Highly successful Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello is leaving his perch atop the Volunteer program to try his hand in Major League Baseball as the San Fransisco Giants’ new manager.
Vitello leaves Knoxville beloved and that’s part of what made the decision difficult for the 47-year old baseball lifer. He was at times emotional talking to a small group of assembled media Thursday, giving a 12-minute statement and taking a few questions, but only answered ones regarding his time coaching Tennessee baseball and his life in Knoxville.
The national championship winning head coach described his decision to leave Tennessee as “a selfish decision that was one I needed to make.”
“It’s the right decision and I just hope it doesn’t give me Lane Kiffin status around here, because I feel like I’m a VFL,” Vitello said. “I think if someone truly invests in being a VFL for any amount of time, they’re just that — a Vol For Life. That’s what I am in my mind.”
Listening to Vitello, it was clear that it meant a lot to him to be a Vol for Life. He provided nine reasons why someone would want to be a VFL. Nine reasons why people love being VFLs. Here are those reasons.
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The People
“The people are friendly and welcoming here. It’s different. When I first got hired people asked me from all over the world that I got to meet through baseball, ‘What’s it like there? What’s your first impression?’ That was my immediate, first instinct answer. People in the state of Tennessee are different. They’re friendly, they’re welcoming and it’s an environment that anybody would want to be in a workplace or social setting or to raise a family or just be.”
Growth
“It’s not as long as I wish it was, but there’s a lot of time I’ve been here and around the beautiful mountains and the rivers and the lakes. The growth is tremendous in Knoxville. Also, Chattanooga and Nashville, but I think East Tennessee is unique unto itself. The growth is something I enjoyed seeing. It’s going to keep going.”
Loyalty
“It’s an important word in my family. Italian background. I think everybody likes loyalty, but it’s just different here. People have your back in so many different capacities, and as I read that word loyalty— Zakai (Zeigler), look at what happened with his house and the reaction there. It’s just one of many examples of how people take care of you here as long as you are representing the Vols the way that you should.”
The Stars
“Zakai is a star. Speaking of stars, the stars are in Tennessee. You’ve got the biggest male and female performer in the world in Tennessee. Of course Morgan (Wallen) and then the gal (Taylor Swift) that dates the tight end (Travis Kelce). West of the state— the shape of the state is unique. In the west you’ve got Ja Morant doing his thing. In the middle, you have Theo Von that the whole world loves. You come east and our damn mayor is Kane. He’s a superstar at his job he does now, but he was a superstar in the ring where I know I was one guy that was a fan back in the day, too. I don’t think people realize how unique it is until you give it some perspective.”
The SEC
“Blessed to be in it. Not everybody is and all due respect to people that aren’t, but it is so different. It starts with the most unique group of hooligans in the world. Forget the European soccer hooligans. The SEC fans are the rowdiest, the loudest, the meanest, the best cookers, the most involved, the most invested and they are at the core of what makes this conference. But also the reason they’re so invested is the competition on the athletic fields — whether it’s a baseball field or others — is literally the best amateur competition in the world and it prepares you for anything and everything. I hope a couple years from now, I’m looking at it in personal circumstances, but the competition literally prepares you for anything and everything.”
The Athletic Department
“It truly is a sorority and fraternity amongst us as coaches. Danny White’s leadership, not just on the financial end with the buildings and the other things that have gone on here — just (the) direction of hiring the right people at all these specific sports sites on our campus. It goes up to (Chancellor) Donde (Plowman), who is so energetic and the same person you see every day. Of course, (University President) Randy Boyd is probably, I don’t know the other university presidents, but it’s pretty unique. How all that falls in line makes it easier on— where it’s never easy in our league, or now across the nation to have success. They put all of us in a position to have success.”
Advancement
“People elevate their game and their lives when they’re at Tennessee. There’s so many different examples. Of course, my favorite — and probably everybody else’s — is Peyton Manning. We literally have the most successful on-field, off-field athlete in the world, in my opinion. Maybe (Lionel) Messi or somebody like that (if anyone) wants to argue. But it’s Peyton. It’s advancement and, sometimes, it’s just a guy plays here and people in Nashville take care of them. Or people around the state take care of them or her because they were a VFL.”
The Stadiums
“The facilities are monstrous. Now, I’m so happy that baseball can be included in that group of one of the biggest and probably the loudest football stadiums in the country. Goes the same for the arena. There’s construction all over campus to make these facilities truly first-class and also some of the best in the country to house the fans that we’re blessed to play in front of here. I could go on and on with other stuff, the campus, the weather, the restaurants in town.”
Rocky Top
“Who doesn’t want to sing “Rocky Top?” Even the opposing fans. If you catch them in the right moment, or you catch them with enough beverages in them, they’ll admit that they love “Rocky Top” even though they’re a part of another SEC school.”
What is your 10th reason?
“I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m not David Letterman, but that was nine. So maybe if anyone listens to my rambling, you want to add what 10 is to you because there’s certainly more than 10 for how special of a place it is. But maybe it’s special in another way for other people, but it is to me, and that’s why I wanted to at least get out in front of you guys a little bit.”
