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While Tennessee’s 2016 season had its highlights, like the Hail Mary win over Georgia and the epic second-half comeback against Florida, it wasn’t necessarily a season to remember for many Volunteers fans. UT was the offseason media favorite to win the SEC East, and many considered Butch Jones’ squad a potential playoff contender. Team 120 finished the regular season 8-4 and went to the Music City Bowl, but players will receive multiple rings.
Rhiannon Potkey of the Knoxville News Sentinel reported Friday that Vols players and staffers will be receiving rings for the Music City Bowl victory, 38-24 over Nebraska in Nashville, as well as for the Battle at Bristol, the team’s Week 2 win over Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Vols football finished the 2016 season with two new rings for the collection. https://t.co/7Ql7KqmAS0 via @knoxnews
— Tennessee Beat (@TennesseeBeat) May 12, 2017
While Jones has made bowl rings a new tradition at Tennessee (and he’s not alone in this trend), Twitter users certainly found some humor in the fact that a relatively disappointing season resulted in multiple rings.
https://twitter.com/BamaBobblehead/status/863018839772205056
This week's sign of the apocalypse:
Tennessee and Kentucky football players got rings for their 2016 seasons.
— Rob Pearson (@PearsonCPA) May 12, 2017
Expected "Life Championship" rings to be a little more gaudy. https://t.co/v4qc49Lotq
— Travis Reier (@travisreier) May 12, 2017
Say this for HS sports, you don't see teams getting rings for finishing third in the area/district/region. Not yet, at least.
— Travis Reier (@travisreier) May 12, 2017
They should stop calling them championship rings. They are participant rings. A championship wasn't won. A game was won (two in this case)
— Farris B (@BallCoach15) May 12, 2017
Potkey’s article notes that the Battle at Bristol organizers provided 125 free rings. UT ordered eight more for staffers at a reported cost of $325 each. Tennessee memorably inspired many hilarious memes for being showered with confetti and hoisting a trophy after the Bristol victory over Virginia Tech.
For more details on the rings and a full financial breakdown of the Music City Bowl expenses, Potkey’s article can be viewed here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
