Tennessee

Tennessee Super Bowl 58 ties include Christian McCaffrey’s uncle who played at Vanderbilt

Published

2 years ago

February 6, 2024

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey’s uncle Billy was a star basketball player at Vanderbilt, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ father was a pitcher for the Nashville Sounds.

San Francisco tight end George Kittle lives in Nashville on a property where he built his own golf course in the backyard, and the 49ers’ Charvarius Ward, who played at Middle Tennessee State, is an All-Pro second team cornerback who played in two previous Super Bowls with the Chiefs.

Those are a few of the local ties entering Super Bowl 58 on Sunday (5:30 p.m., CBS). Here’s a more detailed list:

Kansas City Chiefs

• Izaiah Gathings, tight end on the practice squad (MTSU): Gathings signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in May. He signed with the Chiefs in July but was waived before the season. He re-signed with the Chiefs on Dec. 20.

• Darius Harris, LB, (MTSU): Harris, who already has two Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs, was signed off the practice squad in December. He has seen action in five games this season.

• Richie James, WR, (MTSU): James has 11 receptions for 114 yards. He is averaging 20.8 yards on nine kickoff returns and 10 yards on 20 punt returns.

• Patrick Mahomes II, quarterback: Mahomes’ father, Pat Mahomes Sr., pitched for the Sounds in 2003 and 2004. The younger Mahomes was 7 in 2003. His father posted a combined record of 10-8 and struck out 59 batters in two seasons with the Sounds.

• Pat Sperduto, co-director of college scouting (Nashville Kats coach and Titans assistant): Sperduto was the coach of the Arena Football League’s Nashville Kats from 1999-2001 and again from 2005-07. He also was on the Titans’ coaching and scouting staffs (2001-08).

• Trey Smith, OG, (Tennessee): Smith has made 50 career starts and is his third season with the Chiefs.

San Francisco 49ers

• Oren Burks, LB (Vanderbilt): In his sixth NFL season, Burks has made five starts and recorded 46 tackles with one sack and one interception.

• James Cregg, assistant offensive line coach (Tennessee offensive line coach): Cregg spent the 2009 season as UT’s offensive line coach under Lane Kiffin. The Vols allowed just 12 sacks that season, tied for fewest in the SEC.

• Jauan Jennings, WR (Tennessee; Blackman): Jennings has 25 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown in his third season with the 49ers.

• George Kittle, TE (lives in Green Hills on a 75-acre property that includes a golf course and fitness center): 49ers’ third-leading receiver with 71 catches for 1,128 yards and seven touchdowns.

• Christian McCaffrey, RB (uncle Billy McCaffrey played basketball at Vanderbilt): Billy McCaffrey, whose older brother Ed is Christian’s father, played two seasons (1992-94) at Vanderbilt after transferring from Duke. Billy averaged more than 20 points per game in both seasons at Vanderbilt and led the Commodores to the 1993 SEC championship and the NCAA Sweet 16.

• Charvarius Ward, CB (MTSU): Ward is playing in his third Super Bowl. His first two were with the Chiefs. Ward was named All-Pro second team and to the Pro Bowl this season. He has 46 tackles, five interceptions, 23 pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Former Titan Terry Killens will officiate Super Bowl

Another local tie in the Super Bowl will be former Tennessee Titans linebacker Terry Killens, who will become the first person to play in and officiate a Super Bowl.

Killens, 49, played five seasons (1996-2001) with the Titans, including their appearance in Super Bowl 34 against the St. Louis Rams.

Killens started officiating in the NFL in 2019. He will work his first Super Bowl as an umpire.

Lissa Bradford entering Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame

Former Harpeth Hall golfer and Belmont coach Lissa Bradford is part of the 2024 Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame class.

Bradford won the 1981 TSSAA state championship and played at Alabama, where she served as captain from 1984-86. Bradford won two Tennessee Women’s Amateur championships (1983 and1985) and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1983.

She began her career as assistant pro at Springhouse Golf Club at Opryland and Belle Meade Country Club. She has served as senior director of Junior Golf for the Tennessee Golf Foundation at Golf House Tennessee since 1995.

Bradford also served as Belmont’s women’s golf coach from 2001-20.

Retired Herald-Citizen sports editor Frank Layne dies

Longtime Cookeville Herald-Citizen newspaper sports writer Frank Layne died on Feb. 2.

After serving as equipment manager for the Tennessee Tech football and baseball teams, Layne graduated from Tech in 1961 and became Cookeville’s first full-time recreation director,

After leaving town for several years, Layne returned in 1970 to cover local sports, including Tennessee Tech for The Herald-Citizen. He retired in 2000. In 2019, he was honored by the Ohio Valley Conference with its inaugural media lifetime achievement award.

Nashville Sounds single-game tickets on sale

Nashville Sounds single game tickets for the 2024 season are now on sale.

The Sounds will play 75 home games beginning April 2 with a five-game series against the St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins). The reigning Triple-A Champions, the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles), visit April 30-May 5.

Tickets can be purchased bit.ly/3Ox4rRW or by calling 615-690-4487.

