The first 500 fans at the First Tennessee Pavilion on the corner of Carter and 20th Streets will receive a free lunch courtesy of Longhorn Steakhouse consisting of hot dogs, chili and chips with beverages provided by Coca-Cola. The lunch will be available around 11:30 a.m. and will coincide with a Mocs football player autograph session.

The lunch and autograph session will be preceded by a Mocs football situational practice, which will take place at 10 a.m. at Finley Stadium. The practice is free and open to the public and will include the UTC Marching Mocs marching band, cheerleaders and the Sugar Mocs dance team.

Following practice, the football squad will move to the Pavilion for the autograph session, and free team photo posters will be available for all in attendance. Inflatable games for the youngsters and televisions for viewing will also be in the Pavilion, which is the tailgating headquarters for all Mocs’ games. Information will also be available about the new UTC Mocs Club, the official fundraising arm of Chattanooga Athletics.

The Mocs open the season Aug. 30 at No. 4 Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. Season tickets and single-game tickets are available by visiting GoMocs.com or by calling the box office at 423-266-6627.

UTC season ticket subscribers receive a significant discount on tickets over the single-game buyer, and this year’s Mocs home schedule includes six matchups (see schedule below).

Season ticket buyers get the best seat selection available and an option to purchase a ticket to the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship Series Game before they go on sale to the general public.  Reserved chairback seat holders have the option to purchase VIP parking passes.

UTC alumni can get season tickets (general admission seat at all six games) for just $25 (as opposed to the regular $50 season ticket). That is less than $5/game. WHAT A DEAL!
Sorry, chairback seats do not qualify.

All 2007 season ticket holders who renew their order for 2008 by June 16 will be eligible to win one of 100 prizes.  The grand prize will be a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Sept. 13 Chattanooga-Florida State football game.  The package includes two game tickets, two Mocs jerseys and a two-night stay in a Tallahassee hotel.  Also, all new season-ticket subscribers who place their orders by July 1 will receive a 10-percent discount off their ticket order.

Mocs Football Home Schedule

*NOTE: Mocs fans who wish to attend both the Oklahoma (Aug. 30) and Florida State (Sept. 13) games must purchase tickets by contacting the ticket office at 423-425-5273.

Order your season tickets and get your fan gear at GoMocs.com.

Several alumni from The University of Chattanooga and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have recently received recognition for their accomplishments. On behalf of the UTC community, we would like to congratulate those below.

General B.B. Bell Retires After a Distinguished Career

After an illustrious career in the United States Army, Four-Star General Burwell B. Well (UTC ‘69), the 2003 UTC Distinguished Alumnus recipient, stepped down after nearly four decades of service. Bell, pictured above with UTC Executive Assistant to the Chancellor Terry Denniston, was honored during a retirement ceremony at Fort Knox, Kentucky on Monday, June 9, 2008. 

Born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Bell began his career for the Army as a participant in the R.O.T.C. program while attending The University of Chattanooga.  After graduating in 1969, he rose through the ranks serving in various commands across the globe until being appointed to his last position as Commander of the U.S. Forces and United Nations and Combined Forces Command in Korea. Bell is planning on retiring back home in Chattanooga and has vowed to be in the stands leading the cheers for his alma mater.

Cranford Receives Top Boys and Girls Club Honors

This past May, executives and professionals from Boys & Girls Clubs around the nation met for the 102nd Annual National Conferencein San Francisco. During the conference Michael Cranford (’74), a current member of the UTC Alumni Board of Directors, was presented the Tom G. Garth Character and Courage Award, the most prestigious award a BGC professional staff person can receive.

In an assembly of 3,000 BGC friends and colleagues, Cranford graciously accepted his award, which is given to a top professional for demonstrating the qualities of character and courage.  The Thomas G. Garth Character and Courage Award was created in memory of the former Boys and Girls Club of America president and is presented each year to a club professional, who best exemplifies the qualities and character that made Mr. Garth an extraordinary leader and role model during his decades of service to the organization.

 Three Chattanooga Athletes Inducted Into the Lookout Mountain Hall of Fame

Three former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student-athletes will be inducted into the Lookout Mountain Hall of Fame in August. Tennis great Marilyn Voges Brown (’61 UC, far right above), three-sport star Bob Klein (’37 UC, left) and football player Buck Stamps (’53 UC, center) were selected for the 2008 class by a vote of the Lookout Mountain Memorial Community Center Board.

Voges Brown played tennis for the University of Chattanooga on the men’s team.  A four-year starter from 1958-61, she played mainly at No. 2 singles. Voted the 1959 UC Homecoming Queen, her tennis career led her to jobs as a teaching professional at the Lookout Mountain Playground for 25 years and as the tennis coach at Girls Preparatory School.  She is a member of the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame, the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame.

