by Tom Mattingly | Oct 19, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly How did it happen that Lindsey Nelson, a product of Columbia, Tennessee, became one of the best sportscasters of his era? It was all very simple, with the humblest of humble beginnings, with Lindsey pulling out all the stops. He was totally committed...
by Tom Mattingly | Oct 12, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly In the days of Gen. Robert R. Neyland (and perhaps even before then), Tennessee wore its orange jerseys on the road. It was an article of faith. That notion came to an abrupt end with an SEC’s “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in early 1971, giving the home...
by Tom Mattingly | Oct 5, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly It was 99 years ago this past month, September 24, to be specific, that Tennessee played its first game in a new arena called “Shields-Watkins Field,” sometimes referred to in its early days as “Shields-Watkins Stadium” or “The Shields-Watkins Field.”...
by Tom Mattingly | Sep 28, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly It was a comeback to beat all comebacks in a season of comebacks and close games. Tennessee spotted archrival Vanderbilt a 28-3 lead in the second quarter in the 1987 regular season finale, as the Commodores scored on their first four possessions....
by Tom Mattingly | Sep 21, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly On Nov. 26, 1977, sophomore quarterback Jimmy Streater led the way in John Majors’ first SEC triumph, a 42-7 victory over Vanderbilt. He was pictured on p. 1 of the Sunday News-Sentinel sports section, with story sub-head that read, “Streater scores 3...
by Tom Mattingly | Sep 14, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly It was on a Sunday night, Dec. 1, 1963, and into the wee hours of Monday morning, Dec. 2, that sportswriters, such as the News-Sentinel’s Marvin West, were doing everything they could to find out about Arkansas assistant coach Doug Dickey. Dickey, six...
