Vanderbilt to retire Donny Everett's No. 41
Vanderbilt will retire Donny Everett’s No. 41 after the player’s recent death, coach Tim Corbin said.
“Forty-one won’t be worn again,” Corbin said Saturday. “That number just doesn’t need to be worn by another person.”
Everett, a freshman pitcher from Clarksville, died in a drowning at Normandy Lake in Coffee County on June 2. Corbin first talked about his plans to retire Everett’s number on the "Johnny 'Ballpark' Franks Show" on 560-AM on Friday.
Everett wore No. 14 as a standout at Clarksville High, but that number had belonged to Vanderbilt star David Price and already is unofficially retired by Corbin. No player has worn No. 14 since Price’s Commodores career ended as the Golden Spikes national player of the year and No. 1 overall draft pick in 2007.
In September, Corbin said he also had unofficially retired Dansby Swanson’s No. 7 and Carson Fulmer’s No. 15, so neither number would be available to future players. Both Swanson and Fulmer were Golden Spikes Award finalists last season.
Corbin said his decision to retire Everett’s number was “just off instinct.” He said no official ceremony or memorial has been discussed, but it will be later on.
“We haven’t done it yet, but we will put our thoughts together on that at some point,” Corbin said. “We will find a way to build a memorial for Donny or do something that would honor him in the right way.”
Everett wore No. 41 for his lone season at Vanderbilt. But the two digits became a symbol of support for the Commodores and Everett’s family, as fans wore No. 41 pins and homemade T-shirts to Vanderbilt’s NCAA Regional games last weekend.
Players even stood in numerical order in the national anthem line before their game against Xavier, leaving a space open for No. 41 between No. 40 Collin Snider and No. 42 Maddux Conger.
Over the past week, Vanderbilt’s former and current players and fans have changed their Twitter profile photos to a No. 41 jersey.
As for the actual uniform Everett wore, Corbin said it has not yet been given to the family. The 19-year-old’s funeral in Clarksville just didn’t seem like the appropriate time for such a presentation.
“That number will be put on a wall somewhere. But wherever it is, that number will belong to (Everett’s) parents,” Corbin said. “Right now, there is such an onslaught of emotions. But we will figure out the best way to honor Donny.”
In addition to retiring the number, Corbin also hopes to keep Everett’s parents a regular part of the team.
“We want them at Vanderbilt so they’ll be able to celebrate their son with the boys who spent time with him,” Corbin said. “I think that will be important for Teddy and Susan moving forward. And as far as I’m concerned, (Donny) is here three or four years.
“His classmates will be here for two or three years, and I want to honor and celebrate him over that time — not all at once.”
Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.
