New statues going up

[turnuptheVOLtage]

Check this out. I think this a pretty good move.

 

[Volunteer08]

I'm on board. I like it!

 

[voltnh]

Sick of this equity nonsense. These guys deserve to be honored on the merits of being great football players.

 

[Evergrenevol]

Sick of this equity nonsense. These guys deserve to be honored on the merits of being great football players.

Sick of IDIOT posts…

 

[utvolpj]

I don't really understand why Tee is on there

 

[LittleVol]

I don't really understand why Tee is on there

... National Championship winning QB.

 

[utvolpj]

... National Championship winning QB.

I understand that but his time at UT doesn't really compare to the other 3

 

[SpringBokVol]

I don't really understand why Tee is on there

I think he was the first black QB to win a natty in the SEC.

 

[LittleVol]

Sick of this equity nonsense. These guys deserve to be honored on the merits of being great football players.

And how do you know it's not that?

 

[SpringBokVol]

And how do you know it's not that?

because the press release said it was to honor 4 trailblazers in racial equity

 

[Ten_Titans]

And how do you know it's not that?

... Because they literally said it's not?

 

[LittleVol]

I understand that but his time at UT doesn't really compare to the other 3

If you really "understood" then you wouldn't have asked that.

He was QB of the first BCS National Championship team. The first undefeated BCS National Champion.
He even came back to coach for his university.

Why is that some people claim that stats don't matter in light of wins and losses?
Only later on to use it to discredit...

 

[LittleVol]

because the press release said it was to honor 4 trailblazers in racial equity

So...why didn't they put Chris Hannon statue there?
Tauren Poole.
Jamal Lewis???

Could it be they chose them because they encompassed both objectives?

You being "tired" of it means you don't give a damn about recruiting. Wake up and look at the demographics of any elite college football roster.

 

[LittleVol]

... Because they literally said it's not?

did they "literally" say that?

 

[Ten_Titans]

So...why didn't they put Chris Hannon statue there?
Tauren Poole.
Jamal Lewis???

Could it be they chose them because they encompassed both objectives?

You being "tired" of it means you don't give a damn about recruiting. Wake up and look at the demographics of any elite college football roster.

There's not a recruit in the country that could pick any one of those four out of a police lineup if their life depended on it.

 

[LittleVol]

There's not a recruit in the country that could pick any one of those four out of a police lineup if their life depended on it.

Yeah it's too bad there's not names underneath the memorials...
AND explanations of what they accomplished.

Just 4 random, nameless statues, right?

Because NONE of the recruits are paying attention to any of this social injustice mumbo jumbo.

 

[Volunteer08]

Don't even bother explaining to Ten_Titans. He doesn't get it, won't get it. Not worth it.

 

[RhodesVol]

First black player at UT and second in the SEC
First black quarterback in the SEC
First black team captain in the SEC
First black quarterback to win a national championship from the SEC

It's honestly pretty noteworthy/cool that Tennessee can be proud of these players.

Likewise, if we're putting up statutes, at least they are meaningful historically, unlike a place like A&M who just put up random statutes that relate to their "traditions" all around the stadium after joining the conference, in what I believe was the most new money display I've ever seen.

 

[SpringBokVol]

So...why didn't they put Chris Hannon statue there?
Tauren Poole.
Jamal Lewis???

Could it be they chose them because they encompassed both objectives?

You being "tired" of it means you don't give a damn about recruiting. Wake up and look at the demographics of any elite college football roster.

I get what you are saying - they accomplished both - racial equity and outstanding football achievements. That is why they were selected - had to check both boxes.

and I am not arguing against it - i am very happy with this move by UT.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

I applaud our university recognizing the importance of fair and impartial treatment to all people, regardless of skin color or family background or ethnic group.

At the same time, I regret that we continue to emphasize the things that divide us into groups and (potentially, though without intending to) pit us against each other.

What do I mean? Simple. Don't celebrate "whiteness" or "blackness" or "brownness" or "yellowness." Instead, celebrate key individual accomplishments and proven team excellence.

One quick example: number 42. We celebrate Jackie Robinson for having the courage and tenacity to break barriers in American sport. Some mistake that as celebrating his color. But for many folks, it's not about his skin color: it's about his values and his heart and his energy in SPITE of people throwing obstacles in his path (because of his color). We celebrate his individual excellence as a trailblazer, his character and courage and commitment. Not his membership in one sub-section of society or another. The latter is identity politics, and is wholly divisive.

That's a fine distinction, maybe. Some people won't get it. That's fine.

All I know is, we gotta start following Dr. King's dream, judging each other by the quality of our character rather than the color of our skin. We gotta stop highlighting differences, stop dividing ourselves into groups. Because the latter causes those groups to start competing...and eventually fighting.

Let's look instead for the things that bring us together.

Go Vols!

 

[CubsFanTN]

What a trainwreck of what otherwise should have been a really great thread.

 

[vollygirl]

Statues Honoring Tennessee Football Trailblazers to be Unveiled Sept. 2 - University of Tennessee Athletics

 

[VFL28]

Hey, I have a grand idea... instead of putting up statues... can we focus on actually rebuilding the program to a respectable state? Just a thought.

 

[kamoshika]

"It's an honor for this university to be able to permanently recognize the impact of these men in such a powerful way," [Danny] White said. "We are proud of what their names represent, and I believe this is a fitting tribute. They carried themselves with strength and grace as they led the way for so many others. I love that our football student-athletes will pass by this installation during every Vol Walk. I hope it serves as a reminder of those who came before them and paved the way for progress."

A nod to Tennessee Athletics' innovative and progressive history—which it aims to restore under White's leadership—the project is one of the first initiatives funded through the My All Campaign. A dedication ceremony during which the statues will be unveiled will take place on Sept. 2 before Tennessee's football season-opener against Bowling Green.

1968 – Tennessee sophomore wingback Lester McClain—who in 1967 became the program's first Black player—also made history as the first Black SEC player to score a touchdown when he hauled in his first of two scoring receptions during UT's 24-7 win at Georgia Tech on Oct. 12, 1968.

1970 – Knoxville native Jackie Walker earned distinction as the SEC's first Black football All-American after leading a formidable Tennessee defense as an explosive junior linebacker with a knack for snagging interceptions.

1972 – With a national TV audience tuned in, Tennessee sophomore Condredge Holloway dazzled during a dominant, 34-3 season-opening victory at Georgia Tech on Sept. 9, 1972, while becoming the first Black player to start at quarterback on an SEC team.

1999 – After guiding Tennessee to an undefeated 1998 season and an SEC Championship, junior Tee Martin made history as the first Black quarterback to lead an SEC team to a National Championship by guiding the Volunteers to a 23-16 triumph over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, 1999.
Statues Honoring Tennessee Football Trailblazers to be Unveiled Sept. 2 - University of Tennessee Athletics

 

[Ten_Titans]

Yeah it's too bad there's not names underneath the memorials...
AND explanations of what they accomplished.

Just 4 random, nameless statues, right?

Because NONE of the recruits are paying attention to any of this social injustice mumbo jumbo.

I understand that lowering ourselves to racial pandering in the name of some purely theoretical goal like recruiting success does not bother you whatsoever, but you aren't exactly selling the idea that they "encompassed both objectives" when you acknowledge that no hypothetical recruit is going to know what these men did for UT football without reducing their contributions to some narrative about their race.