Belmont hires tennis coach

Jeff Cero was hired Monday as Belmont’s men’s tennis coach.

Cero spent the past four seasons as coach at George Fox University in Newburg, Oregon. He led George Fox to three consecutive Northwest Conference championships, three straight NCAA tournament appearances and a national quarterfinal finish in 2021.

“It is truly an honor to be a part of this program and family of student-athletes, and I am excited to jump in right away,” Cero said. Prior to George Fox, Cero was the men’s and women’s tennis coach at Colorado Christian University, where his women’s team set the school record for wins in a season.

If you have an item for Midstate Chatter contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

Darius Harris

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Tennessee

Polk County library chair questions constitutionality of Tennessee book challenge bill

Published

11 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Polk County library chair questions constitutionality of Tennessee book challenge bill

POLK COUNTY, Tenn. — More Tennesseans could soon be able to request library books be removed under a bill making its way through the General Assembly.

The new piece of legislation aims to expand an existing law that lets libraries choose who can submit requests for review of a book.

Friday we spoke with the chairman of the Polk County Library Board, who says he worries this legislation infringes upon First Amendment rights.

“There are groups that I feel that can take advantage of this process,” Timothy Woody says.

Chairman of the Polk County Library Board Timothy Woody says while this bill wouldn’t drastically change how Polk County operates, he’s concerned about how it could be used in other parts of Tennessee.

“Libraries all across the state of Tennessee, for lack of better terms, are being attacked in some areas. Groups are coming into libraries, and they’re trying to get books banned. They’re pushing these reconsideration forms over and over and over and trying to get books taken out of libraries.”

According to the American Library Association, book challenges reached record highs nationwide in 2022 and 2023 with Tennessee among the states reporting some of the highest numbers in recent years.

Teen reads book on floor of library. Getty Images.

In 2025, the University of Maryland says the top reasons for banning books had to do with content that was sexually explicit or inappropriate for certain age groups.

But a bill making it’s way through the Tennessee General Assembly would let any resident in any county to ask a library to “withdraw, move, or reclassify an item.”

That request would go before the library board, which then has 90 days to respond.

In Polk County, Woody says they currently operate under a collection development policy that lays out exactly how materials are selected and how they’re challenged.

Anyone requesting a review must fill out a reconsideration form detailing their concerns.

Woody says strong policies like Polk County’s are what protect libraries from outside pressure.

“Your library boards have to be open minded and non biased when it comes to any type of views…”

This issue is sparking concern on social media.

One user commenting on our Facebook post wrote, “If you don’t like a book, don’t read it.” Another called the proposal “a slippery slope.”

Woody says he understands those concerns.

“It is an infringement on our First Amendment rights.”

Although censorship is considered a First Amendment violation, some limitations are constitutionally permissible. According to Middle Tennessee State University, a court of law may take community standards into account when deciding whether materials are obscene and thus subject to censorship.

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Tennessee

Trump touted gas prices under $2.30. Tennessee gas prices say otherwise

Published

24 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Trump touted gas prices under .30. Tennessee gas prices say otherwise

Gas prices are much higher than Trump claimed in Tennessee.

President Donald Trump bragged about low gas prices for drivers during State of the Union address.
Only 8 out of 150,000 gas stations are selling gas below $2 a gallon. TN gas prices are much higher.

President Donald Trump bragged about low gas prices during his State of the Union address Feb. 24, but prices are considerably higher than he claimed — even in Tennessee, where gas usually costs less than the national average.

AAA.com’s national average gas price stands at $2.98, almost an entire dollar-per-gallon higher than Trump’s claims of gas costing “$1.99 in some states” based on CNN fact checking. Here’s how Tennessee’s actual gas prices compare to Trump’s claims.

How much does gas cost in Tennessee compared to Trump’s claims?

Tennessee’s current gas price is $2.56 a gallon, according to AAA. That is about 57 cents higher than the prices Trump said gas cost in some states during his State of the Union address. It is also 26 cents higher than the $2.30-per-gallon price Trump claimed was common in most states, according to CNN.

Tennessee is one of the few states selling gas for under $2.60 a gallon. In fact, the Volunteer State has some of the lowest gas prices in the nation as of late February. TN average gas prices are down 24 cents a gallon year-over-year from $2.80 a gallon.

State gas prices have been on the decline in recent weeks. In contrast, some American drivers are paying over $4 a gallon for gas in 2026.

States with the highest gas prices in 2026

State	Gas Price according to AAA
California	$4.63
Hawaii	$4.40
Washington	$4.35
Oregon	$3.92
Nevada	$3.71

States like Oklahoma ($2.43), Kansas ($2.54) and Mississippi ($2.52) boast low gas prices, but the national average remains high.

While Trump touts gas prices under $2, national average is closer to $3

Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan, released a statement titled, “The Real State of Fuel Prices,” before — and after — Trump’s address, which pointed out that the average price nationally for gas is closer to $3 a gallon.

In his State of the Union speech, Trump said gas “reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor,” calling it “a disaster,” and added “it is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon.”

A few weeks ago in Iowa, he claimed he even “saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.”

