The University of Tennessee, Knoxville adidas Partners in Sports

Partners in Sports Golf Tournament
Despite Rain, Tournament Still a Success

June 25, 2009 -- The Sixth Annual Regal Entertainment Group Partners in Sports Scholarship Golf Tournament was a huge success despite thunderstorms that delayed morning and afternoon groups. Over 140 golfers participated in the tournament that was held at Gettysvue Polo, Golf and Country Club on Monday June 22nd. The tournament is an opportunity for students to gain valuable event management and planning experience while fundraising for annual scholarships and operating expenses for the upcoming school year.

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Pictures 1 - 2

2009 Partners in Sports Scholarship Winners with Jim Chaney & Jim Bemiller

April 27, 2009- Partners in Sports its 11th annual scholarship reception on Thursday, April 23th at the East Club in Neyland Stadium. Thirteen of Partners' most outstanding members were honored. Jim Chaney, UT's new offensive coordinator was the guest speaker and congratulated the award winners at this year's reception.

The Partners in Sports Scholarships were awarded to Christen Aldridge, Angie Taylor, Julia Stump, Max Mellow, Amy Silverthorn, Nick Jahn, and Courtney Skidmore for their professional potential and support of Partner in Sports. Takara Clay was awarded the Aisha Washington Scholarship, and Brandon Spurlock and Tara Reed received the Buck Jones Award named after the founder and former director of Partners in Sports. There were also three inaugural Partners in Sports International Awards awarded to three Korean NEST students that have been active with Partners in Sports while studying at the University of Tennessee.

This year's Partners in Sports student board and the incoming board were recognized during the ceremony as well. The outgoing board consisted of Partners members Neil Bishop, Rachel Joffe, Jackie Wise, Jeff Renfro, Brandon Spurlock, Tina Racek, Tara Reed, Derin Harrison, and Ben Dehaan. Next year's board includes Angie Taylor, Mark Britnell, Jeff Renfro, Amy Silverthorn, Tara Reed, Jamie Stokes, and Allison Grouse.

Partners would like to thank The University of Tennessee men's and women's athletic departments, as well as Partners in Sports members, guests, and supporters that attended the reception.

Click here for photos from the reception.

Click here for a Windows Media Player Slideshow

March 24, 2009- Partners in Sports is proud to announce that the Sixth Annual Partners in Sports Scholarship Golf Tournament is set for June 22, 2009. We are currently accepting teams and individual players for morning and afternoon sessions. As always, the Partners Golf Tournament is the best value of any golf tournament in the area. Players will receive gifts from our sponsors, breakfast, lunch, food & drinks, and the opportunity to bid on silent auction items, all while enjoying a round of golf at one of Knoxville's premier golf courses. The entry fee is $100 per player and proceeds go into the Partners in Sports scholarship fund. Sponsorship opportunities are still available at several levels. Additional information and sign up sheets are available the tournament brochure.

View Pictures from Last Year's Tournament. 1 - 2

Tournament Brochure & Sign-Up Sheet
Sponsor Brochure
Sponsorship Levels

2009 Partners in Sports Scholarship Reception
Set for April 23, 3:00 in East Club
With Guest Speaker Jim Chaney

2008 Scholarship Winners

March 31, 2009- This year's Scholarship Reception will be held Thursday, April 23rd in the East Club at Neyland Stadium. The reception will begin at 3:00 and all Partners members are invited and are expected to join. Partners will be awarding scholarships to University of Tennessee's most outstanding Sport Management students while celebrating eleven years of "creating opportunities for tomorrow's sports leaders."

UPDATE: UT's current offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will be this year's guest speaker.

Anyone interested in attending please RSVP to Neil Bishop at Nbishop4@utk.edu
before April 17th.

Break Into Sports Conference Call for Students
Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. CST

Feb. 24, 2009- Sports Management students are invited to participate in a free conference call on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at 8:30 p.m. CST (9:30 p.m. EST/6:30 p.m. PST). The call will be hosted by Mark Washo, 17 year pro sports executive and author of Break Into Sports Through Ticket Sales (www.breakintosports.biz) and Bret Polvorosa, President of GRIP Sales Training and Service (www.gripinc.com). During this informational call, we will discuss various topics related to landing a job in professional sports including resume preparation, how to get an interview, how to prepare for an interview and tips to land a pro sports job; followed by a Q and A session.

