CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk has no fear heading into this week's NFL Draft.
She proved it here on Monday morning when she jumped out of a plane – at 13,500 feet.
"Fantastic,'' Strunk said not long after her feet touched the ground, a parachute behind her. "That was so much fun! Am I grinning?"
The NFL Draft is a time of high anxiety for teams, draft prospects and their families. Strunk took things to even greater heights during a skydiving adventure here at Outlaw Field. Strunk did a tandem jump with the Army Golden Knights following an invitation from the 101st Airborne Division's Brig. Gen. Scott Brower.
Strunk initially thought Brower was calling to ask her to rappel.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk does a tandem jump with the Army Golden Knights. (photos: Army, Jim Wyatt)
"When he said, 'We want you to jump out of an airplane,' my mouth flew open and my heart started beating," Strunk said with a smile. "But then I was like, 'I'm in, let's do it.'"
Strunk did it alright.
Decked out in a yellow and black U.S. Army jumpsuit, Strunk boarded a Viking Twin Otter with other members of the Golden Knights tandem team. The aircraft lifted off the runway a little after 9 a.m.
With members of her family watching on the ground, including her husband, Bill, her son, Tommy, daughter, Tracy, and nephew Kenneth Adams IV, the aircraft circled above them, waiting for the clouds to pass.
"I guess there's no backing out now,'' Bill said with a smile.
High in the sky, when a clearing of blue skies approached, Strunk jumped with Sgt First Class Joe Jones.
"You get a little flash of anxiety,'' Strunk said. "But I took a deep breath, and we were off...
"I think I tried to say 'Titan Up' as I went out."
When the ripcord to the parachute was pulled at 5,500 feet, Strunk was even more visible to family members as she made her way to the ground. They cheered when she landed. Strunk immediately put on a red hat with a Titans logo.
"You landed on your feet,'' commanding general Maj. Gen. Andrew Poppas told Strunk. "That was well done."
U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Noah Watts, an assistant team leader for Golden Knights tandem who is stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., said the group does camps across the country for what he called "Centers of Influence," or individuals with strong ties to the community with a reputation for being supportive of the military.
Former President George Bush jumped with this group previously, Watts said, along with celebrities like Kellie Pickler, Bill Murray, Tiger Woods and Mike Rowe.
"She's smiling,'' Watts said of Strunk. "She did a good job. She stood up. She followed directions."
Col. Wayne Hertel presented Strunk with a Marauder Coin at the end of her jump.
Watts advised Strunk to go home and take a nap.
"At first, when I told my family about it, they were like, 'You're doing what?,''' Strunk said with a smile. "But everybody was excited for me, and knew it was a great opportunity. And I had a lot of fun.
"And I don't even look at it as crazy. It was a way to support our friends in the Army, in the 101st. It just seemed an easy, natural thing."
Now, Strunk is ready for the NFL Draft.
She'll be in the War Room on Thursday night with general manager Jon Robinson, coach Mike Mularkey and others.
After jumping out of a plane, it should be a piece of cake, right?
"Like the Golden Knights, I have a lot of confidence in Jon Robinson and Mike Mularkey,'' Strunk said. "I don't have nerves there. I know those guys are going to come away with some great players and we are just going to keep improving.
"But what a way to kick off draft week, right? It's going to be a great week."
