‘Wait ’til you see that run on the newsreels’

‘Wait ’til you see that run on the newsreels’ By Tom Mattingly Radio play-by-play announcers from a long-ago day, exemplified by Bill Stern and Ted Husing, were quite good in describing a game their listeners couldn’t see. Here’s an example. The venue was the 1951...

The loyalty of the Vol fan base

The loyalty of the Vol fan base By Tom Mattingly Sometime in the days before the 2001 Cotton Bowl, Tennessee versus Kansas State, local media personality Tony Basilio stood in the lobby of a Dallas hotel, watching the endless stream of Vol fans dressed in orange and...

One of the legendary professors

One of the legendary professors By Tom Mattingly Sometimes the names of people you’ve admired greatly over the years pop into your head for no specific reason. That was the case with Jimmy Walls, James Gray Walls, Sr., officially, the professor who taught the...

Organized down to the last second

Organized down to the last second By Tom Mattingly Traveling with the Tennessee football team meant trips to various venues, some exotic, some not. Someone once made a statement that was right on the money. “If you were early, you were on time. If you were on time,...

How do I get to see the game?

How do I get to see the game? By Tom Mattingly Sometimes a casual comment, a throwaway line, perhaps, engenders a response that is totally unexpected. Lindsey Nelson was set to call the 1958 Tennessee-Auburn game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., for NBC in late...

All-time favorite players and games

All-time favorite players and games By Tom Mattingly In this business, people are always asking intriguing questions, whether it’s on the street, in restaurants, via E-mail, or on the telephone. Fans are nothing if not dedicated to their craft. There are precious few...