Butch Jones To Speak In Cleveland, TN
By Zach Ragan
Mar 17, 2013; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick (left) speaks with Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Butch Jones before the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Last month we touched on Nick Saban’s planned speaking engagement in Athens, TN.
The Alabama coach’s scheduled appearance at the chamber of commerce’s annual event in Athens has not been very well received by Vol fans.
Not that anyone thought it would be.
Tennessee fans, however, have now received their counter from Butch Jones.
The Volunteer’s head coach has agreed to speak to the Bradley Sunrise Rotary Club on June 7th in Cleveland, TN according to GoVolsExtra.Com
Saban’s speaking event in Athens is four days later on June 11th.
Coach Jones stopped short of saying the speaking event was in “retaliation” to Saban’s scheduled appearance. Jones simply told the Knoxville News Sentinel “If I can, I’ll do anything in the state of Tennessee, Cleveland’s a big part of us.”
Former Tennessee quarterback and current morning radio show host Erik Ainge will host the event.
The so called “speaking competition”, rather real or conceived, will only serve as a primer to the third Saturday in October for the two coaches.
Alabama and Tennessee are scheduled to play on October 26th in Tuscaloosa this upcoming season.
Butch Jones will be looking to end the Vol’s six game losing streak to the Crimson Tide. The winning streak by Alabama is the longest in the series since Tennessee won seven in a row from 1995 to 2001.
Alabama leads the all-time series 49-38-7