University of Tennessee at Chattanooga vice chancellor and athletic director David Blackburn stared across the Council Fire parking lot, the one overflowing with cars from those participating in Tuesday afternoon's 17th annual Porky's Open golf tournament, which raises money for UTC athletic scholarships.
Noticing the "Power C" decals on so many of those cars' windshields, the same stickers he sees all over town these days, Blackburn said, "In one sense, those decals are a small thing. But it's an indication of what we're hoping to build here. There are a lot of people here who are proud to be Mocs."
At least 140 of those people participated in the Porky's Open, plopping down $300 each - or $1,200 for each four-man team in the select-shot event - in the hopes of continuing perhaps the greatest athletics run in school history.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 4/13/15. UTC's David Blackburn announces Matt McCall as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's new head men's basketball coach while at the UTC University Center on Monday, April 14, 2015. McCall was an assistant coach at the University of Florida and is the 19th head coach in the history of Chattanooga basketball. Not only has UTC set academic records for the last few years, but football, men's basketball and women's basketball all reached the NCAA playoffs in the same year for the first time ever this 2015-16 school year.
Throw in a landmark year for volleyball, continued excellence in wrestling and golf and improvement in tennis and it's clear that the $1.4 million raised by the Porky's since its inception is achieving its goal to make the entire UTC athletic department the pride of the Southern Conference.
"Scholarships are the lifeblood of your sport," women's tennis coach Jeff Clark said of this year's expected $125,000 Porky's contribution after donations and silent-auction proceeds are totaled. "It's a big boost to come out here and see how many people love UTC and want to help us succeed. It's just a great event for Chattanooga athletics."
It's become such a great draw that Porky's founder Frank "Porky" Kinser is being encouraged to consider increasing the tournament to two flights, which could accommodate up to 50 teams and 200 golfers.
"It would be better for folks who'd like to choose between a morning and afternoon tee time," Kinser said. "But I don't know if I want to be one of the biggest golf tournaments in town so much as I just want to be the best, and we've got a pretty good thing here right now."
Yet Blackburn also sees an important plus to expanding the tournament beyond the extra money it would generate.
"The money means a lot," he said, "but it also allows us to build relationships. Every successful entity comes through the relationships you build. If the tournament expands at some point, it might encourage more people to get interested in our program."
Not to mention eventually seeing a lot more Power C's on windshields throughout the Scenic City.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.