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When parking lots open at 7 a.m. Saturday, the game — Tennessee and Virginia Tech in a border battle at Bristol Motor Speedway, playing in front of what will be a college football record attendance, topping 150,000 — will finally be here.

Next Tuesday more is at stake than control of the United States Senate, important as it is. One example is Tennessee’s “Amendment 1,” which is on the ballot and is intended to neutralize a 2000 ruling by the Tennessee Supreme Court. In that 4-1 ruling the Court found, “A woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy is a vital part of the right to privacy guaranteed by the Tennessee Constitution.” As a result, Tennessee now boasts a broader right to abortion than that recognized by Roe v. Wade or the U.S. Constitution. tennessee3The proposed language to be added says, “Nothing in...

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - An off-duty Knoxville police officer and a UT police officer were assaulted early Friday morning outside a bar and two Vols football players are charged. Who's charged Knoxville police charged wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers, 19, a recent Vol recruit from Calhoun, Georgia, with disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor, and resisting arrest, a class B misdemeanor. Rogers signed with the Vols this year after initially committing to Georgia. He's not listed on the Vols roster yet. Freshman defensive back Darren Myles, of Atlanta, is charged with assaulting a UT police officer, resisting arrest and evading arrest. Myles...

Derek Dooley will be the next head coach at Tennessee, according to published reports.Dooley has been head coach at Louisiana Tech the past three seasons, going 17-20. He has just one winning season: 8-5 in 2008, which saw the Bulldogs go to the Independence Bowl. < snip > Dooley emerged as the top candidate after Tennessee’s overtures to Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and Duke head coach David Cutcliffe were spurned.

Kiffin introduced as UT coach; will make $2 million in 2009 - Former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was introduced today as the Vols’ 21st head football coach at a 2 p.m. press conference. Kiffin will earn $2 million in 2009 and the contract will escalate to $2.75 million by its end in 2014, according to a release from UT distributed to the press just before today's press conference. The deal averages $2.375 million over its six-year term and includes performance bonuses if certain goals are achieved. "I'm rolling my sleeves up and going to work," said Kiffin, after being...

Phillip Fulmer confirmed in a 5 p.m. press conference today at Neyland Stadium that he will step down as the University of Tennessee’s head football coach. Fulmer is scheduled to receive a buyout of between $5.47 million and $6 million. After several minutes detailing his history with Tennessee, beginning as a player in 1969, Fulmer said, “I accept the university’s decision that this will be my last as Tennessee’s head football coach.” He will remain through season's end and may remain at UT in some capacity. Athletic Director Mike Hamilton said the University of Kentucky game will be designated as...

Now recovered, hoops star says treatment affected his game - University of Tennessee men's basketball star Chris Lofton didn't want to make any excuses for his slump the first half of this past season. But cancer isn't an excuse - it's a reason. The senior All-American guard told the News Sentinel on Thursday that he underwent four weeks of radiation treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last March. Tears came to his eyes when discussing his battle with cancer. Lofton said he has made a full recovery, but he acknowledged that last spring's treatment affected his offseason training regimen...

Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer and his wife, Vicky, are contributing $1 million to the University of Tennessee through its Campaign for Tennessee fund-raising program. The University of Tennessee made the announcement at a press conference at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The money will go in equal parts to academics and athletics and be used to support scholarships, athletic facilities and programs. The donation represents one of the largest gifts by a coach and his family to a university.in the country, UT athletics spokeswoman Tiffany Carpenter said. “The University of Tennessee has been Phillip’s heart and soul for most of his...

NORFOLK, Va. -- Tennessee's Candace Parker became the fourth woman to dunk in a college game -- and the first do it twice -- when the Lady Vols played Army in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday. The first came when the 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman took an outlet pass from Sidney Spencer and jammed one-handed on a breakaway 6:12 into the game. With the large contingent of Tennessee fans roaring even before the attempt, Parker threw it down as Army's Margaree King looked on helplessly. Later, with 14:18 to go in the second half, she was in the...

Saw this on the road in Orlando the other day: I think my brain overloaded trying to figure it out. I'm glad to see that the Vols are conceding long before the season starts this year. But seriously, what ARE they thinking?

Pat gets 900th win By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer January 19, 2006 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee coach Pat Summitt didn't have to wait long to get her 900th career victory. Shanna Zolman led five Lady Vols in double figures with 16 points, and top-ranked Tennessee rallied from its biggest deficit this season in beating No. 19 Vanderbilt 80-68 Thursday night, giving Summitt her 900th win in her first shot at the milestone. Tennessee (18-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) had never gone through a first half without leading at least once until this game, and the Lady Vols...

Volunteers Vs. Tigers Post your predictions, thoughts, and smack-talk here. Everyone else is welcome too! For those out in the middle of nowhere, you can get a live audio feed of the Vol Network by going to the WIVK website.

Big Orange fans making a push for President Bush handed out 24,000 "Vols for Bush" stickers at recent UT home games. The Bush campaign in East Tennessee had them printed, but supporters can forget about scoring one now. "They're a hot collector's item now, but unfortunately, we'll hold on to them and not give anymore out," says Gary Drinnen, a Bush Campaign Coordinator for this region. UT's trademark licensing office has two problems with the "Vols for Bush" stickers. The word "Vols" and the orange and white checkerboard... two distinctive UT symbols. Michael Young, coordinator of the UT trademark licensing...

Imagine this: You're an Army Reserve soldier from Knoxville sent to Mosul, Iraq in support of "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Driving up a dusty hill on your way to the former house of "Chemical Ali," now converted to the Headquarters of 101st Division Artillery, you're daydreaming about home. You're slightly depressed, thinking of what you'll be missing this fall; Boomsday, the Smoky Mountain seasonal change, your girlfriend, family, and the whole atmosphere that comes along with UT football, all enough to put one in a foul mood. As the hot 120-degree Iraqi sun beats down, made worse by the heat-retaining flak...