question about number retirement

#1
U

UTvols101484

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
69
Likes
0
#1
First off I'm on my phone so I can't search the boards. Earlier there was a thread about retiring someone's number and the requirements for it, can someone please post those requirements
again.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#2
#2
UTvols101484 said:
First off I'm on my phone so I can't search the boards. Earlier there was a thread about retiring someone's number and the requirements for it, can someone please post those requirements
again.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Click to expand...

1. The Committee shall consist of the Director of Men’s Athletics, the President of The
University of Tennessee, the Chairman of the Athletics Committee of the Board of
Trustees, and the President of the UT Letterman’s Association (T-Club).
2. Candidates may be nominated and brought before the Committee. The Committee shall
meet to determine qualifications of candidates and determine whether or not to formally
recommend the candidate for approval by the Athletics Board. Such recommendation
may only be by unanimous Committee vote.
3. Candidates must be recognized as good citizens who have brought distinction to the
University and themselves through their accomplishments on and off the football field,
both in the days on the Hill and in their post-UT careers.
4. A minimum of five years must pass between the conclusion of a candidate’s UT football
career and consideration for this honor.
5. Candidates must not have achieved greater fame or identity from another institution or
University.
6. A candidate must have achieved THREE of the following five collegiate honors:
a. Induction into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
b. Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year.
c. Consensus All-America.
d. Heisman Trophy winner.
e. Have won one of the following general athletic/academic or non-position specific
awards: Sullivan Award, SEC Athlete of the Year (all sports) or Draddy Award.
7. Recognizing the tremendous collective impact of Tennessee Volunteers in professional
football, candidates must have also achieved THREE of the following four professional
distinctions:
a. Induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.
b. NFL offensive or defensive MVP.
c. Achieved Pro Bowl status in 5 seasons.
d. Holder of a major career or season statistical record (yards, sacks, tackles,
touchdowns scored or thrown).

8. Candidates who have been enshrined in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the
NFL Hall of Fame will receive strong consideration for number retirement.
9. Candidates must meet or exceed these defined criteria to be considered for
recommendation and approval for number retirement.
10. For modification of these criteria for number retirement, the suggested modification must
be unanimously approved by the committee and forwarded to the Athletics Board at its
Fall meeting. Unanimous vote of the Athletics Board members must ratify said
modification.
11. The department of athletics shall conduct the number retirement ceremony with all due
pomp and circumstance, preferably in conjunction with a home football game in Neyland
Stadium.
12. Retired numbers could be reactivated with the permission of the athlete or his surviving
family member’s approval.
 
#5
#5
I think retiring numbers of college students is a bad idea.Most schools already have more than 100 players as it is, removing numbers makes it worse.

Maybe "honor" the number and only use it for walk-ons or something like that, but when does it become an issue?
 
#6
#6
The one thing which is missing from that list is this: we should only retire the numbers of players who earned a degree.
 
#9
#9
Blake25p said:
clemson is gonna retire Spillers number after he leaves
Click to expand...

I know, and that is completely ridiculous. The only thing dumber was the Tebow plack going up this year instead of next year.

Spiller has never won the heisman, never even been close enough to make the trip to New York! His teams have not won anything of any relevance. Their best showing was this year, ACC runner up, losing to a team they already lost to once this season. Are they going to retire his number at halftime of the Music City Bowl???

I thought it was an emotional ploy for the ACCCG. I guess when your claim to glory happened 28 years ago in 1981, you
 
#11
#11
Right now it's Peyton, Reggie White and Doug Atkins, who one could argue are the two greatest defensive linemen to *ever* play football.

The other four, if I'm not mistaken, were WWII veterans, correct?

EB is great, for sure, but I'd want him to go on to be the next Ronnie Lott if UT were to retire his number.
 
#12
#12
milohimself said:
Right now it's Peyton, Reggie White and Doug Atkins, who one could argue are the two greatest defensive linemen to *ever* play football.

The other four, if I'm not mistaken, were WWII veterans, correct?

EB is great, for sure, but I'd want him to go on to be the next Ronnie Lott if UT were to retire his number.
Click to expand...

