by design | Jun 5, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
One of the most inspiring stories in Vols basketball By Tom Mattingly In 1973-74, Tennessee’s basketball recruiting class included Ernie Grunfeld of Forest Hills, N.Y., Nash-ville’s Mike Jackson, and a youngster from Ringgold, Georgia, named David Moss. You...
by design | May 30, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly Most Tennessee fans see visiting teams at Neyland Stadium trot onto the field to a scattered chorus of boos, but that’s just part of the story. There’s drama underneath the south end after each game precious few people get to witness. The current...
by design | May 22, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly There have been times, through the years, when combatants have come out to play football in uniforms that were, shall we say, sartorially challenged. For the 1977 Vandy game, in John Majors’ first year as head coach, Tennessee for the first time...
by design | May 15, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
Fun and games on the road with the Volunteers By Tom Mattingly The stadiums where the Vols play are ancient and creaking, built in sections over the years, designed for football and nothing else. There are the echoes of Bob Neyland at Tennessee, Wallace Wade and Bear...
by design | May 8, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
A sign that better days were ahead By Tom Mattingly When Josh Heupel compiled an 11-2 record in his second season at Tennessee and again energized the fan base, it brought back memories of another head coach who did likewise in his second season more than 50 years...
by design | May 1, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
A look at ‘Lost Weekends’ By Tom Mattingly Over the history of Tennessee athletics, there have been more than one “lost weekend,” where everything that could seemingly go wrong, did. Such a series of events tends to shatter fans’ confidence, overheat the phone...