Fans' feedback to Currie includes advice on Butch, love for Lady Vols

KNOXVILLE, TN - MAY 10, 2017 - Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics John Currie in his office working in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, TN - MAY 10, 2017 - Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics John Currie in his office working in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE - Soon after starting the job on April 1, Tennessee athletic director John Currie introduced the "Hey John" email portal at utsports.com to provide a direct line of communication with Volunteers fans.

Just more than an hour after he announced the feature in his debut letter to the fan base, the first email came in.

"Please fire Butch Jones," the first sentence read.

"That was classic," Currie said with a chuckle from his office on the Tennessee campus Wednesday. "Not at all surprised. Some people will never be satisfied until we win every single one, and then they'll want to win every one by more."

Currie said he prefers passion over apathy for the athletic department he oversees, and a glimpse into the submissions he received during the first week of "Hey John" showed plenty of passion from fans on a range of issues.

While Jones and Tennessee's football program were the subject of some emails, an overwhelming majority of the early submissions pertained to a decision overseen by Currie's predecessor. In the first week "Hey John" started, Currie received several dozen messages from fans, alumni, donors, professors and even a state legislator imploring him to reinstate the Lady Vols nickname and logo to all women's sports teams at Tennessee.

"You sir would be our hero," one fan wrote, "and a horrible wrong would be undone and made right and put respectfully back where it belongs."

Under previous athletic director Dave Hart, Tennessee announced a "branding restructure" in November 2014 that turned all the "Lady Volunteers" sports teams, except basketball, into the "Volunteers." The move took effect with the 2015-16 academic year and coincided with the university's transition from Adidas to Nike as its apparel provider.

The athletic department marketed the decision under a "One Tennessee" premise, but it angered many. Even two and a half years months after the announcement, the change apparently still bothers a significant faction of fans.

"The Lady Vol name is an important tradition for followers of all women's sports at UT," one fan wrote. "Its abrupt removal, without good reason, has been a great disappointment to thousands of fans. We would be forever grateful if you would bring it back."

The Times Free Press reviewed the first week of "Hey John" emails through a public records request and spoke to Currie about his use of the communication tool. He said he reads every email. And he has taken notice of the number regarding the Lady Vols nickname.

"I wasn't at all surprised to have the volume that we had on that, and I appreciate it," he said. "I've thanked people who have written me on that issue. I've gotten long-form letters on that, and I appreciate the perspectives."

Currie did not elaborate on when, or if, he will address that hot topic. He reiterated that, just two months into the job, he remains in a listening period.

"When you have a lot of different people with a lot of different perspectives, you have to be deliberate about making sure you've heard folks and been thoughtful," he said. "We're going to continue with that process."

The "Hey John" email portal is similar to one Currie used in eight years as the athletic director at Kansas State, where turmoil abounded when he arrived in 2009. He said opening a direct line of communication between fans and the athletic department was effective in "turning that ship around and building that thing back up."

"You also learn," Currie said. "You get an email from a fan on a Saturday that the Porta-John near the such-and-such parking lot hasn't been cleared out. Hey, if we've got a problem, tell us we've got a problem so we can fix it. You learn stuff."

Currie's first two months on the job have been filled with making hires for his leadership staff, executing his first coaching changes, watching live sporting events, meetings and more. But he has found time to respond to some of the people who have written to him through "Hey John."

It may be early in the morning or late at night, he said, but Currie will sit down and fire off a few responses to the emails, addressing each sender by his or her first name. He also copies other relevant members of the athletic department staff on his responses.

In response to one fan who asked for Currie to "Please leave our Lady Vols name alone!!" Currie responded, "Thanks for sharing your thoughts - I hear you loud and clear!"

"Sometimes if I've got a task that I don't particularly want to do," Currie said, "I'll say, 'Hey, you know what? I'm going to look at the 'Hey John' emails and get some info from the fans.' It's actually kind of therapeutic to see what people think. On the other hand, if we've messed something up and I get hammered with that, that's OK, too.

"We can't fix a problem we don't know about. I'd much rather people communicate, whether it's a service problem or a traffic signal that didn't work. Tell us about it."

The number of emails received through "Hey John" has decreased since the feature's introduction, Currie said. He said the same thing happened at Kansas State as the athletic department improved at proactive communication.

