Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SJR0155 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
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4	4	SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 155
5	5	By Massey
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8	8	SJR0155
9	9	003513
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13	13	A RESOLUTION to honor Bob Kesling on the occasion of his
14	14	retirement.
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16	16	WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the members of this General Assembly should honor
17	17	those citizens who have performed with uncommon devotion and enthusiasm throughout their
18	18	careers; and
19	19	WHEREAS, Bob Kesling is one such estimable individual, who, after more than twenty-
20	20	five years of service as the Voice of the Vols on the Vol Radio Network, will take his much-
21	21	deserved retirement this year; and
22	22	WHEREAS, Mr. Kesling is a renowned voice in the broadcasting industry, and his
23	23	outstanding tenure and unwavering commitment to Tennessee sports have made him the
24	24	longest-serving member of the Vol Network's seventy-five-year history; and
25	25	WHEREAS, Bob Kesling began his association with the University of Tennessee,
26	26	Knoxville, as a walk-on fullback on the 1972 freshman football team; he began his career in
27	27	broadcasting two years later when he was hired by John Ward as a film editor for the Bill Battle
28	28	Show on the Vol Television Network; and
29	29	WHEREAS, in 1976, Mr. Kesling was hired to serve as Mr. Ward's spotter for Vol
30	30	Network radio broadcasts, and he sat beside the legendary Voice of the Vols in the booth for
31	31	fifteen seasons, spotting and handling pre-game, halftime, and post-game interviews; and
32	32	WHEREAS, Mr. Kesling graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1977
33	33	and served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Lady Vol basketball team from 1978 until 1999
34	34	and called Pat Summitt's first six NCAA National Championships; and
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39	39	WHEREAS, on July 1, 1999, Bob Kesling was officially named the Voice of the Vols on
40	40	the Vol Radio Network, one of the largest networks in collegiate sports with more than sixty
41	41	stations, in which position he proudly served as the play-by-play voice for Tennessee football
42	42	and basketball; and
43	43	WHEREAS, Mr. Kesling represented Tennessee athletics in various roles, including the
44	44	Vol Network Director of Broadcasting; he hosted Vol Calls, the Big Orange Hotline, the Josh
45	45	Heupel Show, and the Rick Barnes Show; and
46	46	WHEREAS, Bob Kesling previously served as sports director of WIVK Radio and as
47	47	sports director of WBIR-TV, where he also worked for Jefferson-Pilot Sports on its SEC
48	48	Television package; he served as both pre-game host and play-by-play announcer for the
49	49	basketball network and sideline reporter and play-by-play announcer for the football broadcasts;
50	50	and
51	51	WHEREAS, Mr. Kesling broadcasted various sporting events for CBS/Westwood One
52	52	Radio, Fox Sports, Fox SportSouth, and the SEC Network, in addition to calling games for the
53	53	Knoxville Cherokees hockey team, the Knoxville Blue Jays baseball team, and the Nashville
54	54	Sounds baseball team; and
55	55	WHEREAS, no stranger to awards and accolades, Bob Kesling is a four-time recipient of
56	56	the Sportscaster of the Year award; he was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in
57	57	2024, a most prestigious honor that recognizes his enduring legacy in the broadcasting industry,
58	58	and the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2015; and
59	59	WHEREAS, a highly respected member of his community, Bob Kesling served on the
60	60	board of directors for several organizations, including Goodwill, the Leukemia and Lymphoma
61	61	Society, and the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame; he also served as chairperson of the 2013
62	62	United Way campaign; and
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67	67	WHEREAS, his many career accomplishments aside, Mr. Kesling is fortunate to share
68	68	love and companionship with his wife, Tami, and their two daughters, Allison and Melissa; and
69	69	WHEREAS, for five decades, Bob Kesling has served as a cornerstone of the Vol
70	70	Network, demonstrating the utmost professionalism, ability, and integrity, and winning the
71	71	unbridled respect and admiration of his colleagues and community alike; and
72	72	WHEREAS, Mr. Kesling exemplifies the spirit and allegiance to family and community
73	73	that are characteristic of a true Tennessean, and he should be specially recognized; now,
74	74	therefore,
75	75	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH
76	76	GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
77	77	REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Bob Kesling upon his
78	78	storied broadcasting career and service as the Voice of the Vols, extending to him our heartfelt
79	79	wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement and every continued success in his future endeavors.
80	80	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
81	81	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
82	82	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
83	83	without House or Senate designation.
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