ESPN orders 'Rise Up' to series; Kenny Chesney to pen theme song

Photo by Mark Humphrey, Associated Press

This March 9, 2011, photo shows Kenny Chesney rehearsing for his "Goin' Coastal" tour in Nashville, Tenn.

ESPN has ordered high school makeover show “Rise Up” to series and the network has enlisted country music star Kenny Chesney to write the theme song for the show.

Hosted by ESPN college football analyst Chris Spielman and DIY television personality Deanne Bell, “Rise Up” provides a facilities makeover at needy high schools. The franchise bowed last fall at New Orleans’ McMain Secondary High School. ESPN is currently in production on new installments in Boston, Seattle, Chicago and Wellston, Ohio, while executives hope to expand the series to six yearly installments in 2012.

The series kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. with Wellston High School.

Chesney — a die-hard University of Tennessee fan who played football and baseball in high school — has worked with ESPN before. He co-directed and produced the documentary “The Color Orange,” about his childhood idol Condredge Holloway, a University of Tennessee quarterback in the 1970’s and the first African American to start at the position in the Southeast Conference. And last year, Chesney produced “The Boys of Fall,” a very personal documentary about how high school football shapes young men and their communities.

Joan Lynch, “Rise Up” executive producer and ESPN’s vice president of content development, describes Chesney’s new song — an acoustic number titled “Rise Up” — as “a call to action.”

“Rise Up” comes at a time when the recession has sapped funding for public education, making sports and extracurricular activities particularly vulnerable. ESPN enlists local businesses to donate materials and man-hours so that the renovation project is a community effort. Each hour is bookended by the surprise announcement that the school has been chosen and the final reveal of the shiny new athletic facilities. There will also be plenty of appearances from star athletes and coaches including Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Ohio University alum and retired NFL running back Eddie George and New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker.

© 2011 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.