Klein played football for UC from 1933 to 1935 and earned All-America honors two times and All-Dixie Conference accolades three times. Klein also played basketball and competed in track and field.  He was a two-time Athlete of the Year at the state college track and field meet and won state track titles in the 100-yard dash and the broad jump and twice in the discus.

A former employee of Chattem, Klein, who passed away a few years ago, is a member of the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame and the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame and was selected to the UC/UTC All-Century Football Team in 2003.

Stamps was a running back for UC from 1950 to 1952.  But it was his administrative skills which landed him the Lookout Mountain honor. Stamps served as the Recreation Director at Lookout Mountain School and the Lookout Mountain Playground for 40 years.  He received the Walt Lauter Award for lifetime service in sports from the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.  He passed away in March, 2008.

Roger Dickson to be Included in Chambers USA

Roger W. Dickson (’67 UC) serves in the law firm of Miller & Martin PLLC based in Chattanooga with a focus on complex commercial disputes, white collar crime, personal injury and products liability. The Chambers USA - America’s Lawyers for Business, 2008 is a listing of top lawyers across the United States and inclusion is based on peer recognition.

The UTC Alumni Office has created several ways for alumni to stay connected to their alma mater (and to each other) through online communication.  With the rising interest in social networking, especially by those who have graduated in the last ten years, the University has joined in on the new way to stay connected.

The most popular site for today’s students and recent alums is the social site Facebook. UTC has created a UTC Alumni page, which allows the office to send updates to those who join the page as “fans.” In addition, we have also created a profile on MySpace and on the professional networking site LinkedIn.  Keep in mind though that if you wish to view some of the social network sites, you will need to create a profile or register for site membership.

But the most recent addition to the online services is the new social networking interface on the UTAA Online Community. Not only can you update your alumni information, add a class note and search for old college friends, now you can socialize with your old class mates and register for UTC Alumni and UTAA events online. One of the most useful tools on the community is a tool that allows alumni to create approved online affinity groups (i.e. SGA students of the 1990s or UTC Business School alumni). This will allow alumni to stay connected but also allow them to interact within their areas of interest.

In addition to the social networking sites, UTC has also created several blogs (Moc Blog, GOLD Alumni Blog, The FAMily News) that help to share important information on UTC news, events and happenings. Make sure to subscribe to the blog posts and stay up-to-date on current UTC news.

“1000 Riot at UT for 1.5 Hours”

That was the headline on the front page of The Knoxville News-Sentinel on Sunday, November 9, 1958, the day after the Chattanooga Mocs beat the Tennessee Vols 14-6 at UT’s Shields-Watkins Field.  Immediately following the game, students from The University of Chattanooga celebrated their win by tearing down both goal posts and parading through the streets. The scene according to UC alumni, students at the time, started out as celebratory but turned into a massive riot as Knoxville police began firing tear gas grenades. In the end, some $2,000 of damage was accumulated and ten students were arrested. 

The scene from that day remains fervently alive in the hearts of many UC alumni. And on Saturday, November 8, 2008, exactly fifty years to the day, the UTC campus will honor and celebrate that famous UC football event at the home game of the UTC versus Appalachian State football game.  It is fitting that the UTC Mocs will play the Mountaineers on this day.  Much commotion was made at the start of last season when the Appalachian State Mountaineers beat the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  For the general public, it led to claims that the game was the biggest upset in college football history. But it was not the first time a small school beat a major powerhouse in their own backyard. For Chattanooga fans, the Appy State game sparked the memory of their big defeat of the Vols in Knoxville, putting “to shame the Tennessee football team’s disasterous season.”

The 1958 Chattanooga Mocs Football Team

The 1958 football team reunion will coincide with the Class of 1958 Reunion and 50-Plus Weekend events that will take place on November 7-8, 2008.  To learn more about the celebration, please visit www.utcalumni.com/reunions.php or call the UTC Office of Alumni Affairs at 423/425-4785 or 800/728-4882.

 UTC Alumni Director Jayne Holder with UTC graduate (and former Alumni Office
sutdent worker) Kenny Allen at the May Graduation.

On behalf of the UTC Office of Alumni Affairs, we would like to say CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME to our 2008 graduates of UTC. Those of you who have graduated are now officially a part of the UTC Alumni Association, the GOLD Alumni Program (GOLD=Grads Of the Last Decade) and the University of Tennessee Alumni Association (UTAA is the UT system alumni association).

The UTC Alumni Office is putting together a photo slide show to post on our UTC GOLD Alumni facebook, MySpace account (www.myspace.com/utcmocs) and UTC alumni website (www.utcalumni.com). If you have any photos that you would like to include in this slide show, please e-mail them to alumni@utc.edu. 

