Clarksville, TN – Called the largest crowd ever by Tennessee Titans play-by-play voice Mike Keith, the Titans Caravan rolled into Clarksville and were greeted by throngs of fans at the Kroger at 1489 Madison Street, Monday night.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, left tackle Michael Roos, corner back Jason McCourty, Titans mascot T-Rac and Keith — on the first day and sixth stop of the Caravan — signed autographs and took pictures with eager Titans fans for nearly two hours after first conducting interviews with the local media, including the Clarksville Sports Network and Clarksville Online.
The 14th Titans Caravan is a regional series of school visits and free, public autograph signings, sponsored by Grange Insurance and for the first time, the U.S. Army will be joining the Titans Caravan at public stops. The Caravan will make 50 total stops in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from April 30th through May 11th. The Titans didn’t hold a Caravan lost year because of the lockout.
Roos began the day with students from Greenbrier and Watauga Elementary Schools.
“It’s been a fun day,” Roos said. “It’s our sixth stop and we’ve already been to a lot of elementary schools and public stops in Kentucky and Tennessee and it’s been fun getting to meet our fans and getting the chance to thank them for supporting us.”
Hasselbeck joined Roos at the Kroger in White House and then met with students at South Edmonson Elementary School in a private session.
“It’s been a busy day” Hasselbeck said. “Mike started at 8:00am in the morning. I went to the workout in the morning and jumped on a bus right after that so it’s been a long day, but the support has been awesome. We’ve been around Tennessee, been to Kentucky and it’s been fun.”
The day ended with three consecutive public stops: at the Shoe Carnival in Bowling Green, KY, at O’Charley’s in Hopkinsville, KY and finally the Madison Street Kroger, where McCourty joined the group.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” McCourty said. “A lot of the times we just meet the fans in Nashville. This is actually my first time in Clarksville so getting the chance to meet some of the fans is exciting.”
And the fans were excited to meet the Titans, including two Clarksville High sophomore football players, 15-year old Tony Blakely and 16-year-old Nathaniel Johnson.
“It was great seeing Michael Roos, Jason McCourty and Matt Hasselbeck,” Blakely said. “It was great to see NFL players up close.”
Blakely, and aspiring offensive lineman himself, was also caught of guard by how big the Titans were saying, “They were pretty tall. They were bigger than I expected.”
For Johnson, getting the see Hasselbeck was the biggest thrill, “He went to the Super Bowl with Seattle and he brought in really good experience.”
Johnson also appreciated the fact the Titans came to Clarksville.
“You just don’t get that excitement anywhere,” he said. “Really only at the Titans Caravan.”
Titans Caravan Gallery
14th Annual Titans Caravan Schedule
| Tuesday, May 1st: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30am CT | Camden, TN | Wendy’s (120 Highway 641) | Jason McCourty |
| 3:30pm CT | Paducah, KY | Logan’s Roadhouse (5317 Hinkleville Road) | Jason McCourty |
| 6:00pm CT | Dyersburg, TN | Mobile Nation (490 Highway 51 Bypass) | Jason McCourty, Jared Cook |
| Wednesday, May 2nd: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 3:30pm CT | Memphis, TN | Shoe Carnival (2261 North Germantown Parkway) | Jared Cook |
| 6:00pm CT | Jackson, TN | West Tennessee Healthcare Complex (250 Bancorp S Pkwy) | Jared Cook, Alterraun Verner, Colin McCarthy |
| Thursday, May 3rd: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 3:00pm CT | Centerville, TN | Pamida (1768 Highway 100) | Alterraun Verner, Colin McCarthy |
| 5:00pm CT | Dickson, TN | O’Charley’s (2409 Highway 46) | Alterraun Verner, Colin McCarthy |
| Friday, May 4th: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 11:30am CT | Pulaski, TN | Holley’s Printing (955 West College Street) | Mike Munchak |
| 1:30pm CT | Fayetteville, TN | Town Gazebo (Fayetteville Square) | Mike Munchak |
| 3:30pm CT | Shelbyville, TN | Kroger (1010 North Main Street) | Mike Munchak |
| 5:30pm CT | Murfreesboro, TN | Kroger (2325 North Memorial Boulevard) | Mike Munchak |
| Monday, May 7th (“Legends Day”): | |||
| Time | City | Location | Former Player(s) |
| 11:15am CT | McMinnville, TN | Kroger (1410 Sparta Street) | Blaine Bishop, Frank Wycheck |
| 3:30pm CT | Gallatin, TN | Kroger (2011 Nashville Pike) | Blaine Bishop, Frank Wycheck |
| 5:30pm CT | Mount Juliet, TN | O’Charley’s (401 South Mount Juliet Road) | Blaine Bishop, Frank Wycheck |
| Tuesday, May 8th: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 3:30pm CT | Cookeville, TN | Cane Creek Sportsplex (2200 West Jackson Street) | Rob Bironas, Jake Locker |
| Wednesday, May 9th: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 3:30pm ET | Knoxville, TN | Academy Sports + Outdoors (145 Moss Grove Boulevard) | Jake Locker |
| 6:30pm ET | Chattanooga, TN | Academy Sports + Outdoors (2200 Hamilton Place Blvd) | Jake Locker, Kenny Britt |
| Thursday, May 10th: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 3:30pm CT | Huntsville, AL | Shoe Carnival (6275 University Drive NW) | Kenny Britt |
| 6:00pm CT | Florence, AL | Buffalo Wild Wings (2870 Florence Boulevard) | Kenny Britt, Marc Mariani |
| Friday, May 11th: | |||
| Time | City | Location | Player(s) |
| 1:00pm CT | Lawrenceburg, TN | Rotary Park (927 North Military Avenue) | Marc Mariani |
| 3:30pm CT | Spring Hill, TN | Logan’s Roadhouse (2008 Crossings Circle) | Marc Mariani |
| 5:30pm CT | Brentwood, TN | Kroger (6690 Nolensville Road) | Marc Mariani |
