More Than a Game

By: Dallas Bowlin

Senior Staff Writer/Editor/Host

All Vol Call In Show

Photo | Britt Hendrix

It was every family’s worst nightmare come true for the Hendrix family on December 12, 2025.

“Maggie, our 15-year-old daughter, woke up around 1:50 a.m. to the sound of a dog banging against the house,” said Britt Hendrix. “She rolled over toward her window, which is normally covered by a blackout curtain.”

Thankfully for the family, Huxlee—one of their border collies—had looked out the window earlier that day, leaving the curtain slightly open.

“She saw red. She got up and looked out. That’s when she saw the flames. She ran to our room, screaming that there was a fire on the porch.”

Britt and her husband, Chris, jumped up to assess how bad the situation was.

“When Chris opened the front door, he could feel the heat burning him as clouds of smoke formed above his head.” That was when the smoke detectors went off, and he yelled for someone to call 911.

Chris then ran back to Maggie’s room to make sure she had made it out safely. That’s when he saw the fire had already made its way through the walls. Thankfully, Maggie and Britt escaped safely with two of their border collies.

Moments later, Maggie yelled that Elle—another of their border collies—hadn’t made it out.

“That’s when Chris put on his flannel, wrapped his face, and ran back in after her,” Britt said. “I was begging him not to go back in. The house was fully engulfed.”

As he approached the home, Chris realized the heat and smoke were overwhelming. He turned back and ran up the hill toward his family.

“We sat for what felt like an eternity, just watching our house burn,” Britt said.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrived roughly 20 minutes after the 911 call. “The heat of the fire is something I’ll never forget.”

In the days that followed, Britt’s brother reached out to former Tennessee Lady Vol basketball player Brittany Jackson, who then informed Lady Vol freshman Lauren Hurst of the family’s situation.

“I said she probably has no idea who I am — I’m an old fogey,” Jackson joked. “But I told them I’d do whatever I could.”

Jackson then asked what size shoe Maggie wears.

“I called Lauren Hurst and asked if we could get a ball signed, and if anyone wore the same size shoe,” Jackson said. “I knew Lauren would do whatever she could. That’s the kind of person she is.”

A graduate of nearby Cleveland High School, Hurst took it upon herself with the help of a former Lady Vol to bring a little cheer to the Hendrix family, delivering a signed Lady Vols basketball and a pair of Lady Vol-themed Nike shoes — a small gesture that meant everything after a night that took so much.

Jackson said it best: “The Lady Vol family — that’s what we do.

Photo(s) | Britt Hendrix