Posted 4/4/24

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville celebrated Volunteer, alumnus and former UT football player Donald "Don" Denbo with the renaming of the humanities center in his name.

The Denbo Center for Humanities and the Arts is a part of the College of Arts & Sciences focusing on research and writing.

Denbo graduated from UT in 1971 with a degree in psychology and a minor in history. He's enthusiastic to play another part in UT's history after donating to the center.

Originally from Pulaski, Don Denbo attended the flagship Knoxville campus in 1967. He entered the university proficient in reading, writing, chemistry and language.

"In short, I came to the University of Tennessee to play football," Denbo said.

He played offensive guard on the Tennessee Volunteers football team. He started for three years and helped the team find success with a 28-5-1 record, an SEC title in 1969 and a Sugar Bowl victory in 1970.

After graduating from UT, Denbo earned a Ph.D. in economics from the London School of Economics and co-founded Commercial Insurance Associates, one of the nation’s largest insurance brokers.