Gas prices, De Hann said, are lower on average than they were a year ago, but sub-$2 gas is “extremely rare.” Moreover, he pointed out that a president — whether to blame or credit — has limited control over the price of gasoline.

What a petroleum analyst says about Trump’s gas price claims

Gas prices did reach $1.85 a gallon in early January in Iowa De Haan said, but prices there “have since risen” and “at this moment, only 8 out of roughly 150,000 gas stations nationwide are selling gasoline below $2 a gallon.”

Of those, four stations are in Texas, one is in Oklahoma and three are in Kansas.

De Haan also said that the lowest statewide average is $2.33 a gallon in Oklahoma, and that for about a month, prices at certain stations in Colorado “fell well below $2 per gallon, with some dropping into the $1.60s.”

But they were “highly localized competitive events.”

Mostly, De Haan pointed out, gas prices are determined by the global oil market, and partly by weather. Lower oil prices now, in contrast to when Biden was in office, means lower gas prices.

In addition, a surge of oil production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a cartel of oil-producing countries, has put downward pressure on prices. The freezing weather this winter has, too.

Frank Witsil of The Detroit Free Press contributed to this story.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com

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Tennessee

LSU women ride hot third quarter into win over Tennessee in last regular-season home game

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

LSU women ride hot third quarter into win over Tennessee in last regular-season home game

Tennessee shifted over toward Mikaylah Williams. So the LSU women’s basketball team’s star junior peered across the lane and roped a pass over the defense and down to Flau’jae Johnson, who buried a 3-pointer from the corner.

That bucket was an important one. It didn’t just give the No. 6 Tigers (25-4, 11-4 SEC) a 12-point lead late in the third quarter. It also marked the point at which they took control of their 89-73 win over the Lady Vols on Thursday — a victory orchestrated by their three-star guards.

Williams tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 18 points, grabbed six boards, blocked four shots and assisted three others. Johnson, on her senior night, shot only 3 of 10 from the field and 3 of 9 at the free-throw line but still finished with 10 points, becoming one of four LSU contributors to score in double figures.

The Tigers have now clinched a double bye in the SEC Tournament for the fifth year in a row.

“Today it was,” coach Kim Mulkey said, “don’t settle for anything outside the paint until they take charges or they stop you. You just go right to the paint, and you score, and I thought we did that.”

Tennessee runs a unique system. Second-year coach Kim Caldwell makes hockey-style line changes, engages a full-court press for the whole game and encourages the Lady Vols (16-11, 8-7) to let their 3-pointers fly. They’re certainly dangerous. But they did enter Thursday’s matchup with losses in seven of their past nine games.

LSU was in much better shape. It just needed to collect Tennessee’s misses and minimize its turnovers to get the win, which it did, for the most part, in the second half. The Tigers may have allowed the Lady Vols to shoot 11 of 29 from beyond the arc, but they also gave up only seven offensive rebounds and coughed up just four possessions across the third and fourth quarters.

Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson added 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, while Grace Knox — another freshman forward — chipped in 13 points and nine boards. Sophomore point guard Jada Richard added nine points.

Tennessee had three players in double figures. Its leading scorer was Jaida Civil, a freshman guard who finished with 17 points.

“We were moving the ball as a team,” Caldwell said. “ I think we were doing a really good job on the offensive glass. They obviously made the adjustment. That was harder for us coming out (of halftime), and they really picked up their effort at the rim, and we gave up a lot of second-chance points.”

The two teams traded hot shooting stretches in the first half. Tennessee struck first, using a trio of 3-pointers to string together a 9-0 run halfway through the first quarter. LSU then responded in the second by collecting misses and using them to build a 14-0 blitz, but it just couldn’t shake the turnover issues that the Lady Vols both forced and turned into points.

The Tigers led just 43-42 at halftime, but they began the fourth quarter with a much more commanding 70-59 advantage, in large part because they turned the ball over only once in the third. Williams — who became the 17th player in LSU history to eclipse 1,500 career points on Thursday — either scored or assisted seven of the 12 field goals LSU converted in that frame.

“I thought Mikaylah Williams really, really had a good game,” Mulkey said.

According to ESPN, Mulkey is now the first coach in SEC history to lead a team to at least 25 wins in each of the first five seasons of their tenure. Mulkey has eclipsed that number of victories in 23 of the 26 seasons of her head coaching career.

LSU also honored seniors Izzy Besselman and Amiya Joyner on Thursday. Besselman is a former walk-on guard who’s missed the last two seasons while battling a heart condition. She checked in to the game to a loud ovation in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, making her first appearance in a game since March 24, 2024.

Joyner is a 6-foot-2 forward who joined the Tigers ahead of this season as a transfer from East Carolina. She’s started each of the past four games, and on Thursday, she played eight minutes.

The Tigers will now finish in the top four of the SEC’s regular-season standings for the fifth consecutive year. They won’t start their conference tournament run until the quarterfinal round tips off next Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Before then, though, LSU will play one more regular-season game: a road matchup with Mississippi State that will tip off at 3 p.m. Sunday.

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