From the sports pages of Tennessee's No. 1 newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, are those unforgettable football wars that our generation and those of our fathers and grandfathers grew up watching with amazement and often recalled at the dinner table, along with those incredible ballplayers whose legendary exploits in those memorable games Vols fans cherish most. Includes features on Johnny Majors, Reggie White, Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning, and others.

Tennessee football is hundreds of victories, the giant stadium, passionate fans, sensational statistics, unforgettable plays, unbelievable stories--Jack Reynolds hacksawing his Jeep in half, Richmond Flowers racing a quarter-horse, Peyton Manning dropping his drawers. Tennessee football is the checkerboard end zone and the Pride of the Southland band and nicknames like Bad News and Wild Bull and Swamp Rat. It is that 1928 con job and the stunning triumph over Alabama. It is the series of miracles that produced the national championship of 1998. Tennessee football is long runs and long passes and long punts and 161 extra points in a row. It is a million memories of pancake blocks, knockout tackles, impossible interceptions, missed calls and fumbles lost and found. Tennessee football is fantastic comebacks and horrendous upsets and the wonderful, awful difference in winning and losing. What is Tennessee football? It's really the men who put on the pads, pull on the jersey and fasten the chin strap. Their names are carved in marble on the Tennessee wall of fame. The are unforgettable. A chosen few are bigger than life. They are the legends. It's easier to be a Tennessee legend if you could get your hands on the football--Johnny Majors, Hank Lauricella, Willie Gault. If you didn't run with it or throw it or catch it, next best thing was to chase it--Doug Atkins, Steve Kiner, Reggie White. The deck is stacked against offensive linemen. To qualify, they must be extra legendary. Generally speaking, legends, like good wine and cheese, need a little age. It is often said that the best football players get better and better at Tennessee, beginning about 10 years after eligibility expires. Thatsaid, three are in this book as young legends, so ordained without benefit of gray beards or rocking chairs. There hasn't been and may never be a more memorable quarterback than Peyton Manning. Al Wilson was the heart and soul of the national championship team of 1998. John Henderson was America's best defensive lineman in 2000. Three cheers for the legendary Volunteers, hip, hip, hooray...

Authors Harris and Manning span the decades that weave together the story of University of Tennessee Vol history and tradition.

"Haywood Harris and Gus Manning, who together represent more than one hundred years of following the Vols, conducted dozens of interviews and combed through countless newspaper articles and picture collections to tell this story. In these pages, the reader will encounter demanding but fair-minded coaches - from the legendary Bob Neyland to Doug Dickey and Phillip Fulmer - who guided their teams to the national spotlight, as well as the many outstanding players whose running, passing, kicking, blocking, and tackling made the difference in game after game."--BOOK JACKET.

Perfect for Tennessee fans who think they already know everything Most Tennessee fans have attended a game at Neyland Stadium, seen highlights of a young Peyton Manning, and remember where they were when the Volunteers won the 1998 Fiesta Bowl. But only real fans have done the Vol Walk or know all the words to the "Down the Field" and "Rocky Top." 100 Things Tennessee Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by reveals the most critical moments and important facts about past and present players, coaches, and teams that are part of the storied history that is UT football. Whether you're a die-hard fan from the Phillip Fulmer era or a new supporter of Butch Jones, this book contains everything Volunteers fans should know, see, and do in their lifetime. It offers the chance to be certain you are knowledgeable about the most important facts about the team, the traditions, and what being a Volunteers fan is all about.

"The authors introduce readers to famous personalities such as Andrew Jackson and Austin Peay, but they also tell stories of ordinary people and their lives to show how they are an integral part of the state's history. Sidebars throughout the book highlight events and people of particular interest, and reading lists at the end of chapters provide readers with avenues for further exploration."--BOOK JACKET.