For dial-in instructions, please e-mail mwasho@mmwmarketing.com and write “RSVP to Break Into Sports Conference Call” in the subject line. There is no direct charge or fee associated with the call.

Partners Hosts Fifth Annual Punt, Pass, & Kick Competition
Event benefits Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley

Feb. 20, 2009 -- Partners in Sports hosted the 5th annual Punt Pass and Kick Competition for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley on Monday. The event was once again held in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex. Children from local Boys and Girls clubs between the ages of 8 and 12 competed in the event.

The participants were separated in by age and gender and then competed for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place trophies within each group. Each participant received an official adidas Partners in Sport Punt, Pass and Kick t-shirt and a certificate acknowledging their excellence and participation.

The participants also had the opportunity to interact with UT football players during the event.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that Partners in Sports has helped to organize the competition at Tennessee. Partners in Sports is an organization that combines the efforts of adidas America and the University of Tennessee for the purpose of serving as a professional preparation program sport management undergraduate and graduate students.

Partners would like to thank UT athletics for the facility and all of the volunteers for their help in organizing and putting on the event.

Photo Gallery

Partners in Sports Fifth Annual Punt Pass & Kick Competition Set for Feb. 17, 2009
Volunteers Needed, Sign up now!

Feb 3, 2009 - Partners is holding its fifth annual Punt Pass and Kick competition to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. The event will be held on Tuesday February, 17, at 9:30a.m.-2:00p.m. in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex. Last year over 100 boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 12 competed in the event. Partners is still looking for volunteers to score, measure, and help run the competition. Anyone interested in helping out please contact Neil Bishop at Nbishop4@utk.edu.

View Photos from last year's competition: Page 1 Page 2

January 29, 2009- Former Partners in Sports member and UT Sport Management graduate Clint Dowdle (M.S. 2007) has accepted the position as Director of Football Operations at Bowling Green State University. Dowdle was offered the position by the newly appointed Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson, who was the offensive coordinator of UT last year under Phil Fulmer. During his time at Tennessee, Dowdle was a graduate assistant and a special assistant to Phil Fulmer while earning his master's degree in Sport Management. By accepting the position at BGSU Dowdle, 25, became the youngest Director of Football Operations at a Division I school.

Read the full story HERE

UT Men's Basketball Battles Cancer with OUTLIVE
Partners Member Brooks Savage creates fundraiser
with support of Lofton, Smith.


Chris Lofton	Tyler Smith

January 5, 2009 – Chris Lofton and Tyler Smith have joined forces again, this time off the basketball court to help the fight against Cancer. Both players have been profoundly impacted by cancer in recent years. After having a tumor removed in March of 2007 Lofton privately battled testicular cancer throughout his senior year as a Vol. Tyler Smith lost his father in a battle with cancer in September of 2007. After losing three family members of his own and seeing what Smith and Lofton went though the last couple years Brooks Savage, a UT Men’s Basketball Graduate Assistant and Partners in Sports Member, decided they needed to do something to help battle cancer.
With the help of Lofton, Smith, Coach Pearl, and the UT Basketball family, Savage started OUTLIVE, a fundraiser that will help fight cancer and support the UT Medical Center. OUTLIVE shirts will be sold online and at UT basketball games with all proceeds going to the UT Medical Center to help fund research, hospice programs, and education for early diagnosis.

Read the Full Article Here

Sixth Annual Partners in Sports Conference
Sport Management Alumni Give Back to Students

Speakers Steve Early, Dan Holden, Jennifer Wiggins, and Dan Fulks

October 29, 2008 – The Wolf Kaplan room in Neyland Stadium was filled with nearly 150 students, faculty, and Partners in Sports supporters for the Sixth Annual Partners in Sports Conference on Wednesday, October 29. The four guest speakers provided a look into their career path, current job responsibilities, and current trends in their respective areas of the sports world.

Partners was very honored that all four speakers were graduates of the UT Sport Management program. In addition to the UT Sport Management connection, all of the speakers emphasized a valuable piece of advice to those in attendance: Get involved! Take non-paid internships, volunteer, get experience, meet professionals, just get involved in an area you are interested in however you can.

