‘Winning in someone else’s stadium’
By Tom Mattingly
In a lifetime of watching or writing about sports, there’s occasionally something special happening under your nose, and, if you’re not careful, you might miss it. That would really be unfortunate.
Sitting in the press box or in some radio or television booth during those years from 1987-2005 and beyond was fun, and the view of the field was always spectacular. There was good food and great camaraderie. There are, however, all kinds of other experiences you might miss.
My wife, Susan, recently reminded me about one specific happening in the aftermath of the 2006 Georgia game the year after I retired. We hadn’t sat together at very many games. The moment was exceptional.
The Vols won 51-33 that October night, a result produced by taking advantage of a spate of Georgia turnovers and other miscues. Georgia looked to be running away from the Vols, but that was a mirage. Many of Bob Neyland’s Game Maxims came true exactly when needed.
Then came her pronouncement from the stratosphere high above the field at Sanford Stadium: “There’s nothing like winning in somebody else’s stadium and hearing the band play the ‘Tennessee Waltz.’”
She was right. Consider the “T” formed by the “Pride of the Southland Marching Band” before the game and again at halftime. Consider the “T” on the helmets. As Mary Fleming Meek’s “Alma Mater” (complete with solo trumpet(s)) wafts its way across Neyland Stadium or any other venue, there’s no place any self-respecting Vol fan would rather be.
I thought about that comment watching the recent post-game celebration after the win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It was quite a moment on a late November evening as the band played that wonderful state song. There were players in white and orange celebrating on the field and fans doing likewise in the stands.
You’d have to be comatose not to swell with pride when the band plays that classic ode to lost love in the Volunteer State. Some unknowing 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 matchbook and torn it open to write down the lyrics.
It was recorded in December 1947, becoming a No. 3 hit for King the following year. Patti Page cut her own 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 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 “Rocky Top” by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant (1982).
When King died on March 7, 2000, there was tribute paid him on “Jim Lehrer’s News Hour,” with Page being shown singing those wonderful words.
There’s more. In May 1970, the University of Tennessee paid tribute to retiring president Andrew D. Holt at a dinner at the old Faculty Club on Neyland Drive. Holt’s tenure brought a great many significant moments to campus. His time leading the University stretched from 1959 to 1970.
The University of Tennessee Singers performed at the gathering in 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 reminisce and express the university’s appreciation for Holt’s tenure. There were likely soft tears on the cheeks of many in the audience.
Just before we were to sing the “Tennessee Waltz,” director Dr. Guy Bockmon announced that, in Holt’s honor, the song would be retired from the Singers’ repertoire, sung for the last time that night. It was a breath-taking moment. As a result, it’s hard for those of us who were there not to think of Holt when the song is played or sung.
As Tennessee songs go, this one is right at the top. It has survived the test of time and made all of us, regardless where we might be on game day, proud of the heritage of our state and our university
