by design | Mar 18, 2024 | Columnist, Mattingly
‘The ball’s not heavy’ By Tom Mattingly A reporter once asked John McKay why he gave the ball to O.J. Simpson more than 30 times a game. His response: “The ball’s not heavy.” He might also have said, “He’s not in a union.” The ball may not be heavy, but...
by design | Mar 11, 2024 | Columnist, Mattingly
‘A little story that turned into a big story’ By Tom Mattingly Hearing about football and basketball recruiting can be a year-long obsession with sports fans. Sports writers and other media discuss recruiting nearly every day of the year. It’s often an...
by design | Mar 4, 2024 | Columnist, Mattingly
Memorable moments in Tennessee football history Courtesy of the Mind’s Eye By Tom Mattingly One thing I’ve always tried to do, to give context to writing about Tennessee football games, is to let Vol fans know where important moments have happened on the field. It was...
by design | Feb 26, 2024 | Columnist, Mattingly
‘He could take his and beat yours or take yours and beat his’ By Tom Mattingly As Tennessee fans, we sit in a stadium each fall named in his honor and memory. We drive on a four-lane road near that stadium named after him. A great many students have...
by design | Feb 19, 2024 | Columnist, Mattingly
King of the Volunteers By Tom Mattingly Bernard King was definitely something special, from his first stroll on the court against Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December 1974 to the time the music stopped in Baton Rouge. That came in the first round of the 1977 NCAA...
by design | Feb 12, 2024 | Columnist, Mattingly
Three SEC Championship Seasons to Remember By Tom Mattingly The 2024 season marks the 85th anniversary of the 10-1 1939 team, the 55th anniversary of the 9-2 1969 team, and the 35th anniversary of the 11-1 1989 team, champions all. Each of these “Boys of Fall” teams...
