by design | Nov 2, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly One of the most controversial bowl games in Tennessee history was played on Dec. 20, 1971, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. It was No. 9 Tennessee and No. 18 Arkansas squaring off for the first time since 1907. A crowd of 45,210, equally divided...
by design | Oct 26, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly Georgia is off the Vols’ football schedule this season for the first time since 1991, but memories from the series still linger from across the years. For perspective, fans can go back to Nov. 1, 1969, the first time the Vols had been to Athens since...
by design | Oct 19, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly On Oct. 22, 2011, I attended my 50th Tennessee-Alabama game. That journey through a significant time in the history of Vol football started in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964, all played on Shields-Watkins Field. I missed the 1965 contest at Legion Field....
by design | Oct 12, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly In my years of watching and covering University of Tennessee football, I have concluded that the great players always had a “look,” maybe even a “swagger,” to them. That was obvious in the spring of 1976, when I was invited to observe a...
by design | Oct 5, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly The University of Tennessee unveiled statues, known now as “historical monuments,” of national championship coaches Doug Dickey (1967) and Phillip Fulmer (1998) Sept. 25 outside Neyland Stadium at “Champions Corner.” The ceremony was a special moment...
by design | Sep 21, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly It was sometime very late in the evening of Oct. 12, 2002, going into the wee hours of Oct. 13. The Vols had just defeated Arkansas 41-38 in 6 overtimes at Neyland Stadium. Haywood Harris, unbelievably perky at that hour, was at his typewriter...
