University of Tennessee Athletics
Archie Manning Headlines UT Coaching Clinic
April 08, 2016 | Football
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Over 600 coaches gathered at Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday morning to hear NFL legend Archie Manning, the keynote speaker at the 2016 Tennessee Football Coaches’ Clinic.
Manning’s speech was the start of the second day of the three-day event that includes access to Tennessee’s Thursday and Saturday practices and a chalk talk that drew more than 300 coaches on the clinic’s opening night.
“Every great coach, every great player reinvents themselves every year,” head coach Butch Jones said. “You cannot be the same player, the same coach that you were the previous year because your competition is going to get you. Everything is trying to learn and be better with everything that you do and that’s what this clinic is all about.”
The crowd that piled in for the event showed that Tennessee’s brand is continuing to build under Jones and his staff.
“I think the best thing that we do at this clinic is that we’re approachable,” said Bob Welton, Tennessee’s director of player personnel. “We give them full access to our coaches and our practice. People like that. We had 300 coaches here last night because our staff talked. We do chalks talks with our staff, which they want to hear, and they stayed until 10 or 10:30 last night just talking ball.”
Having a speaker of Manning’s pedigree added an extra punch to the event.
“When Peyton was here our first year, it was special,” Jones said. “But an individual of the stature of Archie Manning does not come along very often.
Manning called the time spent coming to Knoxville to watch Peyton play for the Volunteers as four of the greatest years in his family’s life. When friends with other football allegiances asked what made Tennessee special, he told them it was simple, and that those things are coming around again under Jones.
“Its beautiful country, it’s some of the nicest people you could ever meet and they win,” Manning said. “As a parent, it was a fun four years. To me, that’s what Coach Jones is doing, getting back to that.”
Being back in Knoxville brought back memories of the time here for Manning, who reminded his wife at dinner that there was another generation that needed to learn about the history and tradition of Tennessee football.
“The great thing about football is the bonds and the friendships that you make, and that’s what it was for us here,” Manning said. “My oldest two grandsons are 12 and 10 and they play ball. I told Olivia that I have to bring them to a Tennessee game, every 10 and 12 year old should come up here and experience this.”
