By Tom Mattingly
Georgia is off the Vols’ football schedule this season for the first time since 1991, but memories from the series still linger from across the years.
For perspective, fans can go back to Nov. 1, 1969, the first time the Vols had been to Athens since 1936. The trip over the Smoky Mountains was the “direct route,” an often-harrowing trip through Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia that was never anybody’s favorite.
The Vols were riding high going in, No. 3 in the nation (AP). The game had everyone in Big Orange Country concerned. The team had defeated Alabama two weeks earlier in Birmingham and had an open date the next week. No one knew exactly what was in store for the Vols, but they proved ready for the contest.
The team’s flight to Athens could have been a portent, something to further worry an often-skittish fan base.
A major “crisis” occurred when the Vols had flown to Commerce, Ga., just outside Athens, on the afternoon of October 31. Sandy Treadwell wrote what happened in Sports Illustrated’s issue of November 10, 1969.
“One of the two engines of the Martin 404 Southern Airways charter that was to carry the Volunteer defense to Athens for the critical game with Georgia lost power on its trip down the runway, and the plane had to return to the shop. The delay caused the defensive unit to miss practice.”
The game was a memorable one. The Vols, adorned in their orange jerseys against Georgia’s red, won 17-3 on a rainy afternoon at Sanford Stadium. The Vols survived an early fumble that yielded a Bulldog field goal, cranked up the ground game, and earned a satisfying victory.
The Georgia game proved to be Doug Dickey’s final “Signature Win” as he left for Gainesville, Fla., in early January 1970 and the apparently greener pastures. The impact of that game will hopefully be discussed in some detail in Dickey’s forthcoming memoir from U.T. Press. The Vols won the SEC that season, even with an apparently crushing 38-0 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 15 and a loss to Florida in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29.
This 1969 group of starters was an interesting blend of experience and youth, numbering 10 seniors, 9 juniors, and 5 sophomores.
The Vols up front, center Mike Bevans, guards Chip Kell and Don Denbo, tackles Steve Robinson and Joe Balthrop, joined by tight end Ken DeLong, dominated the game.
Quarterback Bobby Scott was in his first year as a starter, amassing a 20-3 record in his two years under center. Curt Watson ran for a school-record 197 yards in that game, with Don McLeary adding 100.
Vol broadcaster John Ward nicknamed Watson the “Crossville Comet.” McLeary didn’t have a nickname, but he and Watson were a solid 1-2 punch.
All-American linebackers Steve Kiner, Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds, and Jackie Walker led the defensive effort. During their careers, each was an All-American selection – Kiner in 1968-69, Reynolds in 1969, and Walker in 1970-71.
Vic Dingus and James Woody were the ends, Frank Yanossy and Steve Carroll were the tackles, and Mike Jones, Tim Priest, Bobby Majors, and team captain Bill Young comprised the secondary.
Lester McClain and Gary Kreis were the wide receivers. McClain had made his varsity debut as the school’s first African-American player against Georgia in 1968. Kreis had made a controversial touchdown catch against the Bulldogs a year earlier in Knoxville that helped the Vols steal a 17-17 tie. He had been warned by letter from at least one Georgia supporter not to show up for the 1969 game.
Herman Weaver was the punter and George Hunt the placekicker. ABC’s Don Meredith nicknamed Weaver “Thunderfoot” for the height of his punts. Hunt was named the placekicker on the SEC’s Quarter Century All-Star Team, covering 1950-1974.
The 1969 Georgia game set the stage for a heated rivalry that saw each team have a dominant winning streak. Tennessee had an 8-game streak from 1992 to 1999 and Georgia a 9-game win streak from 2017 through 2025.
One thing was certain in analyzing the history of the series to date. Getting to Athens pre-game and out of Athens post-game has proven problematic.
As Georgia began appearing on Vol schedules on a regular basis, the team would fly to Atlanta via Delta charter, practice at a local high school field, and then make their way to the hotel away from the frenzied atmosphere in Athens.
After the game, team buses would fight the post-game traffic along with everybody else down the back roads to I-20 and on to the airport.
In 2004, the Vols bused to Atlanta, again practicing at a high school field, and the next day, making the trek to the stadium, winning 19-14.
Then came a welcome sight. There were three commuter-type jets waiting at the Athens airport for the trip home.
That quickened the process of getting home and was a marked improvement.
Winning at Georgia added to the ambience surrounding that particular game and to the overall series.
