Dave and Rick Hart enjoy Alan Pressley gifts

KNOXVILLE -- Alan Pressley built his first commemorative shadow box in 1999, just after his beloved Tennessee Volunteers won the BCS national championship.

But in the more than 300 he's built since for everyone from former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen to terminally ill school children in Alabama to Lady Vols coaching legend Pat Summitt, it's doubtful he's ever built two quite like those he presented to Dave and Rick Hart on Monday night.

With the start of Tennessee's 76-63 victory over UT-Chattanooga just minutes away, Pressley handed identical poplar-framed photo boxes to the father-and-son athletic directors, Dave representing UT and Rick UTC.

"I appreciate the gesture," Rick said. "It's obviously special for my dad and I to have these. It's a neat gift."

A 1976 graduate of Central High School, Pressley estimates it takes him about 10 hours to build each box, which can hold anything from photographs to jerseys to a regulation-sized football. The dimensions are determined by what people want to put inside them.

"When Dave Hart was at Alabama, he helped me with the boxes for those schoolchildren," said Pressley, his eyes watering. "As soon as Dave was hired here on September fifth, I knew I was going to do this."

When the presentation was made in front of a crowd of 150 or so in the Ray Mears Room inside Thompson-Boling Arena, Rick Hart sweetly said, "This night isn't about us."

But he also made sure to let the audience know that he and his father "have faced off a couple of times [since both had gone into athletic administration], and I've got a winning record against him."

Countered Dave Hart: "My son's speaking of when I was at Florida State, he was at Oklahoma and they beat us in the BCS title game. That's why he's one up. We'll even that up tonight."

On this night, father clearly knew best.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6273.