99.1 The Sports Animal is proud to announce the return of Sports Animal SportsFest on Saturday, June 28th, 2025 at Knoxville Expo Center!
Sports Animal SportsFest
Saturday, June 28th, 2025
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Knoxville Expo Center
Tickets are $5.00 at door.
*Free Admission for Children 12 and Under
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SportsFest 2025 Vendor and Sponsor Interest Form
Fill out this form for more information about becoming a vendor at SportsFest 2025 taking place Saturday, June 28, 2025 at the Knoxville Expo Center. We are searching for sports related items, activities and businesses.
Join us on Saturday, June 28th at the Knoxville Expo Center for Sports Animal SportsFest! This indoor festival celebrates all things sports! There will be multiple sports personalities doing Q&A’s, autograph signings, an awesome buy, sell, trade card show and more. Exhibitors will be on-site offering a fun-filled day for the entire family.
SportsFest has all your bases covered! Learn, play, watch or just get your picture with a VFL or other notable sports figure. From the novice sports fan to the diehards, SportsFest has something for everyone.
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More details coming soon…
Scheduled to appear…
Erik Ainge– VFL QB from 2004-2007 and spent two seasons with the New York Jets for 2008-2010 after being drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in 2008. Sports Animal host of the Erik Ainge Show Weekdays from 9a-12pm on 99.1 FM.
Jayson Swain– VFL WR from 2003-2006 and NFL WR with the Chicago Bears in 2007. He is currently 6th all-time in UT history with 126 receptions. Swain is also 13th in career receiving yards with 1,721. Jayson also hosts the Josh & Swain show on 99.1 The Sports Animal from 12p-3p as well as his podcast The Swain Event.
Jefferson County, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: A man at the center of a missing person search in Jefferson County has been found.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office had been searching Wednesday for 37-year-old Michael Woodard who they feared was suicidal.
JCSO officials announcing Wednesday afternoon that Woodard has been found safe.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing man.
JCSO officials say 37-year-old Michael Woodard is a white man who has multiple identifying tattoos including the name “Christian” on one arm and “Alexander” on the other, and a Pitbull tattooed on the outer calf.
JCSO says Woodard may be driving a silver Nissan Rouge with TN tag 1UF516, adding that he may be suicidal.
Anyone with information is asked to contact JCSO Det. Lt. Robby McMahan at 865-471-6000 ext. 1105.
Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park could see delays on the Spur over the next two weeks.
Park officials Wednesday announcing temporary, single-lane closures on both the northbound and southbound lanes of the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge beginning Saturday, April 26 and continuing on the following dates:
April 26 from 7:30 a.m. to noon
April 28 – May 1 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 5-8 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The closures will be in place to allow crews to mow, clean ditches, remove trees and fallen branches and pick up litter and debris.
Officials ask that drivers reduce their speeds, use extra caution and anticipate delays while crews are working.
Click here for more information on road, facility and trail closures within the park.
File photo of the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Powell, TN (WOKI) Whether or not a 15-year-old boy will be tried as an adult for the murder last October of a 13-year-old girl in Powell will not be decided until next year.
That ruling handed down Tuesday during Malakiah Lamar Harris’s appearance in Knox County Juvenile Court.
Harris has been charged with second degree murder in the stabbing death of Savannah Copeland on October 22, 2024 in the Broadacres Subdivision.
The court deciding Tuesday that Harris will appear some time between Jan. 20 and Jan. 23 for a transfer hearing, at which time the court will decide whether to try him as an adult.
Harris appears in court next on July 23.
Hearing set to decide if teen charged in Powell murder will be tried as adult. (Courtesy: WVLT)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee led the nation in combined attendance across football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball during 2024-25 regular season competition.
“We say this regularly, and the numbers clearly confirm it: Knoxville is undeniably America’s College Sports City,” said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White. “The tremendous support from our fan base is extraordinary and we are immensely grateful for the powerful home-field advantage they provide to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff on Rocky Top.”
A total of 1,234,843 fans attended Tennessee’s 41 regular season home games across the three sports, good for over 99,000 above second-place Michigan. Just six schools—the other four were Ohio State, LSU, South Carolina and Texas—eclipsed one million fans in cumulative home attendance.
Tennessee finished as the lone school in America to average over 30,000 fans per game across the three sports during the regular season, notching a 30,118 mark. Second-place Michigan (29,110) and third-place Ohio State (28,278) were the only other schools to even surpass a 26,000 mark.
The only school in America to rank even top-15 nationally in cumulative attendance and/or average attendance during the regular season in all three sports, Tennessee finished top-six in every category.
Across its seven football games, Tennessee drew a total of 713,405 fans to rank sixth nationally during the regular season. The Volunteers’ average mark of 101,915 also placed sixth. Seven of the top 19 SEC single-game attendance marks in 2024-25 came at Neyland Stadium, which featured a sellout each time Tennessee took the field.
In men’s basketball, a total of 340,436 fans came to see Tennessee play in its 17 home games, good for third-most in the country. The Volunteers also ranked third with 20,026 fans per contest and were one of only three teams to post a mark above 19,000. Tennessee, which tied a single-season record with eight sellouts, hosted eight of 18 highest-attended games of the regular season, including two of the top four. It drew the eight largest single-game home crowds of any SEC school.
