University of Tennessee Athletics
UT's AD Suite Named For Bob Woodruff
February 21, 2014 | General
Feb. 21, 2014
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- On Wednesday evening, the University of Tennessee dedicated the director of athletics suite in honor of the late Bob Woodruff, who served in the athletic director role for UT from 1963-1985.
"It is a very fitting honor to name the athletic director's suite for Bob Woodruff, who served the University and its athletic programs with great passion and effectiveness during his long career at Tennessee," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart, who attended the ceremony along with his wife, Pam. "Bob played a central role in building the history and tradition of Tennessee Athletics, and it is very appropriate that the Athletics Director's Suite bear his name."
The Woodruff family was represented by Bob's son Joe, who attended the ceremony along with wife Vicki. Bill and Kay Stokely also attended, who made the dedication of the office suite possible through their generosity.
"It's an honor to represent the Woodruff family, as this is a great tribute to Dad's time at UT," said Joe Woodruff. "I'd like to thank Bill and Kay Stokely for making this happen, along with the University and the athletics department. This is a tremendous tribute to his time and legacy, and I look forward to it being associated with the University and athletics department for many years to come."
The Stokely family has demonstrated a remarkable pattern of service to the University, beginning with William Stokely, Sr., captain of UT's first intercollegiate football team. The family made a transformational gift that allowed UT to expand Armory Fieldhouse from its original capacity of 7,800 to 12,700. The dedication of Stokely Athletics Center in 1966 helped launch a golden era in Tennessee athletics history.
The Stokely family was also a leadership donor to the historic Neyland Stadium master plan renovations and the Stokely Family Media Center at the stadium is also named in their honor.
"We have great memories of Bob, who did so much for our University," said Bill Stokely. "He was a very strong leader with a gregarious personality, and his accomplishments within our athletics department are legendary and need to be recognized. I'm glad we're in a position to honor Bob, as it's certainly our pleasure to do so."
Woodruff played for Gen. Robert Neyland on the Volunteer football team as an offensive tackle from 1936-38, including the undefeated SEC and National Champion 1938 Vols. An Athens, Georgia native, he served as an assistant coach under Neyland at UT from 1939-41 and also served as an assistant at Army (1944-45) and Georgia Tech (1946) before becoming the head coach at Baylor, a position he held from 1947-49.
Woodruff spent the next 10 years as head coach and athletic director at Florida from 1950-59, and he returned to Tennessee as an assistant football coach on the staff of his former UT teammate, Bowden Wyatt, from 1961-62. Woodruff assumed the athletic director role at Tennessee in 1963 and would hold that post for the next 22 years.
During Woodruff's tenure as Tennessee's director of athletics, UT became one of the most successful broad-based athletic programs in the nation. Under his direction, Tennessee won national championships in football, cross country, swimming and diving and track and field while also participating in 15 bowl games and eight NCAA men's basketball tournaments.
