‘Because he wouldn’t have made it’

‘Because he wouldn’t have made it’ By Tom Mattingly Looking at the November football schedule begs an important question for us old-time Vol fans. Where the heck is the “Rambling Wreck,” AKA Georgia Tech? It’s been 36 years since the Vols and Tech last...

Known then as now as the ‘Swamp Rat’

Known then as now as the ‘Swamp Rat’ By Tom Mattingly The immediate future might not have looked bright for the Vol program in the fall of 1963. The last bowl game was in 1957, and the Vols had compiled records of 4-6, 5-4-1, 6-2-2, 6-4, and 4-6 since that...

‘The color they wore was orange’

‘The color they wore was orange’   By Tom Mattingly There have been some interesting stories about the color orange over the years. In early January 1971, for example, media accounts brought Vol fans the news that SEC had instituted the “white jersey rule.” That...

‘Tennessee faithful were shocked’

‘Tennessee faithful were shocked’ By Tom Mattingly The date was Dec. 27, 1969. On that day, no one knew what was in store for the Vol football program in the aftermath of Tennessee playing Florida in the Gator Bowl. The Vols, SEC champ and ranked No. 11 (AP), were...

‘What am I going to do now?’

‘What am I going to do now?’ By Tom Mattingly When it comes to quarterbacks battling for playing time, there are a number of clichés that apply. “The No. 2 quarterback is always the most popular guy in town.” “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any.” “The...