How a Vol fan's tweet turned into a scholarship
When lifelong Vol fan and proud military family member Will McNeeley learned the terrorist attack on August 26th killed East Tennessee solider Ryan Knauss, he wanted to see if he could find a way to honor the Gibbs High School graduate.
Social media can be a power tool. And that’s where McNeeley started. A tweet to Tennessee athletics director Danny White asking how much money did he need to raise to permanently buy a seat in Neyland Stadium to honor Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
“I didn’t really expected anything to happen with that tweet,” McNeeley said. “I thought maybe a couple of likes or retweets.”
His tweet was retweeted 72 times and received 294 likes. More importantly it generated a phone call.
“Marcus Hilliard (chief of staff at the UT AD) called me and said he saw the tweet and was very excited that I wanted to do something to honor them,” McNeeley said. “He suggested that instead of a seat in Neyland, that I start a scholarship. As it would not only create a lasting legacy, but also help impact others. I immediately jumped at that idea and asked how do I get started?
McNeeley has been working with former basketball Vol and development staff member Steve Hamer along with Jerry Hanner, Jr. development director for the Haslem School of Business on the creation of the Veteran's Memorial Graduate Business Scholarship.
“It will be awarded to an individual who is seeking their graduate studies and has family ties to the military (active or veteran status; Gold Star Family) or is coming from a service academy (Army/Navy/etc) or military university (VMI/The Citadel/etc),” McNeeley explained. “Our goal is to raise $25,000 by year's end (we already have some good donations) and $50,000 by the end of 2022. If the public wishes to also support this great cause, they can donate to the GoFundMe I have set up: gofundme.com/f/utvmsf."
For McNeeley Vol football and respect for those who serve are two passions in his life.
“I am the son of a marine and grandson of 2 World War 2 veterans. One grandfather was a tailgunner on a bomber. The other was part of the Manhattan Project who worked on the Y12 plant in Oak Ridge, TN. He helped develop the fuel for the atomic bombs.my family ties to the military run very deep. And thus, so does my respect, admiration, and love for our nation's military,” McNeeley explained. “They sacrifice so much to ensure our freedoms and values here in America are intact everyday. So when I heard about those service members in Afghanistan who were killed in a terrorist attack, I immediately prayed to God to let him show me a way to give some respect to those service members. When I found out one of them was from the Knoxville area, I immediately jumped at an idea to send the tweet. As an ordinary citizen, sometimes I wonder what actions I can take to honor the fallen, veterans, and active service members. Other than telling them "Thank you for your service" or possibly donating to other causes, what more can I do? So this is my way of doing something actionable that creates not only a lasting legacy but will impact more lives.”