In fall 1836 the first attempt to organize the alumni of Blount College and East Tennessee College was made. The first recorded meeting of alumni was October 5, when Thomas Humes delivered an address to them. On October 7, 1836, the “alumni of East Tennessee College” held a business meeting and elected as chairman, John Crozier, a Knoxville lawyer. After two recorded meetings, the association became dormant until 1856. In 1874 a constitution and bylaws were written.
The Alumni Association was reorganized in the summer of 1916, at which time an Alumni Office was opened on campus, headed by L. R. Neel as secretary. The Alumni Association became the General Alumni Association; in 1973, it became the National Alumni Association. In 1962 the association changed from an organization of dues-paying members ($2) to one that invited all alumni to contribute to an annual giving fund.