by design | Jul 24, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
Organized down to the last second By Tom Mattingly Traveling with the Tennessee football team meant trips to various venues, some exotic, some not. Someone once made a statement that was right on the money. “If you were early, you were on time. If you were on time,...
by design | Jul 17, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
How do I get to see the game? By Tom Mattingly Sometimes a casual comment, a throwaway line, perhaps, engenders a response that is totally unexpected. Lindsey Nelson was set to call the 1958 Tennessee-Auburn game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., for NBC in late...
by design | Jul 10, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
All-time favorite players and games By Tom Mattingly In this business, people are always asking intriguing questions, whether it’s on the street, in restaurants, via E-mail, or on the telephone. Fans are nothing if not dedicated to their craft. There are precious few...
by design | Jul 3, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
Gen. Neyland: Locking his jaw By Tom Mattingly In 1926, Captain Robert R. Neyland had to “lock jaws” with Dean Nathan Washington Dougherty and take on the baseball and track coaches to get enough players to hold spring football practice. “You hired me to coach...
by design | Jun 26, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
Which way, Tennessee? By Tom Mattingly If results are all that matter, you could say Johnny Butler ran 56 yards on Shields-Watkins Field in 1939 for a Tennessee touchdown that helped defeat Alabama, 21-0. That covers the basics: Who, what, when and where. If color and...
by design | Jun 20, 2023 | Columnist, Mattingly
Listeners could hear the game’s excitement By Tom Mattingly Many of the old stadiums across the country have been torn down. Only film, later videotape, and the power of memory are keeping them alive. Life as we know it has taken a number of interesting turns. Closer...