Tennessee placed fourth in the country in women’s basketball with 181,002 fans attending its 17 regular season home games. The Lady Volunteers’ average crowd of 10,647 ranked fifth. Tennessee also hosted the sixth-highest-attended non-conference regular season game in the sport, including the second-highest between Power Five opponents.
In addition, Tennessee (1,053,841) was one of only three schools to surpass one million fans in regular season home attendance in just football and men’s basketball, alongside Michigan (1,076,487) and Ohio State (1,030,565).
Meanwhile, Tennessee was the only institution to rank top-five in regular season cumulative and/or average attendance in both men’s and women’s basketball, with Indiana the lone other school to place even top-10 on each list.
Additionally, Tennessee led the country in regular season combined attendance in men’s and women’s basketball both cumulatively (521,438) and on average (15,336). It was the only school to eclipse the 500,000 mark, while just three others—South Carolina (470,091), Indiana (469,297) and Kentucky (443,512)—even surpassed 400,000. It was the only institution above a 15,000 average, with only three others—South Carolina (14,245), Indiana (13,803) and Kentucky (13,004)—above 13,000.
Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and/or volleyball can visit the Season Ticket Info page and then select a sport to learn more.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee star Zakai Zeigler is the Tennessee Sportswriters Association (TSWA) Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, as announced Wednesday morning.
Zeigler garnered 12 of the 20 votes, with players from Tennessee schools across all levels of college basketball considered.
This is the third time in the last seven years a won Volunteer the award, including the second in a row. Zeigler follows Dalton Knecht (2023-24) and Grant Williams (2018-19).
A Third Team All-America designee from all four official outlets, Zeigler finished seventh nationally in EvanMiya.com’s national player rankings and just outside the top 10 on KenPom.com’s list. He won SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row, the third player ever to do so.
One of four finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Zeigler earned First Team All-SEC recognition from the league’s coaches for the second consecutive year. The senior guard was an NABC First Team All-Central District and SEC All-Tournament choice.
Zeigler averaged 13.6 points, 7.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game during his final collegiate campaign. He set the SEC single-season record with 275 assists, breaking the tally of 260 that stood since 1980.
A 5-foot-9, 172-pounder from Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler finished his career with Tennessee records for assists (747) and steals (251). Those numbers place him third and co-ninth, respectively, on the SEC all-time list. He is the only player in conference history to amass 1,500 points, 700 assists, 350 rebounds and 250 steals.
Zeigler’s play helped Tennessee go 30-8 (12-6 SEC) and tie a program record with a fifth-place finish in the national polls. He aided the Volunteers to a second straight Elite Eight trip during a season in which they spent five weeks atop at No. 1 nationally and defeated a program-best seven AP top-15 foes, including four in the top seven.
Chattanooga’s Dan Earl won TSWA Coach of the Year. On the women’s side, Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes collected the player honor and Union’s Mark Campbell won coaching plaudits.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
An investigation is underway following a fatal crash on North Broadway.
Knoxville Police Officers were called to the 1700 block of North Broadway early this morning (Wednesday) and found a Jeep on fire and flipped on its side.
Preliminary investigation shows that a car was attempting to pull left into the Kenjo gas station, driving into the path of the Jeep.
The passenger of the Jeep, a 22-year-old man, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. The driver of that vehicle, 22-year-old William Gavigan, showed several signs of intoxication.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment and arrested for driving under the influence.
The driver of the car, a 32-year-old man, refused treatment.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 4/6 Tennessee got off to a fast start and never looked back in an 11-1 run-rule win over Lipscomb on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Five different Vols had multi-hit performances as the team finished with 14 total hits on the night while the pitching staff held the Bisons to a single run on just five hits.
Andrew Fischer drove in three of UT’s first four runs with a two-run homer to open the scoring in the bottom of the first before plating another run with an RBI single in the third. The junior first basemen led all players with three hits and three RBIs for the game and continued his impressive on-base streak, which now stands at 44 consecutive games dating back to the end of last year.
Efficiency on the Mound
Austin Breedlove got the start on the mound and provided the Vols with three scoreless innings to get things rolling, allowing just two hits while striking out four batters. Lefty Michael Sharman was the first arm out of the bullpen and followed Breedlove’s lead with three shutout frames of his own to pick up the win.
Loving the Long Ball
After a frustrating weekend at the plate against Kentucky, the Volunteers looked like themselves in Tuesday’s win, leaving the yard four times while racking up seven extra-base hits in the win over Lipscomb.
Hunter Ensley, Cannon Peebles and Levi Clark joined Fischer in the home run parade, with Clark’s two-run blast capping a six-run seventh inning to send the run-rule into effect.
Tuesday’s game marked the eighth this season in which Tennessee has homered four or more times.
Back in Black
UT broke out its “Dark Mode” uniforms for the first time this season, donning the popular black tops and hats that it wore throughout its postseason run to a national championship last year.
