June 14, 2011
Vanderbilt Head Coach James Franklin is switching sports this Saturday in the name of charity, accepting an invitation to play in the 11th Annual Comcast “Jeff Fisher & Friends” Charity Softball Game in Nashville.
First pitch for the event, which benefits the Nashville Children’s Alliance, Mercy Ministries, Catch-A-Dream, InterFACE Ministries, The American Freedom Foundation and several other local charities, is set for 7 p.m., in Nashville’s Greer Stadium. Tickets ranging from $10 for general admission to $15 for lower reserved seats. Tickets for kids 12 and under are $6.
Franklin will join an array of Nashville personalities, including current Titans’ Cortland Finnegan, Marc Mariani and former Commodore Jovan Haye, former NFL stars Eddie George, Blaine Bishop, Brad Hopkins, Kevin Dyson and Chris Sanders, Predators’ coach Brent Peterson and play-by-play announcer Pete Webber and contemporary Christian singer Michael W. Smith among others at the event, which is being billed as “the final farewell game” for Fisher, the Titans’ highly respected former head coach.
“It’s an honor to be asked to participate in an event that recognizes Coach Fisher and also supports several local charities,” Franklin said. “It’s going to be fun. I’ll be ready to play, especially after watching Tim Corbin’s baseball team win in the College World Series earlier that afternoon.”
Saturday promises to be a fun-filled day for the first-year Commodore head coach. Franklin plans to start the day by hosting the first Vanderbilt Future Stars Football Camp, geared to youngsters in grades 1-8 and their parents. The four-hour activity ends at 1 p.m., just before the first pitch of the Vanderbilt-North Carolina game in Omaha.
