Outlive

Tennesse's OUTLIVE Campaign Raises Over $130,000

Matthew Ryter — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:48:11 -0800

In 2007 the University of Tennessee community had learned that their star player, Chris Lofton, had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Lofton beat the cancer through early diagnosis and treatment and went on to play during the 2007-08 season while battling this disease. With the help and permission from Lofton, Brooks Savage created “OUTLIVE”, a program that attempts to raise awareness and money for cancer research and screenings.

On Saturday, Tennessee hosted #3 Kentucky, a game televised nationally on CBS. It was a perfect opportunity for OUTLIVE to get its message out, selling hundreds of orange t-shirts to create an "Orange Out." The event was a success as well over $100,000 was raised for cancer screenings & awareness.

The creator of OUTLIVE, Brooks Savage, a graduate assistant, started off as a student manager during his freshman year under then coach Buzz Peterson and remains with the team now under Bruce Pearl. Brooks was nice enough last year to talk to CHN about this program and agreed to answer a few questions again this year.

Interview with Brooks Savage, OUTLIVE

CollegeHoops.net: What is the goal of the OUTLIVE program?

Brooks Savage: The main goal of the program is to raise awareness and money towards cancer prevention and early detection screenings. The idea of the screenings is to catch symptoms early. Cancer can be treatable when caught at its earliest stages.

CHN: How far has the program come in its inaugural year? What is the biggest obstacle this time around?

Brooks: Last year OUTLIVE raised more then $93,000 and helped the UT Medical Center provide more then 2,500 free cancer screenings. So far this year we have raised over $130,000. About $223,000 in 13 months.

Last year the story was fresh and new. It’s harder the second time around to figure out ways to appeal to the community and draw attention to it

CHN: Last year’s t-shirts were white and featured a different design. How did you come up with new T-Shirt design this year?

Brooks: We came up with three different t-shirt designs and posted them on the UT website (utsports.com). The fans voted and the most popular design won. The back of the shirt is also different. Last year featured a quote from Chris and this year it has “Together We Make a Difference.” It’s going to take all of us to beat this disease. This year we went with an orange shirt – we want to create an 'orange-out' effect.

CHN: Do you still stay in contact with Chris?

Brooks: Yes, we talk about once a week. He’s healthy and is playing well. He plays in Spain for a team in Madrid called Asefa Estudiantes. His team recently played Ricky Rubio’s team (Editor’s Note: Lofton scored 20 points in 30 minutes in a 79-70 loss to Rubio’s Regal Barcelona team )

CHN: What is an “orange out?” How can people buy a shirt?

Brooks: On Saturday we played host to Kentucky. Tennessee and Kentucky is one of the best rivalries in the country, so we wanted all the fans to wear these shirts to create an “orange out “ effect and also support our fight against cancer. The shirts can be purchased on campus, online, or at the local Walgreens, which has pledged to donate 100% of the proceeds to the UT Medical Center.

CHN: Are there other ideas/events to take OUTLIVE to the next level?

Brooks: We have participated in different events to raise awareness for the program. We hosted a benefit that Florida head coach Billy Donovan attended the night before we played them in Knoxville. He is a first class coach and person and it is great to see the support from other teams. Our team has visited the hospitals to give patients a sense of normalcy. Different sponsors, the local channels and the Volunteer Network are also doing a great job in spreading the word. Coach Pearl and his wife, have been fantastic in promoting it and trying to find new ideas to benefit the program.

You can help Brooks and the UT Medical Center fight cancer by purchasing an OUTLIVE t-shirt online or donating to OUTLIVE.

Also: Watch Coach Pearl talk about the 2010 OUTLIVE Campaign at a weekly press conference.

Tennessee's OUTLIVE Campaign Set to Take Center Stage

Matthew Ryter — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:01:10 -0800

“You’re going to get knocked down. It’s whether you stay down or whether you get back up and fight that counts.”

Around the campus of University of Tennessee you will find what they call their brand icon: This “UT” brand icon has been around since 1986. For example, its used in the slogan “FUTURE.” This brand icon visually and graphically ties the UT community together.

Brooks Savage, a 23-year-old graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee, has used the brand icon in an attempt to raise awareness and money for cancer research. His “OUTLIVE” program is another way to tie everyone together, not only at UT, but hopefully across other college campuses as well. He started off as a student manager his freshman year under then coach Buzz Peterson and is still with the team now under Coach Pearl. Brooks was nice enough to talk with CHN about this program…

Interview with Brooks Savage, OUTLIVE

CollegeHoops.net: What is the OUTLIVE program?

Brooks Savage: The goal of the Outlive program is to raise money towards early detections and cancer screenings. The money is going to the UT Medical Center. Our idea with these screenings is hopefully to catch symptoms early. Almost everyone has been effected by cancer in some way, shape, or form. Our goal coming into this project was that if we can just help one person it will be worth it.

CHN: How did you come up with the name OUTLIVE?

Brooks: I wanted to use the “UT” brand icon in some way. Outlive means to live longer then, or to survive. That’s the point that I wanted to drive home.

CHN: When did you come up with the idea for this program? Who were your biggest supporters?

Brooks: I came up with the idea for the project around August. Of course with football going on I didn’t expect this to really take off. Tennessee has a variety of projects going on at all times and at first it didn’t seem as if they wanted to take on another one. I was hesitant at first. My parents told me to stick with it because they knew I was passionate about it. Coach Pearl also told me to stay after it. He really kept me motivated. I honestly can’t say enough about the guy. He has been behind this program since day one and has encouraged me to keep after it.

CHN: How did you approach Chris Lofton with the idea? What is his take?

Brooks: I asked Chris first. He can be a private guy, like anyone can be. I didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. He is an inspiration behind this idea. Everyone got to see a small part of the person he is while he played at UT. He’s and even more tremendous person off the court. I have never been around a bigger competitor or a harder working player since I have been here.

CHN: What is “white out” night? How can people get a shirt?

Brooks: We want to create a white out effect against Florida this Saturday. (ESPN 9PM) White Outlive t-shirts will be given to the students and we have been selling these shirts since the Gonzaga game. They can be found around campus or bought online. This is taking place during Coaches vs. Cancer week and figured this is as good a time as any. It is not about the shirts though. The point is to honor someone, a loved one, a friend, whatever it may be, and to honor their story.

CHN: Are there other events/ideas to take OUTLIVE to the next level?

Brooks: There has been a great deal of message boards online with responses of people telling their stories. It’s a great way to get people connected. Players from the team have visited the hospital. You can tell that the patients had a sense of normalcy while they were there. They were asking questions like “Are you guys going to beat Memphis this weekend?” It’s nice to see something like that.

Tennessee will welcome ESPN College Gameday and play Florida on ESPN at 9 PM. Join Brooks, and the thousands of OUTLIVE supporters in attendance, by purchasing your t-shirt online.