Mike Rollo

#10
#10
A sad loss for his family and the greater Vol family.

I don't remember; why did he retire? He was awfully young; 51 or so.
 
#11
#11
Oh, my: terrible news. Mike Rollo was a /tremendous/ asset to the UT athletic department for a long time. He was an outstanding head trainer--smart, and as Fulmer and Devoe and others said, extremely devoted to UT. I talked to him a few times, years ago, and he was both knowledgable and personable. He was a real UT Sports mainstay--one of these men who operate in the background but are key to the success of a sports program. He will be missed.
 
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#12
#12
He sounds like the true definition of a VFL. The coaches and players are the focus of all the attention, and rightfully so, but it's devoted guys like
Mike Rollo who are indispensable to keeping the athletic dept running smoothly.
 
#13
#13
VolNExile said:
A sad loss for his family and the greater Vol family.

I don't remember; why did he retire? He was awfully young; 51 or so.
Click to expand...

It wasn't revealed at the time, but he had early onset dementia. He passed from complications of the disease at an Alzheimer's care facility.
 
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#16
#16
I remember being like 9 or 10 at Don Devoe's basketball camp and "Coach Rollo" took care of us newbies. First time I ever had salt pills. He gave us extra socks and some cream he concocted for blisters. Really cool that he worked with some of the greatest players in TN history but still cared about us kids.
 
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#18
#18
He was a very friendly guy......5th floor Morrill hall played the Lakers in intramural softball in 1980, and I will always remember how nice the guy was....Willie Gault was their lead-off hitter, Greg Gaines wanted to fight everybody
 
#19
#19
DeerPark12 said:
It wasn't revealed at the time, but he had early onset dementia. He passed from complications of the disease at an Alzheimer's care facility.
Click to expand...

That's correct.

Very sad. He was a good man.
 
#20
#20
Such a shame. He always helped out the Kingston Yellow Jackets football program back when I played. Don't think it was a coincidence either that several guys from Kingston had stints on the training staff there. He definitely remembered where he came from.
 
#21
#21
God Bless Mike's family and his many friends, he was truly a VFL!
An Athlete never forgets how important the trainer is, after an injury, they seem to be able work magic at times.
 
#22
#22
DeerPark12 said:
It wasn't revealed at the time, but he had early onset dementia. He passed from complications of the disease at an Alzheimer's care facility.
Click to expand...

What a tragedy for all concerned, and such a loss at such an early age. Thank you for letting us know.

I hope that fellow VN'ers will make a donation in Mike Rollo's name to CPS's foundation for Alzheimer's research: patsummit.org. :hi:
 
#23
#23
Mike had a degree in Education. He did his student teaching at Powell Middle School in my 8th grade SS class. I remember him well. He was a great guy. He will be missed!
 
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