[simple-weather location="Knoxville" show_current="yes"]
[simple-weather location="Knoxville" show_current="yes"]

‘Often in error, but never in doubt’

by | Jun 23, 2025 | Columnist, Mattingly

‘Often in error, but never in doubt’ By Tom Mattingly Here’s the question for today. What former Vol quarterback played linebacker in a 1963 freshman game at Kentucky (the Vol rookies lost 70-0), redshirted a year later, and then became a Vol quarterback...

‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T’

by | Jun 16, 2025 | Columnist, Mattingly

‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T’ By Tom Mattingly There is respect, and then there’s respect. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” as Aretha Franklin sang so many times over the years. Here’s an example. The Tennessee football team was flying home one Saturday night after a game in the late 1980s...

‘He made his point clearly and moved on’

by | Jun 9, 2025 | Columnist, Mattingly

‘He made his point clearly and moved on’ By Tom Mattingly During Ben Byrd’s career at the Knoxville Journal (1947-91) and in his other published works, there were precious few wasted words. He made his point clearly and moved on. He was also a tenacious defender of...

‘No hero like the first hero’

by | May 27, 2025 | Columnist, Mattingly

‘No hero like the first hero’ By Tom Mattingly AUTHOR’S PREFACE: This story dates to a luncheon held in March 2014 honoring Rev. David McMahan, who had been battling Stage 4 lung cancer and would die six weeks later. Special guests were former Vols John...