The first time I visited UT (circa 2006), my high school buddy/four-year college roommate and I came with his parents to take in our first Vols basketball game.

At one point during the weekend, he and I went off on our own to explore campus. We of course found our way to the legendary Neyland Stadium, which was under construction (shocker!). We simply had to see inside the place, though, so we walked what seemed like a mile to the backside of the bowl, weaving our way through fences and caution tape.

Eventually we got in.

We crept around on the north side near the corner of the end zone closer to The Hill. We looked on in awe of how big the place was — our Nippert Stadium at The University of Cincinnati is only about a third of the size.

I probably looked a little foolish in how excited I was to see the famous checker pattern in the end zone. We snapped a few pictures, but we dared not go onto the field: we didn’t want to get in trouble, but we also felt ourselves not worthy of such an honor — to lay our feet on Shields-Watkins Field.

I secretly wondered if there would ever be a way I could go on the field, though, maybe just once.

Last weekend after the Orange and White game, however, a few other Daily Beacon sports staffers and I got to toss the game ball around on the field (sports editor Matt Dixon, winning guest coach on the Orange team, was awarded the pigskin for his valiant efforts as he ascended into UT coaching legend with an undefeated record). I got to go on a flag-route and caught a touchdown, unsuccessfully attempting to spin the ball in celebration. I also showed why I never attempted to walk on as a punter.

A groundskeeper with a sneering eye eventually kicked us off, most likely making it the last time that I will be inside Neyland Stadium as a journalist.

As we all left to head back to our cars, I was very aware that not many people get the opportunity to play catch at Neyland. And that’s just a taste of the cool stuff I got to do while I covered sports for the Beacon, Tennessee Journalist and the Knoxville News Sentinel during my time at UT. Although the School of Journalism and Electronic Media let me down in some ways, I came to Tennessee for the opportunity to cover perennial top 25 athletic programs in hopes to build a legitimate sports resume, and I got a lot more: I never in a million years would have expected the drama (and the privilege to cover) NCAA investigations and coaching changes.

It’s been great, but at least for now I’m leaving the sports reporting business. I’m anxious to head back to Cincinnati and find a job with relatively normal hours so I can maybe have the semblance of a regular life. I feel God has a lot of things for me to do there that have nothing to do with my career.

And sorry for the sappiness in this column, but I’ve got a little bit more for you.

I’ve had such a rare experience and been blessed with many opportunities here, so I have to thank those who helped me out.

Phil Kaplan and Jesse Smithey at the News Sentinel: Thank you for taking a chance on me just one year into my journalism career. I’m humbled and honored every single time I see one of my stories in the paper or online. I can only imagine it took some patience on your end, but working for you helped me more than you could know.

Grant Ramey and Cliff Chartrand: You have continued to be my friends and mentors even though you have moved on to bigger and better things. Your kindness to a dorky sophomore who didn’t know a thing about sports will forever be appreciated.

Zac Ellis and Matt Dixon: I was flattered that you two wanted me at the Beacon and were willing to give me an editorial spot event though I hadn’t previously been on staff. More than anything, I’m grateful for the relationships I’ve built here.

And a sincere thank you to everyone else who helped me along the way: my family, professors (especially in JEM) and friends.

— Clay Seal is a senior in journalism and electronic media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @clayjseal.