STAFF
MIKE VOLLMAR
SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/FB ADMINISTRATION
FIRST Season At Tennessee SIENA HEIGHTS ‘88 • A veteran of 25 years in college athletics, Vollmar oversees the operations of the Tennessee football program and is a member senior executive staff • He has been a part of 17 bowl games during his career while helping his teams to four conference titles and a national championship • Comes to the Vols from Michigan, where he spent the last two years as the associate athletic director for football helping guide the Wolverines to back-to-back bowl appearances including a 2011 BCS Sugar Bowl Championship as Michigan finished the year with an 11-2 record • Spent 2008-10 at Alabama where he oversaw the administration of the football program during a time in which the Crimson Tide went 36-5, won the 2009 BCS National Championship and SEC title and appeared in three consecutive bowl games • Worked as an assistant athletic director and director of football operations at Michigan State from 1996-2007, overseeing all phases of the Spartan football program’s operations while also managing construction of a new $12 million football facility • The Spartans appeared in six bowl games during his tenure (’96 Sun, ’97 Aloha, ’00 Citrus, ’01 Silicon Valley, ’03 Alamo and ’07 Champs Sports) • Prior to Michigan State, worked for five years at Syracuse (1991-95), during which time the Orangemen finished 41-15-1, won three bowl games in his five years (’92 Hall of Fame, ’93 Fiesta, and ’96 Gator Bowls) and captured the Lambert Trophy championship in 1992
• At Syracuse, Vollmar was responsible for oversight of recruiting and administration, and four players recruited during his tenure were named to the Syracuse All-Century Team (Donovan McNabb, Kevin Abrams, Donovan Darius, and Kevin Johnson) • Began his career from 1988-90 with Michigan serving as assistant recruiting coordinator and in athletic administration under the late Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller. During his Michigan tenure, the Wolverines went 28-7-1, winning three Big Ten Championships, with two Rose Bowl appearances and a Gator Bowl appearance • Mike’s father, James, was a running back at Michigan from 1956-58 • Earned a master’s degree in sport management from the United States Sports Academy in 1999, where he was recently named Alumnus of the Year for 2010. • Vollmar currently serves on the Rose Bowl Advisory Committee, the AFCA National Committee for Directors of Football Operations and U.S. Sports Academy Alumni Board • Received a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in speech communication from Siena Heights University in 1988, where he was a pole vaulter on the Saints track and field team • A native of Riverview, Mich., Vollmar graduated from Riverview High School in 1983, the same school that produced former University of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, former Vanderbilt head coach Woody Widenhofer and former Colorado head coach Bill McCartney • He and his wife, Tami, have a daughter, Bailey Lauren
BRAD PENDERGRASS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS
FOURTH Season At Tennessee Tennessee ‘98 • Brad Pendergrass returned to Knoxville in 2010 as UT’s director of football operations • Pendergrass’ primary role at Tennessee is to oversee the day-to-day administrative operation of the football program in the areas of budgetary management, team travel, pre-season training camp and bowl planning, as well as serving as head coach Butch Jones’ liaison to all athletics department support units that assist the football team • In 2012, Pendergrass was named to serve on athletic director Dave Hart’s senior administrative staff • Prior to his return to Rocky Top, Pendergrass held the same position for one season at Wisconsin after a fiveyear stint at Mississippi State. His first full-time position, however, was at Tennessee with his alma mater in football recruiting • Pendergrass made the move to Wisconsin in 2009 as the Badgers’ director of football operations and handled the team’s administrative operations, budget, travel, and nonconference scheduling as well as other administrative duties under head coach Bret Bielema 24
2013 Tennessee FOOTBALL
• At Mississippi State, he spent his first three years as assistant to the head coach for Sylvester Croom. Pendergrass was named coordinator of football operations in 2007, and then was promoted prior to the 2008 season to assistant AD for football operations. In that role, Pendergrass was part of athletics director Greg Byrne’s senior staff, while maintaining his responsibilities with the football program • Pendergrass spent 10 seasons with the Vols under head coach Phillip Fulmer -- rising from student manager, to graduate assistant for the coaching staff, to graduate assistant in football operations and later to full-time recruiting assistant • During that 10-year period, the Vols enjoyed 10 consecutive bowl game appearances, highlighted by winning the 1998 national championship and back to back SEC championships in 1997 and 1998 • A native of Huntingdon, Pendergrass received his bachelor’s degree in business/marketing from UT in 1998. He earned a master’s in human performance and sports studies in 2001