KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is planning an out-of-this-world homecoming for students this year, with astronaut Butch Wilmore set to lead this year’s parade.
Homecoming returns Nov. 9-15, and current students, alumni and fans are invited to celebrate on Rocky Top. This year’s theme is Torchbearers and Trailblazers. It honors people who have helped make the UT community what it is today. Several events are planned throughout the week, including the Homecoming kickoff, Paint the Union and the Homecoming banner drop.
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The annual Homecoming parade is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14. It will start on Volunteer Boulevard across from Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, proceed north toward Circle Park and end down Peyton Manning Pass in front of Neyland Stadium. Wilmore, who graduated from the UT Space Institute in 1994, will lead the parade as this year’s grand marshal.
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Wilmore recently made national headlines after he traveled to space on Boeing Starliner’s first crewed flight in 2024. He spent more than nine months in orbit after a spacecraft malfunction extended the mission…