UT coach Butch Jones signs Charles Langston’s shirt Tuesday at Orange Grove Center.
William Jerry Payne handed his pale orange Tennessee ballcap to new UT football coach Butch Jones with a simple request: “Could you sign this, Coach?”
It’s a line Jones has heard thousands of times since he took over the Big Orange program on Dec. 7. But rarely has he heard it with the earnestness of the 57-year-old Payne, who lives at the Orange Grove Center, where Jones was about to address its annual Champions luncheon Tuesday afternoon.
“I love Tennessee football and I love Coach Jones,” Payne said as he pulled the signed cap down tight over his graying hair a few seconds later. “I’ve waited and waited for this.”
Asked if he’d keep wearing the cap or put it in a special place, Payne said, “No, I’ll wear it. Yes, yes, I will. I’ll wear it every day.”
Jones probably feels like he’s been speaking to one group or another almost every single day since the former University of Cincinnati coach arrived in Knoxvile.