Also, as you enter into the “real world” of life after college, make sure you do the following:
1. Tell us about any changes in your life: new job, new e-mail (your @utc.edu will go away soon), new address and phone number (relocation), and any marriage or birth announcements.
2. Register for the UTAA On-line Community
3. Attend UTC Homecoming and other great alumni events
4. Bookmark the UTC Alumni website on your “favorites” list on your computer, and visit it often for news and information. And also make sure to subscribe to the UTC Alumni Moc Blog to receive the latest news.
5. Serve and give back to your alma mater - volunteering time to serve on committees or boards, using your skills to advance the University and making financial contributions to help future UTC students.
6. Wear your UTC apparel and colors with pride.

Congratulations again!
And don’t forget to send us your graduation photos!!!

Forever Mocs!

The UTC Office of Alumni Affairs has initiated a new program for recent graduates titled UTC GOLD, or Graduates Of the Last Decade. UTC GOLD encompases all alumni of UTC who have graduated or passed at least 24 semester hours from the University in the last ten years.  The goal of the program is to help recent graduates stay connected through targeted social and career networking events and also to give them opportunities to learn important skills to help them get established in life after school.

The program will be led and organized by the UTC Alumi Office and a new UTC GOLD Council, comprised of recent alumni. The commitment to the council, will consist of attending two meetings a year in Chattanooga (spring/summer and fall), periodic conference calls, and periodic committee meetings as needed. In addition, this council will be asked to support various special events throughout the year in Chattanooga and in your specific regions throughout the United States. Those interested in applying do not have to live in the greater Chattanooga area. Applications for the new UTC GOLD Council are due by Friday, May 2, 2008.

Learn more about the UTC GOLD program here.

The 2008 Trisha Obear Memorial Tennis Tournament, sponsored by the UTC Alumni Board of Directors, will take place on May 30, 2008 at the UTC Tennis Courts and Manker Patten Tennis Center. The tournament is named after Trisha Obear, former wife and first lady of UTC Chancellor Emeritus Fred Obear, who always played in the UTC Alumni tennis tournament. Partial proceeds from the tournament will go to the Jimmy Jackson Memorial Scholarship Endowment, which is awarded each year to junior and senior students who demonstrate outstanding campus and community service.

Any person may register to play in the tournament, which includes a doubles, round robin mixed format in both a mens and womens division. The registration fee for the tournament is $25 and is due with the registration form no later than Monday, May 26.

For more information, please click here.

Each year the Alumni Board comes together to celebrate and recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the recipients of the two highest honors bestowed on a UTC alumnus at the annual Legends and Leaders dinner. The two honors are that of Outstanding Service Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award. These awards are to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the community and society and whose accomplishments and career activities have reflected glory on UTC.  This year’s Legends and Leaders Banquet will take place on Friday, May 2, 2008 at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club.

 HAROLD McALISTER (UTC ‘71) - DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

Dr. Harold A. McAlister has been named the 2008 UTC Distinguished Alumnus. After completing his bechelorís degree at UTC, McAlister attended the University of Virginia and received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in astronomy. He joined the faculty of Georgia
State University in 1977, where he founded the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA). CHARA built the world’s most powerful optical interferometric telescope array.

McAlister has written numerous research publications and has served on review, advisory, and oversight panels for the NSF and NASA. He teaches and directs CHARA and serves as Director of the Mount Wilson Institute, a nonprofit organization which manages the Mt. Wilson Observatory.

FRED & RUTH OBEAR - OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

Chancellor Emeritus Fred Obear and Ruth Obear will be presented with the Outstanding Service Award, an honor given to recognize enthusiastic and committed service to the university. Dr. Obear is currently Chancellor Emeritus of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, following 16 years as chancellor of our campus. As UTC’s chancellor, he led the University in its development as a metropolitan campus, emphasizing its important role as a true partner with the community while taking full advantage of its unique blend of both public and private traditions.

At UTC, First Lady Ruth Obear organized support for the Lady Mocs basketball team with pre-game suppers and was an event organizer in support of UTC’s mission. The Obears demonstrate their love for the campus through their total dedication to UTC. They are actively involved with all athletics teams, academic programs, fine arts presentations, and alumni events and are UTC’s greatest fans, proudly wearing their blue and gold.

March 10, 2008 - The UTC Lady Mocs will play for the SoCon title against conference foe Western Carolina tonight in Charleston, South Carolina at 5:00 p.m. Chattanooga got to the finals by defeating fifth seeded College of Charleston 68-53 in the semifinal matchup on Sunday. With their 23rd straight win, improving their overall record to 28-3, they will enter the North Charleston Coliseum to face the 25-7 Lady Catamounts.

 This is UTC’s seventh appearance in the SoCon finals in eight years.  Listen to the game on the radio at 1310 AM at 5:00 p.m.