET) Wednesday evening. The dominos began to fall.

Senior offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson was the first announced. Three minutes later, star linebacker Henry To’o To’o followed. At 6:20, linebacker Quavaris Crouch was in before finally running back Eric Gray finished off the devastating period by entering three minutes later.

25 minutes is all it took, and a 3-7 roster got a whole lot worse.

Nothing is official. All of these guys could very well come back. But Vol fans should prepare as if they are all gone and how the roster could look like come fall.

Henry To’o To’o / Credit: Sam Forman

Henry To’o To’o – LB

Henry T. was a guy Tennessee fans fell in love with as a true freshman in 2019. He came in and played right away as an 18-year-old and finished the campaign as a Freshman All-American by several publications. In 2020, he was set to be the guy and he was the heart and soul of the defense, but I never saw him improve. Of course, COVID could have played a role in that but I think it was the lack of development from coaches more than anything.

Henry is a stud and would be a WELCOMING addition to any program at the Power 5 level.

Replacements: Jeremy Banks, Aaron Beasley, Solon Page, Bryson Eason, Martavius French, Aaron Willis

 

Eric Gray – RB

Gray came on strong during the 2019 regular-season finale against Vanderbilt as a freshman, notching 366 total yards with four touchdowns. He then took home MVP honors from the Gator Bowl in January and was poised to be the guy as a sophomore. Gray was in fact RB1, finishing 2020 with a team-leading 772 rushing yards with four touchdowns and was also second on the squad with 30 receptions.

Replacements: Jabari Small, Tiyon Evans, Cody Brown, Dee Beckwith, Len’Neth Whitehead, Tee Hodge

 

Quavaris Crouch – LB

Q was a highly-rated prospect, ranked No. 1 in the country at one point, who shocked the recruiting world when he signed with the Vols in the 2019 class. Tennessee spent the bulk of his freshman season trying to find a spot for him. He played in all 13 games in 2019, making one start, while showing up on the edge, inside linebacker and at running back in short-yardage situations.

In 2020, Crouch started every game at inside linebacker, splitting time with Jeremy Banks aside from Henry T. I think he improved the more he played, but he was far from SEC-ready. Crouch was a work in progress and I was intrigued to eventually see how much he could improve.

I’m still a little iffy on where he should play moving forward, but he is a versatile guy who can fit in many schemes.

Replacements: Jeremy Banks, Aaron Beasley, Solon Page, Bryson Eason, Martavius French, Aaron Willis

 

Jahmir Johnson – OL

Johnson was brought in on Jeremy Pruitt’s initial class (patchwork class of 2018) as a JUCO transfer. The plan for Johnson was to plug and play him immediately as the offensive line was a disaster at the time. Johnson did just that, appearing 24 games with 17 starts in three seasons and will be a veteran, versatile presence for whoever signs him.

Replacements: Cade Mays, K’Rojhn Calbert, Ollie Lane, William Griffin-Parker, J’Marion Gooch, Amari McNeill

 

Takeaways: It’s not pretty and some fans are having to say goodbye to their favorite players. The inside linebacker room is depleted, the offensive tackle situation is not great now with the loss of two starters and the Vols’ lost their best two players overall in To’o To’o and Gray.

At the end of the day, Tennessee was still 3-7 and its coach was fired. Not surprised some of these key (still young) players are wanting to leave. As long as the program has a head coaching vacancy, the worry is more could join in exodus.

Listen: Cainer joined Josh Ward on the ‘Locked on Vols Podcast’ to talk Vols in the transfer portal.

Jon Pardi Says Married Life Feels Great

Jon Pardi Says Married Life Feels Great

Posted on January 21, 2021

After a few delays and location changes due to COVID and Quarantine last year, Jon and Summer Pardi finally did get to exchange vows in the fall.

The happy couple tied the knot on November 21st, 2020 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Catching up with Jon, we asked how married life was going, “How does it feel to be married? It feels great!”

Jon admits that there’s not much of a difference since the wedding, “There’s not much changes other than getting used to wearing a ring, but Summer and I are having a great time.” He also shares what’s on his schedule these days, “Gearing up for 2021…start writing and get me a new album this year. So, that’s the goal.”

Jon adds, “Summer will be here every step of the way like she was the last record, and we’ll have fun.”

Jon’s new track from Heartache Medication is at country radio right now–get the story behind “Tequila Little Time” right here…

Photo Credit: Jim Wright

Hunter Hayes Takes You Behind the Scenes of His New Music Video

Hunter Hayes Takes You Behind the Scenes of His New Music Video

Posted on January 21, 2021

Hunter Hayes recently premiered a video for his song “The One That Got Away.”

Hunter says “This song means a lot to me and I cannot express how happy I am that I can finally share it with the world and soon sing it with you too!”

Check out the video right here…

 

Hunter also is sharing with fans a behind the scenes video for the “The One That Got Away”…

Photo courtesy of Hunter Hayes

Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard Perform “Undivided”

Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard Perform “Undivided”

Posted on January 21, 2021

Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard take their brand new song “Undivided” to new heights with a roof-top performance that showcased the Nashville skyline as the perfect backdrop for their appearance during the “Celebrating America” special which was a part of the inaugural events for President Joe Biden.

Check out their performance right here…

Photo courtesy of Big Machine Records

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