Tennessee alumni chapter names scholarship in Joshua Dobbs' honor

Another component has been added to the legacy of Joshua Dobbs at the University of Tennessee.

The North Atlanta Alumni Chapter is naming its annual scholarship in honor of the former UT quarterback.

The R. Joshua Dobbs Scholarship will provide financial assistance to North Atlanta-area students to attend UT.

“We had never named it after anybody, but Josh impressed us so much throughout his career that somebody on the board suggested it,” said Chris Ideker, a chapter board member from Dobbs’ hometown of Alpharetta, Ga. “We thought it was a no-brainer because of all Josh has meant to the university on and off the field.”

During the board’s discussion, Ideker said Dobbs’ athletic performance at UT wasn’t even one of the top three factors in honoring him. The board focused on Dobbs’ success in the classroom, his community service and his embodiment of UT’s Torchbearer creed to light a path for others.

“After the discussion somebody said, ‘You know, we haven’t even mentioned a damn thing about football’ and he had 87 touchdowns, beat Florida for the first time in 11 years, had the Hail Mary to beat Georgia and had three straight bowl wins,” Ideker said. “That was all just a platform for him to positively represent the university.”

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The North Atlanta chapter is trying to raise enough money to endow the scholarship, which requires $25,000. The chapter is taking donations and holding its annual golf tournament on April 24 at the Alpharetta Athletic Club, where Dobbs will serve as the guest host for the fifth annual event.

The board wants to have the Dobbs family establish the criteria for future scholarship recipients.

“It is just a remarkable story. Not everybody can do what he can do on the field, but everybody can aspire to be what he is off the field,” Ideker said. “That is what we hope to capture in this endowment. We want to inspire high school kids to emulate his behavior off the field.”