Athens can keep Nick Saban - Tennessee Sports Radio and Bradley Rotary have BUTCH JONES

March 25, 2013 - PRLog -- When billboards started popping up all over East Tennessee featuring the University of Alabama logo and the smiling face of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, Vol Nation wasn’t happy. If callers to Tennessee Sports Radio – the fastest growing sports entertainment network in the Southeast – were any indication, Tennessee fans were ready to burn Athens, Tenn. to the ground.

But, rather than marching on the fine little city of Athens (north of Chattanooga), the Bradley Sunrise Rotary and Tennessee Sports Radio decided to do something far more productive; throw a big old-fashioned pep rally for Tennessee’s new head football coach Butch Jones in Cleveland, Tenn. (which is Athens’ next door neighbor). The “Cleveland Rocks Butch Jones” rally – FEATURING BUTCH JONES – will take place June 7 at Bradley Central High School and at least 2,000 people are expected to attend the event (the Athens event with Saban is expected to draw only half that number).

“When the Athens Chamber of Commerce called me to buy advertising on Tennessee Sports Radio to promote their Saban event, I just about fell out of my chair,” said Jason Bailey, owner and general manager of Tennessee Sports Radio. “There was no way on earth that I would have a Saban ad on my station. I was shocked to find out a few days later that I was the only one in town who shot them down. Their ads started popping up everywhere – in the newspaper, on other radio stations and on billboards all over the place – it’s pathetic.

“If they figured they can get 1,000 people to pay money to go see Saban, I knew we could get twice that many members of Vol Nation to come out to hear Butch Jones – and the Bradley Sunrise Rotary was the perfect group to make it happen. Better yet, the Saban money goes to the Athens Chamber of Commerce while the money raised by the Bradley Rotary from the Butch Jones event will go directly to charity. Every single penny will be given away.”

Former University of Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, host of The Erik Ainge Show on Tennessee Sports Radio, will emcee the event which also features special surprise guest appearances by other former notable University of Tennessee athletes, marching bands, cheerleaders and, of course, the keynote speech by Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones.

“Jones represents the future of football at the University of Tennessee,” Ainge said. “And anyone who has spent time with Butch Jones knows that the future is in good hands. The competition with the Saban event in Athens is fun, but our Cleveland Rocks Butch Jones event is really about Vol Nation showing support for the home team. Those who attend our event will be blown away by Butch Jones.

“In the ‘battle of the speaking coaches,’ I know Butch Jones will win. I love the fact that we will have 2,000 fans supporting Coach Jones, and I feel even better knowing that all of the money we raise will go to charities like Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society and the Salvation Army. This event will be awesome and fun, but it is doing something very important.”

Tennessee Sports Radio is also organizing a friendly competition between Knoxville and Chattanooga to see which community will show more love for Butch Jones and the University of Tennessee by purchasing the most tickets to the Cleveland Rocks Butch Jones rally. More details about that contest will be announced soon.

Tennessee Sports Radio and the Bradley Sunrise Rotary will begin promoting the Cleveland Rocks Butch Jones rally this week. More details will be released as the event gets closer. Tickets will be available at www.TNSportsRadio.com within the next two weeks.