Garrett Reeves calls his job “the honor in a lifetime.”
He’s the newest addition to an exclusive team of handlers for UT’s live mascot, Smokey XI.
Nothing beats the atmosphere of Neyland Stadium, especially at the beginning of a football game. The time-honored tradition of running through the ‘T’ unites the crowd as bluetick coonhound Smokey leads the football players onto the field.
Smokey has been the University of Tennessee’s live mascot since 1953. While there have been many different Smokeys throughout the years, universal love for the dog has stood the test of time.
Reeves experiences the power of Neyland and the love for Smokey in real time.
“I grew up a Tennessee fan my whole life. So being able to run through the T and be on the field for a checkered-out Neyland Stadium last week against Georgia, I got a little emotional,” Reeves said.
The process of becoming Smokey’s handler is extensive, and Reeves went through many rounds of interviews after applying at the end of his sophomore year.
“It’s a position that’s exclusive to Alpha Gamma Rho … and then they invited the final two applicants to a training session with Smokey XI, just to kind of see how well we worked with the dog, and I was just fortunate enough to get selected as this year’s handler,” Reeves said.
The Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity has held the position of Smokey’s handler since 1977, and each Smokey handler has carried on the tradition that this position requires.
“We’ve got a lot of guys (in AGR) that all truly want the best out of each other, so being able to be built up as an incoming freshman my first semester to where I am now. I’ve grown so much, matured a whole lot. I’m super grateful for that,” Reeves said.
One of Reeves’ close friends, sophomore Alex Katzikian, is one of those brothers who loves seeing Reeves thrive in this position.
“I think it’s awesome, just knowing that someone I’m close with has the opportunity … and being able to see him on the field and run through the T is a really cool, really special moment for him, and being able to watch him do that is awesome,” Katzikian said.
While Reeves has grown, the legend of Smokey has as well. There have been eleven versions of Smokey, each vastly different from the previous one. The current Smokey is a direct descendant of Smokey X.
“Smokey X did it for, I think, 10 years. … He loved it. He was pretty much the perfect live mascot that you could ask for. And (now) Smokey XI is trying to follow in his footsteps, but it sure is some big shoes to fill,” Reeves said.
As Smokey XI begins his second year on the job, the biggest goal is comfortability. Reeves and the other handlers train with him twice a week in order to get him acclimated to the overwhelming Neyland atmosphere.
“There’s obviously no way to replicate 102,000 people screaming, with speakers blaring and fireworks. So we do the best we can to do that inside of Neyland. And then also we’ll go over to the TREC practice fields whenever the band is practicing their pre game routines … just so he’s ready for Saturdays in the fall,” Reeves said.
Smokey XI’s progress is improving by the week, and so is his connection with his handlers. The trust involved in this role leads to increased comfortability and more interactions with fans.
“At (the) Georgia (game), we were not expecting this, but we were able to stay a whole lot longer on the field than we were against ETSU. … He’s continued to improve every week, and we saw that improvement against Georgia. So hopefully we can keep building on that and stay as long as we can, the rest of the season,” Reeves said.
Outside of being the most famous dog at UT, Smokey XI is known to be a goofy, normal dog. He lives with the Hudson family, who have been the owners of every version of Smokey since Blue Smokey in 1953.
“Miss Hudson is currently his owner right now. … It’s kind of stayed in the family that whole time, which is really cool.” Reeves said. “It’s an honor to represent that and represent the legacy of the Hudson family and their ties to the University of Tennessee,”
As Smokey XI continues to grow throughout the season, it’s clear that he’s in good hands with his team of handlers and dedicated fans. To some, Smokey may be just a dog, but to UT, Smokey represents something bigger than that.
“I don’t think that this role is about me. It’s 100% about showing off the culture of UT in the form of the live mascot, being able to make people’s days by just being able to catch a glimpse of him,” Reeves said. “It’s truly the honor in a lifetime to be able to do this and represent this university that I have such great pride in attending and I’ve loved my whole life. It’s super humbling to be able to be a small part of such a big deal to a whole bunch of people.”
