What does Tim Tebow, David Price, Mark Ingram, Peyton Manning, Shaquille O'Neal, Bo Jackson, Herschel Walker, and Rowdy Gaines have in common with former Blue Gray Tennis MVP John Patrick Smith? ----They are all former recipients of the SEC Athlete of the Year Award!

Few tennis players have come close to approaching the career milestones that Smith reached in his final season at Tennessee. Smith finished not only as the Vols’ first four-time ITA All-American, but he also became just the second player in college tennis history to earn All-America status in both singles and doubles every year of his career, joining another former Blue Gray MVP - Rick Leach of Southern California (1984-87).

Smith led the Vols to the program’s first back-to-back SEC regular-season titles the last two years and ended his career as Tennessee’s all-time combined singles and doubles victories leader with 298 (152 singles and 146 doubles wins). He was also an NCAA singles finalist in 2008 and an NCAA doubles finalist with Sandgren in 2009 and 2010.

Blue Gray fans around the world congratulate J.P. on this outstanding accomplishment.