Impact Personified

They aren't trumpeted like touchdowns on Rocky Top, but the stories about Dobbs donating his time can be pieced together through a trickle of posts and pictures on social media.

One day, he's spending time with A.J. Cucksey, a Knoxville boy who has inoperable brain cancer; the next, he's speaking to a group of kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. It's all part of a regular routine that Dobbs relishes.


Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs is known for community service. That doesn’t stop during the holidays. The junior visited A.J. Cucksey on Christmas Day

That other family that stood outside the Neyland Stadium locker room following the spring game—the Streets of Johnson City—found out firsthand just how much of a difference a few minutes of the star quarterback's time could make.

Cade Street is an 11-year-old with alopecia, "a type of hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, which is where hair growth begins," according to WebMD. It's a condition that also affects Dobbs.



Cade loved Dobbs even before his own hair fell out at the age of nine, but when he found out the UT quarterback had the same disorder, he wanted to talk to his idol even more. So he waited patiently to meet Dobbs and get his autograph after the spring game.

When he was unable to do so, he was heartbroken.

Then, Cade noticed sophomore offensive lineman Jack Jones, flagged him down and started a conversation. Moments later, he'd written his name and contact information on a piece of paper for Jones to pass to Dobbs.

When offensive coordinator Mike DeBord emerged from the locker room, Cade did so again.

"He wrote his name down twice," Cade's mother Danielle said. "He was determined to meet Josh."

A week later, Dobbs rectified the missed opportunity by sending Cade an autographed picture. Two days after that, Dobbs called and spoke to him for 10 minutes.

"Cade's mouth was open the whole time," Danielle Street said.

The Street Family

When Dobbs traveled with several Vols teammates in early June to Dobyns-Bennett High in Kingsport to participate in a youth summit for middle and high school students, he arranged to meet with the Streets.

"I was speechless when I talked to him on the phone," Cade said. "I couldn't hardly talk to him at all when I met him. Just him being who he is builds my confidence up, even though I don't have hair."

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