KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The "Voice of the Lady Vols" Mickey Dearstone announced his retirement on Tuesday.
The man on the mic on the radio has been the exclusive broadcaster for Tennessee women's basketball for the past 23 seasons. He has been associated with the program for 30 years and over 800 games.
"When anyone asked me how long I was going to do Lady Vols basketball, I had the same response," he said in a statement. "I wanted to do it as long as I can without one person thinking that maybe I stuck around too long. After missing two games last year and three this year, I decided to turn the mic over to someone else. "I'm a lucky man. I have worked with three incredible coaches in Pat Summitt, Holly Warlick and Kellie Harper. I want to thank Joan Cronan and her staff, Edwin Huster, Steve Early and Glenn Thackston for allowing me to do it my way. It's the only way I know how. I will always cherish the hundreds of friendships I have made with administrators, coaches, players and especially Lady Vols fans everywhere."
He broadcasted during five National Championships for Tennessee and 10 Final Four appearances. Tennessee also won 12 SEC regular-season titles and 11 SEC Tournament titles during that time.
In 2021, Dearstone was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
