UT still working on getting Jones image off big video board

The back Neyland Stadium video board on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, as seen January 18. The video board still hosts a picture of former Tennessee coach Butch Jones, who was fired in November. Officials hope to replace the photo in February.
The back Neyland Stadium video board on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, as seen January 18. The video board still hosts a picture of former Tennessee coach Butch Jones, who was fired in November. Officials hope to replace the photo in February.
photo The back Neyland Stadium video board on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, as seen January 18. The video board still hosts a picture of former Tennessee coach Butch Jones, who was fired in November. Officials hope to replace the photo in February.

KNOXVILLE - Less than a week after Jimbo Fisher resigned from Florida State on Dec. 1 to become the head coach at Texas A&M, a photo of Fisher prominently placed on the back of the video board at FSU's Doak Campbell Stadium was being replaced.

More than two months after Butch Jones was fired as Tennessee's coach, his image remains on the back of the video board at Neyland Stadium.

Project leaders hope February will be the month when that finally changes.

"That's certainly our target," Vol Network general manager Steve Early told the Times Free Press this week. "Barring something unforeseen, I think we'll have a change made during that time frame."

The Vol Network has the multimedia rights to the Neyland Stadium board and is working in cooperation with the Tennessee athletic department on changing the image, Early said. It's a project with its share of challenges, including the issue of finding the next image.

That's harder than some might expect, since most images owned by the university are not high enough in resolution to enlarge to the 35-by-30-foot dimension required for the video board.

An athletic director change and numerous logistical aspects have further complicated the switch.

"That's not an easy process," Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer told Knoxville NBC affiliate WBIR earlier this month. "There's mechanical things involved to get that done. It's not just, 'Let's take down a picture off the wall or a graphic.' We're working through that.

"It is important to us, because it is important to reflect what we're doing. It'll be done in due time. I've heard the same thing from the chancellor. She wants me to speed it up, too. We will. We'll get there."

Next to the image of Jones are images of program legends Robert Neyland and Reggie White. The image of Jones with his arms folded replaced an image of Fulmer hoisting the 1998 BCS national championship trophy.

Ultimately, the athletic department is responsible for selecting the images, although Early said the Vol Network will provide input.

The athletic department declined to comment for this article, but chancellor Beverly Davenport responded to a fan's tweet about the video-board picture on Jan. 2 with a message saying, "Please hang on. A crane has been ordered."

Whereas the Florida State video board sits atop a building, the one at Neyland Stadium is a free-standing structure that towers above any level ground. Suspended scaffolding - sometimes known as a swing stage - must be brought in for a project of this magnitude.

"You have people up there and it's almost like they're rappelling when they're installing it," Early said. "It is involved."

When the image of Jones was placed on the video board in October of 2014, his record at Tennessee was just 7-9. But he was in the process of assembling a 2015 recruiting class that ultimately was ranked fourth in the country by 247Sports.

The photo was installed in the week leading up to Tennessee hosting Florida. The Volunteers led 9-0 before the Gators rallied in the fourth quarter and won 10-9.

Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events