"But I wasn't surprised at all at the volume of the first batch," he said. "It's probably slowed a little bit more than I thought it would."

As for that first sender, the one who started his letter with "Please fire Butch Jones," Currie did respond to that email.

"Congratulations!" Currie wrote. "You were the first email to the new Hey John account. I appreciate your passion for Tennessee Football! #GBO, John."

The next day, another fan wrote Currie saying, "I know that your emails will be piled up with morons calling for Butch to be fired" and gave an impassioned plea in support of the coach who is preparing for his fifth season in Knoxville.

Currie also responded to that fan.

"Thanks for your note and sharing your thoughts! I have really enjoyed getting to know Coach Jones better and am very impressed with the effort he has put into rebuilding the program. I am excited about the future under his leadership! See you in Neyland this fall! Go Vols! John."

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.

Fan Feedback

LOUD AND CLEARExcerpts from emails received by Tennessee athletic director John Currie last month, after he introduced the “Hey John” feature that allows fans to reach him directly:“RESTORE THE LADY VOLS NAME, COLORS AND LOGO TO ALL WOMEN’S SPORTS! Hopefully, this is the 10 thousandth request.”———“Please bring back the Lady Vols!! We all love the Lady Vols logo.”———“When comparing the Vols and Lady Vols brand, which brand has been represented more frequently at the national championship level? When comparing the Vols and Lady Vols brand, which brand has shown up more frequently on police blotters, and which brand has more athletes who miss competition for ‘violation of team rules’?”———“Please fire Butch Jones. He is not going to get us back to where we want to go. He turned the program in a positive direction, but he is not a winner.”———“I know that your emails will be piled up with morons calling for Butch to be fired — but let’s have a serious talk” … “Best of luck and give Butch a chance. I truly believe he has assembled a staff that can meet the stringent Tennessee standards if given time to finish the difficult rebuild.”———“My wife and I are in complete agreement with those who desire to bring the Lady Vols brand back. While Nike may have made the suggestion to have one brand, we don’t buy the claim that this was a Nike initiative. The Nike folks made the suggestion because combining brands probably makes sense in the majority of cases. They probably don’t have a whole lot of experience with women’s brands that are as well known and have as much tradition behind it as the Lady Vols brand.”—-“Hi. I don’t have a question, just a request to please reinstate the Lady Vols name for all sports. Thanks.”—-“Congrats on your new position and for this opportunity to give feedback. My concern is the traffic pattern after Vols football games. I hope you are able to work with the Knoxville Police and State Troopers to improve traffic control following UT football games.”—-“One thing I implore you to do is be wise with your words and requests. Don’t ask Vol fans to be patient; isn’t it obvious they have been?”—-“Hey John: Just listen. That would be my only advice. I am not certain that there has been a good listener in place as the University’s Athletic Department Director.”—-“Have you thought to reach out to Coach Fulme(r), he has so Much Love for the University of Tennessee. He would be so good, it seems to me at a rol(e) such as what Coach (Spurrier) has at Florida.”—-“You have noticed that since you have been gone, the Lady Vol brand has been removed from 8 of the 9 UTK women’s sports. SAD. Please reinstate the Lady Vol brand.”—-“Butch Jones could really take a page out of Rick Barnes book when it comes to working with the media. Fans like when coaches admit when they fail and earnestly try to get better by learning from it … when we lose, it’s okay for Butch to say we sucked and that we can be better.”—-“Please find it in your heart to reinstate the logo for ALL Women’s sports.”

IF YOU GO

What: Big Orange Caravan — ChattanoogaWhen: Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m.Where: First Tennessee PavilionHow much: Advance registration is $5 at alumni.utk.edu. Children 12 and younger will be admitted for free. A limited number of walk-up registrations will be available for $10 (credit card or check only). Proceeds benefit the Chattanooga UT Knoxville Alumni Chapter’s Scholarship Fund.Activities: Meet and greet with “Vol For Life” greats. Q&A hosted by “Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling with Butch Jones and John Currie. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from local vendors/food trucks. Other activities include music, prize wheel, visiting with Smokey, photo booth with a Neyland Stadium backdrop, corn hole, a social media station, free popcorn and face painting.

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