I’ll probably lose my membership in the Big Orange Army after my comments but I need to get a few things out that have been bothering me. When I first signed up over a year ago, I was told you could advance in rank by “recruiting” more people. At that time I suggest they ad a box to the order form that would allow you to include the dog tag number of the “recruiter”. I was told it could be added in the comment box. Since I live out of state, I really haven’t seen a big benefit to being a member, everything is geared towards people living in Knoxville. I emailed again just a little while back with the same question and never got a reply. Now if you look at the website, there is no mention of advancing in rank by recruiting more people. Couple this with the “Fort Neyland” push and I’m just not so sure about it. Mike Hamilton even made mention of this attempt in his recent newsletter :

“The University of Tennessee has received a number of inquiries regarding both the Big Orange Army and “Fort Neyland.” The University certainly is appreciative of the fervent support of Tennessee athletics. However, in this instance it is important that the constituents of the University understand the University is not involved in, or supportive of the “Fort Neyland” initiative. Neyland Stadium is a treasured landmark of the University of Tennessee – one that is recognized nationally as one of the iconic sports facilities in the country. Its name honors General Neyland, who launched the great Tennessee football tradition. The University also feels that it is important to state that the Big Orange Army is not sanctioned or endorsed as an official fan organization by the University of Tennessee.”

So, unlike the Birmingham Big Orange Club, which is recognized by the University, the Big Orange Army is not. So that leaves me in sort of a quandary, should I just give up on trying to get the BOA to make it easier to credit a new “enlistee” to the recruiter or should I continue to hound them about it?