Kevin Summitt hadn't touched a drum set since 1989 but made a promise at Covenant Health Park while watching the USL League One Final in 2025: If One Knox SC won, he'd buy a drum set and join the drumline that helps cheer on the club.
In 2026, after a knee injury pushed back his drumline debut, the South Knoxville native became a man of his word. Seated behind six drums alongside fellow season ticketholders and Scruffs supporters, playing from Section 118 has become "a neat way to kind of reconnect with my youth," Summitt told Knox News.
It reminds him of his days at Doyle High School, where he was in the band and met his wife, Melissa. On home match days, she supports her high school sweetheart as they both support the club, lugging 100-plus
pounds of drums into their SUV and into the Old City stadium.
Their game-day ritual does more than rekindle old memories. It's part of the atmosphere that's built Covenant Health Park into a fortress for the defending USL League One champions.
Captivated by the rhythm during One Knox SC's title game
Summitt started going to One Knox games when the young club was still playing at Regal Soccer Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus. The "rowdy spirit" of the Scruffs drew him further into fandom with their overseas style of support, but he remained a casual attendee until the championship match in 2025.
"I heard the rhythm. I was kind of feeling it in my feet," Summitt said. "I had a little dancing bounce going on, and I was like, 'Man, if I had a pair of sticks and a drum, I'd be banging on it right now.'"
He made it a point to talk to drumline organizer Jonathan Chapman about his interest in joining the club. Normally, Chapman told Knox News, "it's kids that come up to you that want to play on the drums."
"So, when a grown adult comes to you, it's like, 'Oh, listen, you know how to play? Come on, let's go,'" Chapman said.
The promise Summitt made included not just the drum set, but a commitment to join the Scruffs and invest in season tickets. After One Knox defeated Spokane Velocity FC 2-0 to capture the title − finishing the story without a home loss all season − Summitt began his journey to follow through on his word.
A surprise to Summitt, his new drums came from a familiar home
Summitt scoured the internet for an affordable set of drums to get back in his groove. What he ended up finding felt like fate.
After visiting local music stores and searching Facebook Marketplace without much luck, he came across a listing in Farragut for a set of six tenor marching drums. As it turned out, the person selling the set was in the same marching band as Summitt 35 years ago.
After purchasing the set, Summitt said it took some time to get accustomed to the weight on his shoulders. His rhythm was a little rusty, but he regained his chops with a little practice. Still, his big debut would need to wait.
The night before the club's home opener March 14, Summitt tripped over his dog in the house and landed hard, resulting in "a pretty serious knee injury."
"It took a couple of months to fully heal and before I could really walk without crutches," he said, "let alone carry a big set of drums."
On July 18, with One Knox taking on AV Alta at Covenant Health Park, he was finally ready.
The words that made Kevin Summitt's nerves wash away
As Summitt stepped foot in Section 118 carrying his drums, the memories − and the nerves − came rushing back.
He hadn't played drums during a sporting event since fall 1989, and asked Chapman if there were any specific rhythms he needed to know to keep up with the other drummers. His answer, as Summitt recalls it, gave him the confidence he needed: "Nah, man, just make it up as you go along."
These words helped Summitt relax and remember to have fun. One Knox lost the match, but he walked away happier than before.
Summitt couldn't hear how the drums sounded throughout the stadium in real time, but a fellow member of the Scruffs recorded the ensemble's performance.
"To hear what my drums added to the group as a whole, it was a really good feeling to hear that," Summitt said. "Because I was like, 'You know what? I really don't sound that bad. '"
Summitt plans another promise if One Knox SC can repeat title win
Watching Summitt return to drumming has reminded Melissa of the high school freshman she met nearly four decades ago. Though he was the band geek, she adds to the stadium's atmosphere with her own cowbell.
She likes to give Summitt a hard time when he complains about the arm soreness that comes with carrying and banging the drums: "You're an old man now," she says. "You're not a teenager."
But the fun that fills Covenant Health Park on match days is what keeps them coming back, while the drums add to an experience that has turned Summitt from a casual One Knox fan into one of the club's most devoted supporters.
And if One Knox can pull off another USL League One championship, Summitt already has another promise in mind: "I think I'm going to add cymbals."
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
Match day at Covenant Health Park
- One Knox SC (11-5-5) is hosting Vols Night at the stadium, with former Tennessee athletes Erik Ainge, Ron Slay, Dustin Colquitt and AJ Johnson participating in a halftime shootout competition.
- Gates open at 6 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. match against AC Boise (10-7-4).
- One Knox is in fourth place with 38 points, four points ahead of fifth-place Boise.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Promise made during a One Knox match helps drummer regain his groove
