KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Saturday, for the first time ever, the University of Tennessee broadcasted the Tennessee game against UTSA in Spanish. This was in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which marked a historic moment for the Big Orange.
Carlos Lopez, 33, is the trailblazer behind the mic. Fuad Reveiz was his analyst and Josh Griffin was his spotter.
"They have made history," Lopez said. "We're having the first official Spanish broadcast for UT football. God has chosen me to be in the lead role as the Spanish voice of the Vols and I'm extremely blessed for this opportunity."
The first thing he shared was how grateful he is for his wife, children and family.
Lopez moved with his family to the U.S. when he was 11 years old. In a foreign country with a new language to learn and a new culture, the path became certain that it would have its challenges.
"My mother said to my brother and I, 'Hey, I'm taking you guys to a country where whatever dream you have, you can make a reality with hard work and dedication,'" he said. "And she also added on top of that, you being a minority and being an immigrant, you're going to have to work even harder."
And that's exactly what he did.
In 2014, Alcoa's high school football coach, Gary Rankin, gave Lopez an opportunity to be on their football team. His dream began to unravel as he spent the past eight to nine years playing football.
"As I'm on the sideline, I'm just doing play-by-play in Spanish in my head," Lopez said.
Then, in 2022, he broadcasted the Alabama game when the World Cup was about to start.
"I was like, let me try something real quick and let me film on the TV me calling a play in Spanish, and let me post it just for fun," he said.
And on Saturday, his dream became reality. He said he's hearing from fans worldwide, even 5,000 miles south in Argentina.
His goal is to embrace the Hispanic community.
"Our motto is diversity and inclusion," he said. "No matter where you come from, here in the United States, whatever dream you have, if you put in that work, above all if you represent yourself the right way and you do things the right way, your dreams can come true."