University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Sweat Through Summer in Weight Room
July 22, 2004 | Football
July 22, 2004
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Until football practice officially begins next month, Tennessee's strength and conditioning coach Johnny Long is the boss.
Long and his staff oversee the players' offseason workout program, which includes afternoon runs two to three times a week, weight lifting and Long's loud voice barking out orders.
"They're tired of hearing my voice," Long said while the players lifted weights Monday afternoon. "If they're not tired of me ... they haven't put forth a great effort."
Long has tried pushing the players more this summer to develop their mental toughness, making them press on despite fatigue and allowing the players to decide when they take breaks.
Under NCAA rules, coach Phillip Fulmer and his staff are not allowed to oversee voluntary practices, but Long is allowed when players are enrolled in summer school.
Practice officially begins Aug. 7, and the season opener is Sept. 5 at home against UNLV.
The Volunteers began preparing for the upcoming season in January with a winter workout program before spring practice. They had a few weeks off this summer before returning to more workouts.
"It's been a long, tedious process, but I feel like our work should pay off," senior linebacker Kevin Burnett said.
Burnett traveled to different universities - including Michigan and Alabama - during the summer while he visited friends and attended some NFL minicamps.
He observed what different teams do to bond and prepare for the season.
"The facilities are a little different, but I figure on the Division I level everybody is the same except for an attitude here and there or a couple of players," he said.
All freshmen except two are already on campus and have started Long's program. Defensive tackle Demonte Bolden and tailback Arian Foster have not yet qualified academically.
Long said the freshmen arrived in good shape and looked impressive in their first workout. He singled out sophomore fullback Cory Anderson and tailback Gerald Riggs as examples of successes so far.
Riggs has been "accountable for what he's doing," Long said. That's good news for Riggs, who enters his junior season still hoping to prove he can be a dependable player on and off the field.
"I just want to be a better football player," Riggs said following his workout in the weight room. "I'm ready to get out there."
Another player ready to begin the season is center Chuck Prugh, who missed nearly all of last season with a respiratory illness so severe he was hospitalized for 22 days.
He was lifting weights Monday and said he will be able to play this fall. The NCAA granted Prugh another year of eligibility because of his illness.
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