Up Next
Tennessee travels to Baton Rouge for a top-10 showdown against No. 3/7 LSU at Alex Box Stadium this weekend. Friday’s series opener is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET start on SEC Network+ while Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPNU and Sunday’s finale is slated to be broadcast on the SEC Network.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/4 Tennessee fell to No. 19 Clemson 4-3 in a nine-inning battle Tuesday night at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Tennessee (38-9) broke through with the game’s opening in the bottom of the third. Ella Dodge singled up the middle to spark the offense, and Emma Clarke reached on an error, allowing Dodge to move into scoring position. Taylor Pannell then came through with a clutch RBI single to center, giving the Lady Vols a 1-0 lead.
Clemson (38-12) responded in the fifth. A hit batter, single and walk loaded the bases, before a throwing error allowed three runs to score as the Tigers took a 3-1 lead.
The Lady Vols answered in the sixth as McKenna Gibson and Sophia Nugent delivered back-to-back singles, with Nugent advancing to second on the throw. Following a Clemson pitching change, Gabby Leach lined a two-run single to right, scoring pinch runners Amanda Ahlin and Katie Taylor to tie the game at 3-3.
Clemson capitalized again in the ninth after a walk, a hit, and a sacrifice foul out brought home the go-ahead run. Tennessee threatened in the bottom half with two runners aboard, but a double play on a flyout to center sealed the win for the Tigers.
IN THE CIRCLE Karlyn Pickens (18-5) started for Tennessee and retired the first eight batters she faced. The Weaverville, North Carolina, native struck out eight, walked three and allowed four runs – one earned – on the night.
CHECK THE STATS Taylor Pannell extended her on-base streak to 18 games and finished with one hit and one RBI.
Tuesday marked the fourth meeting between the programs and the third to go into extra innings. All four games in the series have been decided by one run.
DUE UP Tennessee travels to Oxford, Mississippi, for its second-to-last SEC series of the regular season. The Lady Vols open the three-game set against Ole Miss on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Games 2 and 3 are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with all three contests streaming on SECN+.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV / WVLT) – A controversial bill that would allow Tennessee public schools to keep illegal immigrants out of classrooms died this legislative session.
As the session wrapped up, HB0793/SB0836 sat in a House subcommittee for more than a week. The proposal passed in the Senate but was moved behind the budget over concerns of its financial impact.
Sponsor Rep. William Lamberth (R-Sumner County) said he was waiting for a response after reaching out to federal officials to ask if the state would lose more than $1.2 billion annually for violating Title IX by discriminating against undocumented students.
“I am going to spend a couple of days trying to figure that out and make sure that there isn’t a danger of that with this administration,” Lamberth said during a Thursday press conference. “With the (Biden) administration, I guarantee there would’ve been a risk of that. But under a Trump administration, we are just trying to figure that out.”
The bill has not been brought up for another hearing since then and Lamberth’s spokesperson said Tuesday the House Director of Fiscal Review is confirming the status of federal funding.
A controversial bill that would allow Tennessee public schools to keep illegal immigrants out of classrooms appears to be dead this legislative session.
Hundreds of students, parents and education advocates protested at committee meetings and even marched across downtown Nashville before the bill was moved down. They were concerned that a child’s right to a free education was at risk under the proposal that allows schools to unenroll or charge tuition to students who can’t prove they are U.S. citizens.
The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition is preparing to celebrate the bill’s death as soon as the legislative session is gavelled to a close. Executive Director Lisa Sherman Luna said the legislation would open the door for lawmakers to target other groups in the future.
“This really is an extreme idea to kick children out of school based on where they were born or how they got here,” Sherman Luna said. “Tennesseans from all walks of life and across the political spectrum know that education is a fundamental human right. It is something that we should uphold and be proud of.”
She said TIRRC is preparing to work on the local level this summer to get school boards to pass resolutions against the proposal to get enough support that the bill would be dead on arrival at the start of the 2026 legislative session.
CLINTON, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Anderson County Commission passed Monday night a resolution changing how it collects occupancy taxes. It’s the latest East Tennessee county to change tax rates to fall in line with state legislation.
A Tennessee bill passed last year set a deadline of July 1 for counties and cities to limit how much money they collect from hotels and motels. After the deadline, the combined tax rate from counties and the cities inside those counties can’t go above a total of eight percent.
Monday evening, the Anderson County Commission passed a resolution scrapping its current five percent rate, replacing it with a four percent rate.
In some cases, the resolution has lowered tax rates to move in line with Tennessee’s limit of eight percent. However, another piece of the resolution means some areas will see a tax increase.
Under the resolution, the county’s tax rate now “stacks” on top of all city occupancy taxes, not just some. It’s a change for cities like Oak Ridge, which originally did not see a “stacked” county tax in addition to city taxes, which caused some concern among the commission. That concern being higher rates stifling tourism in some areas.
“I’m going to have to vote against it then,” Commissioner Stephen Verran said when discussing a potential tax increase for hotels in Oak Ridge.
That being said, Mayor Terry Frank claimed during the meeting that state estimates show the new system will bring generate $1.1 million in revenue, up from $690 thousand.
