‘Stories are where you find them’
By Tom Mattingly
Every now and then I look back at a number of stories from past writings. One question comes to mind more often than not.
Did I really write this or did someone else commandeer the computer? For better or worse, the answer is often “Yes, I did.” This is an ever-so-brief summary of some stories I found.
Here follows a report from, 1) a parking controversy on campus, 2) a eulogy for Hal Wantland, a respected former Vol captain from Columbia, Tennessee, and 3) a look at former Vol Herman Hickman’s career in the early days of Sports Illustrated.
1) Welcome to Campus
Several years ago, my wife and I took a vacation to Maine. One of the dominant memories of the trip was spotting a bumper sticker as we arrived that read, “Welcome to Maine.”
That was a good sign, a welcoming touch.
Then came the tagline, the next sentence. “Now go home.”
I thought about that when the powers-that-be on campus once offered free parking for the Orange and White Game. That was good. Then came the other half of the story.
“Don’t stay on campus too long and expect to find your car in its appointed place.” That came from a local media story. “There might even be a bill on your windshield. There’s a concert at TBA, $10 cash to park.”
Welcome to campus. Just don’t stay too long.
2) Hal Wantland
There are football players who, by their very nature, are memorable because of the way they played the game. Hal Wantland was one of them, near the top.
“One good blocker is worth three ball-carrying stars,” Gen. Neyland often said. He could have been talking about Wantland, who played wherever he was needed and played with great passion.
He played a little quarterback for Doug Dickey in early 1964 but contributed more as a hard-nosed wingback the remainder of his career.
He won the 1965 Jacobs Trophy as the SEC’s best blocker. More than once, he made the block that propelled Walter Chadwick into the wide-open spaces or made the tough catch, just when it was needed. Many Vol fans remember him as an unquestioned leader.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 60 years since Hal was captain of an 8-1-2 team that led Vol fans to believe that Dickey was the “real deal” as head coach and the Vols were “back” as a national power.
After the Vols battled defending national champ Alabama to a 7-7 tie at Legion Field in Birmingham, Hal had a concise recap of the game, reflecting the spirit of that Vol squad.
Asked about the final result, he said, “Alabama tied us.”
When three assistant coaches were killed two days later at a West Knoxville railroad crossing, Hal swallowed hard and talked of their impact on the Vol squad.
“You don’t just play for coaches,” he said. “You learn to love them and respect them. I don’t know what to say. I’m too shocked. It’s hard to believe.”
His impact on Vol fortunes was such that it’s hard to see a Tennessee player wearing No. 19 without thinking of Hal. When you think about those somber days in mid-October 1965, remember that Dickey and Hal Wantland stood tall when tragedy struck the Vol program.
There is something special about teams that turn around a school’s fortunes. That’s what happened in 1965.
Hal Wantland was a part of it, front and center.
3) Carpeted Offices and Marilyn Monroe
Roger Kahn had covered the Brooklyn Dodgers during the team’s glory days, then became part of a fledgling publication called Sports Illustrated. Kahn later authored numerous books about baseball, the best of which was “The Boys of Summer” (1971). Kahn never really escaped the lure of writing about sports.
Herman Hickman was a former Volunteer, an oversized tackle in the early days, 1929-31, who earned a spot on Grantland Rice’s All-American team with a scintillating performance in the 1931 Charity Bowl. That was the Depression-era game the Vols won 13-0 over New York University at Yankee Stadium, with the city of Knoxville receiving a check for $18,583 from game proceeds.
Herman Hickman became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1958, the year of his death on April 25.
The duo’s paths had crossed at the new magazine, but Kahn felt some frustration in his role.
“Sadly, it was no go at the magazine,” he wrote. “Sports Illustrated was improving, and I was growing, but along divergent roads, and when I found myself assigned to ghost-write the football articles of Herman Hickman, my patience snapped, and I resigned.”
He always said he thought about going back to cover baseball, but, “I had seen carpeted offices and Marilyn Monroe.”
These are just three of the stories that have caught my attention over the years. They say stories are where you find them. Yogi Berra once said you could hear a great deal by listening. I have been fortunate to be in the vicinity when some amazing things have taken place. Many of them have been chronicled under my byline.
