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...
by design | Sep 14, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
Telling the story of Tennessee’s football history may seem complicated, but the end result is worth the effort. By Tom Mattingly Tennessee football fans come in all shapes and sizes. Each of them likely has a story behind their fan experience. All a historian would...
by design | Sep 8, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly When Tennessee came on the field for the 2024 game at Oklahoma wearing white jerseys and white pants, a UT spokesperson told ABC the combination “is considered UT’s traditional road garb.” Sometimes, in the wrong hands, the concept of “tradition”...
