Fallout from the football playoff loss at Ohio State was 98.7 percent negative. There was one positive. Nico survived two cracked helmets.

The setback was a strange ending to what I thought was a very good 2024 for Tennessee athletics. The Vols won another Southeastern Conference all-sports trophy. The university used big words like “extraordinary” and descriptive terms like “success across all 20 sports.”

One measurement was the pay increase for Dr. Danny White, vice chancellor and director of athletics. He now leads the country with $2.75 million annually plus a bonus ceiling of $600,000 for doing what he is paid to do.

Several other accomplishments got my attention. I stayed up late to follow baseball to the national championship. Vols defeated Texas A&M. Of course, Peyton Manning was there to proclaim “Omaha, Omaha.” Tony Martin was there, too, to again hum his song by the same name, the one he wrote and sang for ESPN 25 years ago.

All media voters said second baseman Christian Moore and first baseman Blake Burke were all-Americans.

It was an exciting series. The deciding game, 6-5, was a bit too exciting. The Aggies scored two in the ninth before Aaron Combs ended the drama with a strikeout. Left fielder Dylan Dreiling was series MVP – a home run in each game, seven hits in 12 at-bats, seven RBIs, four runs scored.

Exciting season, 60 wins, 184 home runs, clutch pitching, Hunter Ensley’s once-in-a-lifetime catch.

Tony Vitello ended up national coach of the year. He received a token raise, from $1.5 million to $3 million, new high mark in the college game.

Baseball, softball and men’s basketball won SEC titles. Believe me, those things are hard to get.

The basketball team (27-9, 14-4 SEC) gave us one of the finest seasons in forever. The TV audience for the Elite Eight was 10.4 million. Vols finished fifth in AP and coaches polls.

Dalton Knecht was SEC player of the year. He became an NBA multi-millionaire, Los Angeles Lakers, four years, $18,483,220.

Knecht won the SEC scoring title at 21.7 points per game, eighth-best in the country. He amassed 780 total, second to Allan Houston in program history.

Zakai Zeigler was honored as SEC defensive player of the year. Rick Barnes earned $1.7 million in bonuses.

After all that, the coach used the transfer portal to recreate. He brought in Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic, Felix Okpara and Darlinstone Dubar. The current Vols are off to a 12-0 start, No. 1 in the country.

Softball Vols had a 44-12 record. They made it to game 3 of the NCAA Super Regional. For the fourth time, Karen Weekly was SEC coach of the year. Karlyn Pickens won league pitching honors and was an all-American (1.12 earned run average, 22-7 record). Payton Gottshall was an all-American, too (1.37 and 20-5).

Left fielder Rylie West (alas, no relation) batted .343 with 13 home runs and 39 runs batted in. Off to the side, she received UT’s highest student honor, the Torchbearer award. She made the dean’s list every year. She was an all-American scholar athlete.

Rylie said being a Torchbearer “means I’m more than an athlete. I’m more than jersey number 5 … I’ve made a difference within my community, in my time here.”

Tennis anyone? The women’s program soared (22-8) under Alison Ojeda, national coach of the year. The Lady Vols, No. 16 seed, made it to the Final Four for only the second time in program history.

Interesting peek at the roster: Esther Adeshina, Bracknell, Great Britain; Lauren Anzalotta, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Catherine Aulia, Rosebery, Australia; Leyla Britez Risso, Asunción, Paraguay; Sofia Cabezas, Valencia, Venezuela; Eleonora Molinaro, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Elza Tomase, Liepaja, Latvia; Alana Wolfberg, sunny Orlando.

The men played, too. Johannus Monday was SEC player of the year for the second time. He went 28-3 in No. 1 singles. Monday is from Kingston upon Hull, a port city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, in jolly old England. Nobody else would provide you such information.

Good football and human-interest story in the United States in September – Josh Heupel’s return to Oklahoma. He was the consensus all-American quarterback of the Sooners’ 2000 national championship team and a prominent assistant coach until dismissed for no good reason after the 2014 season.

Heupel tried to downplay the revenge trip to Norman but the 25-15 victory set off a loud celebration in the locker room. That told you all you needed to know about how the squad felt about their coach.

Best day in football was Tennessee 24, Alabama 17 on the third Saturday of October. A fiercely determined defense and a good catch by Chris Brazzell of a 16-yard pass from Nico turned the Tide with 5:56 remaining. A later field goal by Max Gilbert added comfort.

It was a great finish that included three comebacks. Dylan Sampson produced 139 yards and two touchdowns. All of Alabama combined for 75 rushing yards.

So, you and a few million others missed the rowing show on the river. Tennessee’s No. 1 eight accounted for a 44-4 boat record. The first season under coach Kim Cupini produced the best results in program history, third nationally. Cupini was named U.S. coach of the year.

Sarah Abrams, Alice Fahey, Meg Flanagan and Sasha Radovanovic earned first-team all-America honors.

Women’s basketball changed directions. Dr. Danny went to Marshall, West Virginia, and brought back Kim Caldwell as the new coach. Kim had led the Thundering Herd to the NCAA tournament and had previously won the Division 2 national title at Glenville State with her pressing defense and attack-attack style of offense.

White said he would have liked more background information than Kim’s eye-popping 217-31 record for eight seasons as a head coach but if he hadn’t hired her when he did, “someone else was going to. I think she’s going to be one of the best basketball coaches in the country.”

She may already be. Caldwell is off to a 12-0 start at Tennessee.

UT women finished fourth in NCAA swimming and diving. The men were sixth. The teams combined for five silver and three bronze medals.

They earned eight SEC golds. Camille Spink won SEC 50 and 100 freestyle and anchored the winning medley relay team. Mona McSharry won the 100 and 200 breaststroke and had the second leg in the medley victory.

Jordan Crooks was first in the SEC 50 free. Bryden Hattie got the gold in platform diving and was named the SEC diver of the year. For the 12th time, Dave Parrington was named SEC diving coach of the year. Dave is a true master at what he does.

Not all 2024 developments were great or even good. Joy Bowling retired after just 41 years at UT. She was T-Club director.

Rumor has it that the lights are out in the great Bud Ford’s little part-time cubicle. He was the last sports information link to yesterday. No formal announcement. No plaque. No parade.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com