Not only veterans, but killed in action. Seems like a worthy reason to retire a number.

The bar for retiring a number ought to be incredibly high. As great a player as Berry is, I don't know that what he's accomplished in college ought to qualify.
 
#13
#13
Retiring his jersey is a lot more likely than his number.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#14
#14
Vercingetorix said:
Not only veterans, but killed in action. Seems like a worthy reason to retire a number.
Click to expand...
And the University should have left it at that IMO. I think they opened up a can of worms when they decided to start retiring numbers. One could argue that Johnny Majors meant just as much as a player as any of the three who had their numbers retired a few years ago, yet the pro requirements exclude him from consideration.
 
#15
#15
before hamilton was a.d., the only numbers retired were those of former lettermen who gave their lives in the service of the country. to hamilton, that meant zip--after all, this is entertainment. so, instead of being a unique tribute to those who gave the last full measure of devotion, it now includes superjocks. i have no problem with honoring the peyton mannings and reggie whites (how about a ring of honor a la the cowboys or bronze statues in the plaza?), but this has bugged me since it was done. in trivializing what had been a wonderful tradition, hamilton diminished the honor earned by real heroes.
 
Last edited:
#16
#16
Yeah, these should be separate honors. I think that tradition brought special meaning to the team nickname, "Volunteers."

It is what it is, but I don't see EB's number retired anytime soon unless he were to return and have a ridiculous season next year.
 
#17
#17
arkyvol said:
before hamilton was a.d., the only numbers retired were those of former lettermen who gave their lives in the service of the country. to hamilton, that meant zip--after all, this is entertainment. so, instead of being a unique tribute to those who gave the last full measure of devotion, it now includes superjocks. i have no problem with honoring the peyton mannings and reggie whites (how about a ring of honor a la the cowboys or bronze statues in the plaza?), but this has bugged me since it was done. in trivializing what had been a wonderful tradition, hamilton diminished the honor earned by real heroes.
Click to expand...

Totally disagree. It doesn't diminish the honor done to them at all, anymore than it does to let the football players call themselves "Volunteers" when they're only football players.
 
#18
#18
Berry will not have his number or jersey retired. He's good but he's no better than some of the other major defensive players we've had who never received the honor.

All Berry has done this year has been a pretty good defensive player.
 
Last edited:
#19
#19
Vercingetorix said:
Totally disagree. It doesn't diminish the honor done to them at all, anymore than it does to let the football players call themselves "Volunteers" when they're only football players.
Click to expand...

apples and oranges. by that logic, arlington is just another graveyard. getting named first team all american isn't the same as dying for your country. not by a jug full. but, what the heck--its all about entertainment, right?
 
#20
#20
arkyvol said:
apples and oranges. by that logic, arlington is just another graveyard. getting named first team all american isn't the same as dying for your country. not by a jug full. but, what the heck--its all about entertainment, right?
Click to expand...

Well, yes. This is sports. It's entertainment. I'm not sure why you'd complain sarcastically about "entertainment" when you're on a message board talking about something as ultimately meaningless as football.

Retiring numbers is the universal method that teams have for honoring their greatest players. It doesn't cheapen the honor done to the four WWII vets if we also retire the numbers of some "ordinary" great players. Does it cheapen the Congressional Medal of Honor when we give it to somebody who wasn't killed? If Fred McGriff gets into the Hall of Fame, does that cheapen the honor done to Sandy Koufax? This isn't a zero sum game here.
 
#21
#21
sandy koufax didn't die for his country the last i heard. look, i have nothing against honoring vol athletes. but for half a century, there was one way for a vol letterman to have his number retired, the same way someone got his name on the wall in d.c. it was an exceptional tribute. hamilton lowered the prerequisite to include super athletes. to me, that was a diminishment of the honor. as for letting all the players call themselves 'volunteers', that is a term of honor in itself (which i also claim, being an alum and native), but i don't confuse the term with hero.

p.s.: i believe it was three, not four lettermen who gave their lives for this country.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement



Back
Top