By John J. Duncan Jr.
The week before last, I told the story of how I became a batboy and how Earl Weaver became a manager for the Knoxville Smokies. Weaver went on to become a Hall of Fame manager for the Baltimore Orioles.
I said in that column that I thought there were probably very few, even big sports fans in East Tennessee, who knew Earl Weaver started his managerial career as a playing manager right here.
That column was published the opening week of the baseball season, so I thought it was appropriate to write about baseball. It seems, though, that it is always football season around here, and the Orange and White game was this past Saturday.
There are very few places that can draw as many thousands to an intra-squad football game as Knoxville. But just like there are very few who know about Earl Weaver’s connection to Knoxville, I bet there are very few even among local sports fans who know Knoxville once had a professional football team.
They were called the Knoxville Bears, and I thought of them a few months ago when I was at the receiving of friends for one of my longtime good friends, Charlie Severance.
Phil Hatcher came up to me and introduced himself, and I told him I knew who he was and even remembered when he played football. I should have explained that it was when he played for the Bears.
Regular readers of my column know that I am disgusted with the ridiculous salaries in pro sports, and now even the NIL money and almost obscene coaches’ salaries in college sports. But there was a time in my life when I was a really big fan of all major sports, and I still sort of reluctantly follow most today. I just don’t enjoy it as much.
I had not thought of the Knoxville Bears since about the mid-1960s, but it seems like almost everything is on the internet. After I saw Phil Hatcher, I came home and typed “Knoxville Bears” on my phone. I was amazed at all that was on there.
The statistics for the 1965 season were there and showed a record of seven wins, three losses, and two ties. This was good for second place in their league, not counting a victory in a preseason exhibition game.
The Bears had games against the Jacksonville Robbins, Chattanooga Cherokees, Charlotte Vikings, Orlando Thunderbirds and Columbus Mustangs. The team had 16 players who had played for Tennessee, and others who had played for Purdue, SMU, Kentucky, Mississippi, Memphis State (as it was then) and others.
The head coach was Bert Rechichar, and the assistant coaches were former Tennessee players, Ray Elkas and Gordon Polofsky. Phil Troutman was the leader on offense, with nine touchdown passes, two rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown. Mallon Faircloth scored six touchdowns, one by a punt return. The leading scorer was kicker Charlie Weaver, who kicked 27 extra points and four field goals.
Some other names that old-time Knoxvillians and Tennessee fans might remember include those mentioned above, plus Lon Herzbrun, Mike LaSorsa, Jim Smelcer, Sonny Payne, Frank Kolinsky, Bryant Jarnigan, and brothers Bo and Martin Shafer.
In this day of football giants, with many linemen over 350 pounds, most of the Bears were between 200 and 225, with the lightest being Troutman at 180 and the heaviest being Tom Johnson at 270.
Any mention of Charlie Severance brings to mind possibly the most famous play in Tennessee football history when he, Bill Majors and Wayne Grubb stopped the great running back for LSU, Billy Cannon, at the goal line to save a 14-13 victory for the Vols on Nov. 7, 1959.
LSU had come into Knoxville with a 13-game winning streak, and they were the national champions the year before. The two-point extra points had also just been added in 1958, and Cannon was on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy as the greatest college football player.
Charlie said over the years he must have had at least 200,000 people tell him they were at that game, but the official attendance was only a little over 47,000. I was one who was actually there. I was 12 and sold programs at the games.
Kids did not get nearly as many clothes as they do now. My Dad had taken me downtown and had bought me a brand new winter coat, light gray in color. I was very proud of that coat. After I sold my programs, I got to sit with Daddy because, for some reason, Mama did not come to that game as she usually did.
The mother of Joe Schaffer, from Cincinnati, sat right behind us and smoked throughout the game, which was not uncommon then. At one point, she dropped some ashes and burned a hole in my new coat. I could not say anything to her, but I remember it even after all these years.
Charlie and Phyllis Severance were always two of my favorite people. Everyone loves Phyllis, and one year I recommended her and she was named Statesman of the Republican Party in Tennessee. I will always be grateful to her for the work she did in some of my campaigns.