Full Conference Recap
Conference Pictures

Dr. DeSensi Named Chancellor's Professor

Partners in Sports would like to congratulate Sport and Leisure Studies Professor and Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Joy Desensi, for recently being awarded the highest lifetime honor a faculty member can receive at UT: The Position of Chancellor's Professor.

What is a Chancellor's Professor?

Read more about DeSensi

September 25 , 2008 -- Partners in Sports is proud to announce the Sixth Annual Partners in Sports Conference will be held Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008. Four esteemed professionals will present their views on current issues affecting the sport management industry.

2008 Speakers
Steve Early, Vice President/General Manager, The Vol Network
Dan Fulks , NCAA Economic Research Staff, Transylvania University
Daniel Holden, Ticket Operations Manager, Atlanta Braves
Jennifer Wiggins, Director of Capital Support and Endowment Giving, University of Tennessee


Early	Fulks	Holden	Wiggins

The event will be held in the Wolf-Kaplan Center at the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium October 29, 2008 from 8:00am – 2:30pm. The registration fee is $20 for members of Partners in Sports, $35 for UT students, $40 for UT staff and faculty and $50 for Business Professionals. Registration includes breakfast and lunch.

Full Conference Preview & Speaker Bios

REGISTER NOW!!
Registration Form
Print the registration form and drop it off at HPER 333
or fill out, save, and E-Mail completed form to
Jimb@utk.edu or NBishop4@utk.edu

Dane Bradshaw Parlays Basketball Career
into Position with Prominent UT Booster
Bradshaw ready to take on Business World

Sept 23, 2008 - Sport Management Masters Graduate and former UT Basketball favorite Dane Bradshaw has decided to make the move from the hard-court to the business world. Bradshaw passed on numerous contract offers from European basketball teams in favor of a position with one of UT's most power boosters, John "Thunder" Thornton. Bradwshaw praises the University of Tennessee for allowing him to receive and education, pursue his dreams on the basketball court, and make lifelong connections.

Full Article

Partners in Sports '08-'09 Sign-Up Meeting
Wednesday Sept. 17 @ 4:30 in 239 HPER

September 10, 2008- Partners in Sports will be holding its annual sign up meeting Wednesday September 17 at 4:30 in room 239 in the HPER building. This is the first general Partners in Sports meeting of the year and will give new and returning Partners members the opportunity to find out what Partners in Sports is all about, pay membership dues, discuss plans for the upcoming year, and hang out with other students that are interested in working the sport management industry. Pizza and refreshments will be provided.

Dues are $15 and cover the 08-09 school year and includes a Partners in Sports T-shirt. Partners gives students interested in working in the sports industry the opportunity to gain real world sport management experience and last year gave out nearly $10,000 in scholarships. All level sport management students are encouraged to attend and help make this the most successful year yet!

Sept. 3, 2008- UT Sport Management graduates and Partners in Sports members have been making big news in the last few weeks:

Andrew Pratt

• 2004 Graduate Andrew Pratt was recently named Assistant Head Women's Golf Coach at the University of Tennessee. Read Story HERE

• 2006 Graduate Omar Gaither is learning a new position and showing his versatility in the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles' training camp. Read Story HERE

• 2007 Sport Management Graduate Jerod Mayo is in New England proving he was worth the Patriots' first round draft pick and is
eyeing a starting position. Read Story HERE

Rings • Partners in Sports would like to congratulate UT Sport Management graduates Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings on their recent gold medal performance in women's basketball. Exercise Science graduate Christine Magnussen also earned two silver metals for the 100 meter butterfly and the 4 x 100 medley relay in Beijing.

Jerod Mayo

• Scott Taylor (M.S., 2008) was recently named the Director of Basketball Operations at Tennessee Tech University.

• 1998 Masters Graduate Tim Wise has been named assistant athletic director for events and facilities at the University of Wisconsin. Read Story HERE

• Meredith McNelly (B.S., 2008) has been named the assistant operations manager for the D1 Training Center in Knoxville. Visit the DI Training Site HERE

Partners Members Prepare for Trip to Olympics

July 24 2008- Randy Tate and Chanel Lattimer will be traveling to Beijing August 4th to gain valuable sport management experience at the Olympics. The students will be receiving sport management credit while they are in China getting an up-close look at the biggest sporting event in the world. Tate graduated this spring with a bachelor's degree in sport management while Lattimer is a graduate student and plans to graduate in December.