Something special right in front of you
By Tom Mattingly
Sitting in the press box or in some radio or television booth for many years was fun, and the view of the field was always spectacular. There was food and great camaraderie, highlighted, in most cases, by being seated at the right hand of John Ward or Bob Bell and interviewing the visiting coach post-game. There are all kinds of other experiences you miss, as well.
Visiting Shields-Watkins Field/Neyland Stadium, first opened in 1921 and in the shadow of Ayres Hall on Mary Fleming Meek’s “Hallowed Hill,” is an existential experience and the scene of many special moments.
My wife, Susan, has reminded me about one specific happening after the 2006 Georgia game. We hadn’t sat together at too many games, probably no more than 10 or so, and that was in the mid-1980s, so this moment was exceptional.
The Vols won 51-33 that October night in Sanford Stadium in Athens, a result produced by taking advantage of a number of Georgia turnovers and other miscues.
Then came her pronouncement after the game from the stratosphere high above the playing field. “There’s nothing like winning in somebody else’s stadium and hearing the band play the ‘Tennessee Waltz,’” she said.
That thought came home after the Kentucky game at Commonwealth Stadium a year later and has been on my mind ever since. It was a moment in a late November evening as the band struck up that wonderful song, just after the Vols had edged the Wildcats 52-50 in four overtimes. There were players in white and orange celebrating on the field and fans doing likewise in the stands.
We had seats next to the band and really couldn’t have missed it. Nor would we have wanted to.
She was right. Consider the “T” on the helmets. Consider the “T” formed by the “Pride of the Southland Marching Band” before the game and again at halftime. As Mrs. Meek’s “Alma Mater” (complete with solo trumpet(s)) wafts its way across Neyland Stadium, there’s no place a Vol fan would rather be.
There’s another “T” to consider, however. The “T” for Tennessee, as in the “Tennessee Waltz.”
You’d have to be comatose not to swell up a bit when the band plays that classic ode to lost love in the Volunteer State. Some people consider it just another country song, but there’s much more to it than that. It’s a little hard to sing, but there are people who can sing it, and sing it well.
Inspired by Bill Monroe’s “Kentucky Waltz,” Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart penned lyrics to an instrumental tune they’d been playing. Stewart is alleged to have emptied a matchbox and torn it open to write down the lyrics.
It was recorded in December 1947, becoming a No. 3 hit the following year. Patti Page cut her version in 1950, and it was also an enormous hit, topping the pop charts and selling several million copies. It ranked as one of the biggest country crossovers ever.
In 1965, the “Tennessee Waltz” became the fourth official song of the state of Tennessee, as adopted by Senate Joint Resolution No. 9 of the 84th General Assembly.
It’s right up there with, and maybe well beyond, “My Homeland, Tennessee” by Nell Grayson Taylor and Roy Lamont Smith (1925); “When It’s Iris Time In Tennessee” by Willa Mae Waid (1935); “My Tennessee” by Francis Hannah Tranum (1955); and, no surprise, “Rocky Top” by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant (1982).
When Pee Wee King died March 7, 2000, Bill Lehrer’s News Hour provided a memorable tribute, with Page being shown singing those wonderful words.
There’s more. In May 1970, the University of Tennessee paid tribute to retiring president Andy Holt at a dinner at the Faculty Club on Neyland Drive, now something called a “Visitors Center.” Who knows what it’s called now. Careful observers will remember that the Faculty Club was later kiboshed by a presidential administration.
That was the night Richard Nixon appeared at Neyland Stadium, speaking at the Billy Graham Crusade. Those who were present with Dr. Holt probably got the better deal.
The University of Tennessee Singers performed at the gathering in Dr. Holt’s honor, as they had many times at programs across the south that featured his homespun wit and wisdom. It was a time to express the university’s appreciation for his tenure. There were soft tears on the cheeks of many in the audience.
Just before they were to sing the “Tennessee Waltz,” director Guy Bockmon announced that, in Dr. Holt’s honor, the song would be retired from the Singers’ repertoire, sung for the last time that night. It was a breathtaking moment. As a result, it’s hard for those of us who were there not to think of Dr. Holt when the song is played or sung.
As state songs go, this one is right at the top. It has survived the test of time and made all of us, regardless of where we might be on game day, proud of the heritage of our state and our university.
One conclusion is obvious. There are times in a lifetime of being part of U.T. sports when there’s something special right in front of you, way beyond the wins and losses. If you’re not careful, you could miss it. That would really be unfortunate.
