The University of Tennessee athletics department enjoyed a record fiscal year from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023, the school announced on Wednesday. 

For the first time in school history, the athletic department surpassed $200 million in revenue generation. The economic success was across the board for Tennessee. The final mark was $202,097,305 in total operating revenue, outpacing the department’s expenses. 

Ticket sales increased 13% from $35.1 million to $39.7 million. Concessions and parking also enjoyed an increase, jumping 83%. Royalties, licensing and sponsorships also rose 34%. 

Tennessee football’s record season during the fiscal year also helped the record increases. Football accounted for $31.4 million in ticket sales while men’s basketball made $5.2 million and baseball made up $1.2 million. Contributions saw a jump of over 90%.

“As we seek to build upon our championship tradition across all sports, generating new revenue is vital so we can invest back into our student-athletes, coaches, and staff to give us as many competitive advantages as possible,” said athletics director Danny White in a school release. “I continue to be amazed by the passion and support of Vol Nation. Reaching these new heights on Rocky Top provides a winning edge by generating resources for strategic investments in student-athletes, coaches, and programmatic infrastructure.”

Part of White’s “Rise Glorious” plan was to grow Tennessee’s operating budget. Tennessee is already outpacing the goal of having a the 2026-27 goal of a 200-plus million-dollar budget. 

White’s revenue goals start with success of the athletes and support from the fans. 

“We put a foundation in place from a revenue standpoint (with) both the stadium and the arena to really maximize the value we can get out of those two venues, and put an aggressive sales force in place,” White told The Daily Beacon in August. “Obviously winning football and basketball really helps, when you’re trying to sell those two venues.

“But not every fan base can respond the way that ours did. And it’s pretty impressive how quickly we sold out the stadium combined with the season ticket sales, the fundraising and sponsorship revenue growth we’re seeing in basketball and football.”