Everything Mike Keith said Wednesday about becoming the new 'Voice of the Vols'

What Mike Keith said Wednesday night while meeting with reporters to discuss becoming Tennessee’s next “Voice of the Vols”:

Being around Tennessee Basketball the next couple months, preparing to call basketball next season

“It’s trying not to get too overwhelmed by all of it. There’s so much to take up. I’ve done basketball. I’ve had a chance in recent years to do a lot of state tournament stuff to kind of keep the skills there. I followed Bob (Kesling) back when he did the Lady Vols. Before Mickey Dearstone became Bob’s backup, I was Bob’s backup. So that was really where I got started doing it. But it’s just about flow and preparation. What sorts of sheets do you want to use to be able to keep up with all the information? And the stats that are most important? And just sort of learning the philosophy of kind of what are the most important things that you use at a basketball game? I’ve done a lot more baseball and I’ve done a lot more football. And so those things kind of, the flow of it, you understand the knowhow. That’s what I need the most work on. That and the pace and making sure I know all the rules. And I got a lot to learn, but that’s okay. I’m excited to do it.” 

If he was reflected on advice John Ward gave him, how much he applies it to this job as he becomes the new Voice of the Vols 

“The John Ward thing is the biggest part of the equation. Because in learning from John, there were so many lessons all the time. I’ve talked a lot about the preparation part of it because John was so prepared that it was just phenomenal. And I’ve followed back to a ’T’ throughout, to the point of being over prepared most of the time. But it goes back to Ryan’s question about how do you get ready. You can try to do too much, you can have too much info. 

“So what’s really important? The thing that John did that was so big towards his preparation and his thoughts for us, when we were giving scores, like when I was part of the Big Orange Scoreboard, if there was something going on that potentially affected Tennessee, say at the end of a basketball season, say you’re playing the 17th conference and it would help you if Mississippi State won, he would want you to give the Mississippi State score every break because he knew that’s what Tennessee fans wanted the most. 

“And that philosophy about create a broadcast, create different content-type products that appeal to where people are, where they live and how they follow it, that was the thing he did well. His secret is his connection was there in every way because he was most interested in hitting that. Sounds really elementary, but John never forgot the thing was the thing. And the thing was the fans. And that’s why they listened to, that’s why they followed it. So there’ll be, I could give you six hours on what John Ward would think about everything that he said out loud. And then the things that we watched him do that we’ve all stolen from him over the course of our careers.” 

What has and hasn’t changed about Tennessee since he was here in the 1990s

“Well, the fan base hasn’t changed. The fan base is larger, but Tennessee is a place like no other. There were several people that I worked with in Nashville who, when 30,000 people showed up in Columbus a few weeks ago, they’re like, ‘well that’s just crazy.’ I said, ‘come on, really?’ I mean, that’s who they are. I was there in 1985 for the 86 Sugar Bowl. When we took over New Orleans. Miami’s playing for the national championship and it was 95% Tennessee fans down there. And for years afterwards everybody in New Orleans said, ‘man, we hope Tennessee makes the Sugar Bowl again.’ Because there was just nothing like it. There is nothing like this fan base. There is nothing like this passion and I want to be a part of it. What’s changed? Knoxville’s changed a lot. I’ve been gone for 27 years, really enjoying what I’ve seen of that so far. What’s happening on this campus is crazy. Just had somebody who’s close to me, their daughter got in school here and they had a party because it was her dream school. When I was coming out of high school, people didn’t call us the dream school. You got in because you basically got in. And now the university’s a bigger deal. Everything that goes on here is a bigger deal. And the excitement around it is just catching and to get to join this team overall at this time— not just the athletic teams and the athletic department— but to be part of it. Hey, I recruited two kids to go to Tennessee at breakfast in Brentwood on Sunday morning. So I want them all to come here. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t.”

