Dobbs enjoying huge weekend back on Rocky Top

KNOXVILLE — Josh Dobbs has a fun-filled weekend of golf, football and racing back in East Tennessee. The Tennessee quarterback had a function with Vols teammates scheduled Thursday night. He had his golf tournament schedule Friday, the Orange & White game Saturday and then serving as the honorary starter of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. "Each Orange & White weekend, I come back for my foundation golf event, which brings former Vols back together as well as some of the big companies within Knoxville," Dobbs said at a media event at the Knoxville Smokies stadium. "A big shout out to Food City, as they're sponsoring our welcome party this evening and it's an honor as well to be the honorary starter for the Bristol 500 on Sunday." It's the first time that Dobbs has been at BMS since playing in the Battle at Bristol game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech in 2016. Dobbs fondly remembers the game a decade ago when the Vols defeated the Hokies 45-24, a game which Dobbs rushed for three touchdowns and threw two TD passes. "Two things that really stood out was, first, how long the walk was to the locker room," Dobbs said. "I remember we walked up the hill and then down the hill, under the track, and all the way into the locker room. When you come out the tunnel, you just see how enormous the stadium is. Playing the most attended game in the world, in history, it was a unique experience, and we definitely enjoyed it." Dobbs attended the Daytona 500 years ago, but not as a fan. He was doing an internship where he saw the passion of NASCAR fans. He is excited to be at BMS for the actual sport which the track was built. The quarterback has some familiarity with NASCAR, remembering the time that Bubba Wallace participated in a Vols practice before the Battle at Bristol. "He was coming up the circuit, came out to a practice and he tried to play receiver for a couple reps," Dobbs said. "I threw a ball through his hands and it hit him in the face. He doesn't like to bring it up, but it was actually through his sponsors. We shared a same seat on this space for all council. So we got a chance to relink up in Washington, D.C. a couple years ago. So I've been rooting him on and seeing the wins that Michael Jordan's team has been having." Dobbs, 31, has played for nine different NFL teams since becoming an All-SEC player for UT. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, and made his debut in 2018 against the Atlanta Falcons. He's been a starter for five teams — the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots. He has completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,346 yards and 17 touchdowns as a professional. Dobbs, an aerospace engineer who graduated from Tennessee with a 4.0 GPA, completed externships at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. He recently took a group of UT seniors to the Artemis II rocket launch in Florida. Artemis II set a new record for distance that humans have traveled from Earth. "It was a tremendous moment to see people come together and do something that's never been done," Dobbs said. "There are people bold and brave enough to shroud themselves to the top of it and lead humanity to the next stage in space exploration. It was an honor to be there to take it all in."