NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you needed any proof of how dedicated Tennessee Volunteer fans are, not even a literal roadblock could keep Damon King away.
"Nashville is UT country around here so," said King. "Had to find my parking spot but I was determined to get out here and check it out."
Only, this isn't a football game. It's not even a pep rally. Vols fans showed up in big numbers for, quite literally, a press conference.
"I try to go just about every year," said Esker Harrison.
"It’s good to be around people who love the Vols," added King.
Harrison drove 400 miles from her home in Alabama to attend SEC Media Days in Nashville — which begs the question — why?
"I would just like to see them up close," said Harrison.
Harrison says just a simple glimpse, maybe even a quick word with head coach Josh Heupel, would make the 84-year-old about as happy as she was when Tennessee beat Alabama.
"I even put a cigar in my mouth — didn’t smoke it but I put it in there," said Harrison, who got a phone call shortly after that. (Her ringtone was Rocky Top by the way.) "I am happy win, lose or draw, but it sure is nice to be winning."
But here's the thing about SEC Media Days as a fan — it's mostly watching and waiting. Most fans stare at the escalator, hoping they'll see their favorite coach to ever wear orange, come through the lobby. At one point, Big Orange fans got all excited for a coach to come down, only to see former Tennessee Head Coach Lane Kiffin walk in.
"Did he just come through here? Oh Lord," quipped King.
As you might expect, Heupel got a warm welcome from the assembled Vols fans.
"It's about time!" yelled Harrison, after waiting hours to speak to Heupel.
Harrison showed off her orange toe paint to the head ball coach.
"I like your toes," replied Heupel.
So, were dodging the roadblocks and all the watching and waiting worth such a brief encounter? Harrison's ear-to-ear smile is all the proof you need.
"Nice to meet you — have a great night, all right?" Heupel said to Harrison.
Vols fans wanting to travel to next year to SEC Media Days will need to start looking at flights to Dallas. They're playing host in 2024.