Early moments when he thought he wanted to be the Voice of the Vols

“So I really wanted to be voice of the Vols from when I was a little kid to the point that when I came up here on my campus visit and at the end of my junior year, Mike Moore, who is a legendary figure in sports production, was working at the communications department at the time for what was the UTV Network. And I told him, he said, ‘so what would you like to do with your career?’ And 17-year-old me goes, ‘oh, I’m gonna be the next Voice of the Vols.’ Now I’d like to apologize for that. For being that obnoxious.  I don’t know what I was thinking. I would like to tell 17-year-old me to cool it. And then as I got to work for John (Ward) and I saw what he did and I saw how it wasn’t easy. And then I knew Bob (Kesling) was going to be next and he should be next because he had put in that time and everything that went with it, you know, it all changed (for him). But when I was a kid, from like seven to 17, I thought, oh, that’s me. That’s what I want to do. I was pretty singularly focused. I was very obnoxious and I needed to stop. Like I said, at this point, you look back on that, it’s like *cringe*, but it meant that much to me. I knew I wanted to work in broadcasting. I knew how much I loved Tennessee. I knew how much I loved (the) SEC, the college experience, and particularly with the CFP now and everything that goes with it. There are elements to it that make it a more exciting overall, college football in particular, a more exciting sport to be a part of. So I’m thrilled to be here and excited for what all we’re going to try to do. We’ve got a lot that we’ve gotta build on from the tradition that’s here. The things that aren’t broken, we’re not going anywhere near. Like John Wilkerson doing baseball, and the things that the Vol Network does great. Which are the majority of things that they do. I’m not here to reinvent it. I’m just here to take the next 25 years, I hope. That’s the goal I want to finish in year 100 of the Vol Network. That would be the goal.”

The support he’s received from Tennessee fans over the years, what the response over the last week has meant to him

“I’ve told the story that I was nervous about all of it from the standpoint that I called friends and I said, ‘okay, if I take this job, how do you think they’re gonna react?’ And my friends were pretty level-headed. They said, ‘Okay, I think it would go well.’ It’s been a little beyond what I thought it would be. And being out to breakfast last Sunday morning after the snow in Brentwood with my mom and my brother and nephews and sister-in-law and my family, just talking to people in public about it, you know, for the first time. It was just really so great because I think they understand what Tennessee means to me.

“And so they’ve been congratulatory from the standpoint that they’re like, we know this fits into your story in such a neat and a special way. I’ve never been shy about my history with John Ward. I’ve never been shy about being partial to WUTK, spending time with them and trying to help anyway that I could ’cause that’s the place I really got started, and I believe we have the best campus radio station in America. I’ve sent people to go to school here just because that’s a place you can get started.

“So all of that sort of put together with the fact that it’s an incredible career opportunity. I mean, Tennessee is one of one. Period. This is Tennessee, and when you look at the scope of what we are in so many different sports, I don’t think there’s anything like it. The people’s kindness towards me has really been the cherry on top to this entire experience. ‘Cause you don’t ever know, you don’t know what to expect, and being in the midst of 3-14 (with the Tennessee Titans), I was kind of cowering a little bit anyway. So you’re kind of fearing the worst when you’re going through that. So to have this go so well for a multitude of reasons was extra special.”

What the support from the Titans organization and Titans fans have meant to him

“What was so meaningful to me was the phone call that I got from (Titans owner) Amy Adams Strunk and Kenneth Adams, IV. And what they had to say to me about going forward with this opportunity, being happy for me, knowing that this meant something to me in a different way both personally and professionally. And I was nervous about that ’cause the Adams family was extremely good to me. Bud Adams was wonderful to me. Everybody with the family has always been really good to me. And at the very basic level, I mean they gave me a chance when I was 30-years-old. They put me in a position where I could put a roof over my kids’ head and, you know, pay for groceries and things like that. They gave me a job. They gave me a life in that way, and they gave me a chance to travel all over the country and see NFL football games. And so their opinion of me matters. And that phone call made last Thursday so much easier because it was so hard to walk away from that organization that you’ve sort of poured your heart and soul into over 30 years. I think most people would say they could probably tell I’m into it. And when I’m into it, I’m into it. And I was all in for 27 years. The same way I’m gonna be all in here come Aug. 30 in Atlanta against Syracuse. So them saying go forward and prosper, meant the world to me. And the fans, who were always very supportive, have been very kind as well. And so that’s, I mean, it’s still hard. It’s still hard ’cause I still love it.”