Calling all alumni and friends, please join the Alumni Team at the Tyson Alumni Center for the Tennessee Tailgate on Saturday, Nov. 3. Meet former Football Vol Inky Johnson and enjoy great food, beer, wine, games, and music! Be sure to bring your Little Vols to experience special games and fun for our smallest guests! Register early as a limited number of spots are available for the tailgate.

Cost: $15/person, free for children 17 and younger

About Inky Johnson

September 9, 2006. It started as a normal college football game in Neyland Stadium. If anything, the event was an afterthought, dropped into the schedule at the last minute.

For Inky Johnson, though, the game changed everything. A routine tackle turned into a life-threatening injury, and nothing has been normal for Inky ever since. Not with a paralyzed right arm. Not with daily pain. Not with constant physical challenges.

His dream had always been to play professional sports. You might think his injury would have destroyed his motivation and crushed his spirit. But that’s only because you don’t know Inky.

Who is Inquoris “Inky” Johnson? He could be described as the survivor of an underprivileged past. He could be described as a refugee of poverty and violence. He could be described as a success story stained by tragedy. But if you look deeper, you’ll discover something else.

You’ll see a man who looks in the face of defeat and says, “Am I really failing, or is God prevailing?” You’ll see a man gripped by the promise that God has purposes and plans far beyond our own. And you’ll be inspired by his relentless determination, which he loves to impart to others through his dramatic story.

Inky has a master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee. He devotes much of his time to mentoring athletes and underprivileged youth. He and his wife Allison live in Atlanta, Ga., with their beautiful children, Jada and Inky Jr.