In 1967, the University of Tennessee recognized its need for both a collegiate swim program and a student recreation facility. With these two goals in mind, the University hired Ray Bussard as the Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers Swimming and Diving Team. Coach Bussard oversaw the construction of the Student Aquatic Center, SAC, and had it designed to be the nation's premier aquatics facility at the time. Bussard had two pools built– an indoor and outdoor pool. The indoor pool featured a separate diving well, a luxury feature not seen at the time, as well as a raised timing area that allowed timers to see swimmers touch the wall from above. SAC served both the men's and women's teams up until 2008 when the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center was finished adjacent to SAC. Today, the outdoor pool is used by the team when weather permits and the coaches want a change of scenery. The indoor pool is primarily used as a student recreation facility, but is sometimes utilized by the team, especially when hosting SEC Championships.
