by Tom Mattingly | Nov 16, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly In 1926, as former Vol fullback Dr. Andy Kozar has written, Capt. Robert R. Neyland had to “lock his jaw” with Dean Nathan Washington Dougherty and take on the baseball and track coaches to get enough players to hold spring practice. “You hired me to...
by Tom Mattingly | Nov 9, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly The passage of time has a way of defusing nearly any controversy, particularly in athletics. Fans often look back at “hot button” athletic issues of the past, many times wondering what the fuss was about. At the time these controversies arose, they...
by Tom Mattingly | Nov 2, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly There was a time from the 1950s into the 1970s, Knoxville News-Sentinel Sports Editor Tom Siler battled the University of Tennessee Athletic Department over kickoff times for Volunteer home football games. Siler had twice been president of the U.T....
by Tom Mattingly | Oct 26, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly Reporters once asked Southern Cal head coach John McKay why he gave the ball to O. J. Simpson 25-30 times a game. His response: “He doesn’t belong to a union. Anyway, the ball doesn’t weigh that much.” The ball may not be heavy, as McKay noted, but...
by Tom Mattingly | Oct 19, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly How did it happen that Lindsey Nelson, a product of Columbia, Tennessee, became one of the best sportscasters of his era? It was all very simple, with the humblest of humble beginnings, with Lindsey pulling out all the stops. He was totally committed...
by Tom Mattingly | Oct 12, 2020 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly In the days of Gen. Robert R. Neyland (and perhaps even before then), Tennessee wore its orange jerseys on the road. It was an article of faith. That notion came to an abrupt end with an SEC’s “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in early 1971, giving the home...
