South Knoxville Elementary principal Dr. Tanna Nicely was recognized during the UT Vols vs Kent State football game by UT and ESPN for being a very special person, as her “Nicely” name implies.
Dr. Nicely simply asked her students to write get-well cards for wide receiver Bru McCoy last fall when he suffered a season-ending injury during the South Carolina football game. Little did she realize what those cards would mean to the young player who struggled mentally with the rehabilitation as he recently recounted in an interview.
Those cards evidently meant a lot as he read all of them which prompted him to visit South Knoxville Elementary students last spring and bring another special visitor with him: Nico Iamaleava.
Fast forward to the football game last week. Nicely says she was called by football operations to say she had been nominated for a special honor and ESPN would like to call her. She spoke with ESPN producers and received a $1,000 gift card.
She was recognized during the game for ESPN’s Extra Yard for Teachers program through the College Football Playoff Foundation.
Nicely says the special wide receiver is coming back to visit the school after the season and his fan club will be waiting.
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- Students at SKE with Nicely in front
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- Bru McCoy meets with students at SKE
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- Gift card to Principal Nicely
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