University of Tennessee Athletics
An 'Impressive' Opportunity For Dobbs
October 20, 2015 | Football
By Brian Rice
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
That is not exactly a news flash for those that have followed his story as an aerospace engineering major. He leaves the weekly Monday press conference, not to fill up on fluids for practice, but for an honors class in mechanical fluids.
This summer, while many of his fellow Volunteers were playing pranks on each other around the pool, Dobbs was the subject of something along those lines at his summer internship.
David Fisher, a Tennessee graduate and Dobbs’ supervisor at defense contractor Pratt and Whitney had him stand outside in front of the F35 engine they were testing. Then Fisher turned it on.
“Every now and then we need to walk outside and feel the power of the engine,” Fisher said. “It’s very impressive.”
Dobbs had spent hours reading and cataloging measurements as the engines ran. Feeling its power up close, if a little unexpected, was just another great experience for him.
“He said, ‘Go outside and stand there,’” Dobbs recalled. “So I put in my ear plugs and you feel like you’re about to get sucked in. It’s amazing to be in a position to go out there and feel something that impressive up close.”
It was an internship that was a dream come true for Dobbs, whose interest in the mechanics of airplanes and engines dates back to his childhood. He earned it through his work in the classroom and reaching out in a competitive interview process.
“It was very important to him,” Head Coach Butch Jones said. “We talk about being a student-athlete and Joshua Dobbs embodies what a student-athlete is all about. That was exciting for him and there are so many things that he can bring back from that and apply it to football and his teammates. It really benefitted our football team. I think it helped Josh from a leadership standpoint.”
Because of his football commitments, an internship that normally stretches an entire summer would have to be compressed into three weeks. But the opportunity to have someone of Dobbs’ level of achievements was too much to pass up for another UT alum, Pratt and Whitney President of Military Engines Bennett Croswell.
“It was a no-brainer, even though we would only have him for three weeks,” said Croswell, a 1979 Tennessee graduate and member of the College of Engineering’s Board of Advisors. “We were concerned about that because we wanted the experience to be meaningful for him, but we found a way to do that.”
Dobbs was assigned to work with Fisher on the F35 engine, the latest product that will be used in fighters for the United States Navy and Air Force.
“It’s the most advanced fighter engine that has ever been developed and that was Josh’s assignment,” Croswell said. “He was responsible for engine tests. He had the chance to have a really meaningful assignment right off the bat.”
The tests are designed to give the engines years of use in a few short months to measure durability, performance and other factors. Some engines run around the clock, others are tested incrementally. Dobbs was assigned to help chart the performance of the engines and the thousands of pieces data measured by the test machines.
“I was very impressed with him,” Fisher said. “A top-notch, classy guy who was well-raised. He was polite a gracious and you can tell that he’s really bright. He’s a great ambassador for the Tennessee football program.”
It was no easy task. But the two Tennessee alums knew Dobbs would be up to the task because of his accomplishments and the curriculum that he is a part of at Tennessee.
“It’s a reflection on Josh’s capability and the training that he gets at UT and the discipline and ability that he has personally,” Croswell said. “That’s the big reason he was so successful.”
The dedication to academics is another hallmark of Dobbs, something that was instilled in him at an early age by his parents, Robert and Stephanie. They also filled his days with activities and academics from an early age, producing a well-rounded collegian by the time he arrived at Tennessee.
While football is the part of his life that gets the most external attention now, the internship was the next step in his preparation for the inevitable time that football is in his rear-view mirror.
“My parents have always preached academics first,” Dobbs said. “You have to have a plan. We all love the game of football and we’ve all been playing it forever and think we will play it forever, but that’s not really the case. I understand that and understand the power of having a degree in a really solid major and what that can do for you and the doors that will open up for you after your football career.”
Or so he thinks. His right arm may continue to benefit him if he ever returns to Pratt and Whitney. They actually wanted to put it to work this summer.
“I was talking to my boss, the president of Pratt and Whitney, about getting Josh,” Croswell said. “He said ‘That will be great, we’ll have the greatest flag football team in the industry.’”
