January 6th: One Of The Ugliest Times In Our History

Image: quotefancy.com

By Cody McClure

January 6th, 2021.

Hard to believe it’s been four years.

What do you think of when you hear that date?

It’s a date that could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

When I think of January 6th, 2021, I am reminded of a challenging time.

A time when people wept and wished for the days of old.

A time when we all thought things were going one way and then suddenly they ended up going another way.

A time when many of us were more divided than ever.

A time when a nasty disease plagued us and we wondered if our “new normal” was permanent.

That disease — Jeremy Pruitt — nearly took us all down with it.

Tennessee Football was at its lowest point ever, it seemed. Despite a 2-0 start to the 2020 season, Pruitt ultimately proved to be a fraud. The third fraud in a row hired and fired by the Vols.

Kiffin was a fraud, too, but he wasn’t fired. And technically Pruitt hadn’t been fired yet, either, but we hoped it was coming.

Apathy had set in for many of us. Personally, I quit watching the Vols play football that season after the Arkansas game. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that. Even in the tough years before that I didn’t quit on the team.

I had finally had enough.

“There’s more to life than caring about this shit,” I said. I decided to become a successful marine biologist. I failed.

On the hardwood, Tennessee’s basketball program had just taken its first loss of the season — a home defeat at the hands of rival Alabama 71-63.

And despite bouncing back from that defeat with a win over Arkansas that night, doubt was firmly cemented in the minds of Vol fans, as this team appeared to be fairly mid.

The Vols had missed the NCAA Tournament the year before.

They didn’t hold an NCAA Tournament the year before, but we would have surely missed it nonetheless.

Women’s basketball sucked. Baseball hadn’t done anything special yet. Swimming and diving was alright I think, but really the only place I felt like diving was off the Henley Street Bridge.

The point is, it was a difficult time for Tennessee Athletics — not to mention the NCAA trouble brought on by Pruitt and his staff.

I look back four years ago on where Tennessee was, and I’m thankful that we’re no longer there.

I look now and see the best athletic department in the United States of America.

United. All working toward a common cause. No infigthing. No drama. Just united in the pursuit of winning.

I remember January 6th, 2021 for what it was, and the thing that keeps coming to mind for me is simply —

United we stand. Divided we fall.

Have a great day on this January 6th anniversary and never forget how far we’ve come.