Why are you a Vol fan?

I was born and raised in Knoxville. My Dad took me to the games. When my Dad was 12, he had every original newspaper clippings of every article in a scrap book from the 51 national championship season. While watching on TV he would crank up John Ward and you could hear him throughout the house. He passed away in 91.

 

My papaw would mute the TV and blast John Ward when his health no longer let him attend games. I can still remember every time the phone would ring he would answer with a "how bout them Vols?" This was before caller ID, too. God I miss my ole buddy.

It's memories like that though that shapes our fandom and makes us so passionate. And makes me hate the sorry ass hires we've made in the process.

 

Where else can a team go 3-3 and the fans eagerly await the following Monday to see if the coach (Jones) is given another 2 year extension by the powers that be (Hart)?

 

I spent the early years of my life being raised among bluetick coon hounds, wearing a coon skin cap and hunting along the Bruneau River in Mountain Home, Idaho. Coincidentally, my mother ended up marrying a man from Tennessee, and it was a very natural fit. Ended up getting two degrees from there.

 

My dad took me to a UT/Bama game in the late 1970s. The instant I walked into the stands, I was hooked. Amazing sight.

We also locked our keys in the truck parked by the river. We got a coat hangar from a boat in the Vol Navy to get it unlocked. Good times.

 

It's a genetic affliction to me. Of course, coming of age beginning in the early '90s, it was a divine blessing. Dad graduated from UT, and his brother lived in Knoxville. Plenty of visits to my aunt and uncle also included trips to Neyland. Mom's a big fan too. We had season tickets from 1996 until I enrolled at UT in 2001. Football Saturdays were always associated with family togetherness, so that's why I'm having a hard time disassociating with the program.

In 2004, a group of friends and I towed a pop-up camper to every away game. Awesome doesn't begin to describe it.

Now my wife (who I met at UT) and I go back to at least one game every year. It's sad that the game is now but a plot on our itinerary instead of the main draw for the weekend. But we're getting to see some other stuff in Knoxville. During Arkansas weekend, we checked out the Wigsphere, Market Square and Gen. Neyland's gravesite, among other stops.

I remember sitting in the student section and the roar rising as different sections of Neyland realized Wilhoit crushed it. Just had a chill remembering it.

 

Most of my fandom comes from my dad. He was a UT fanatic growing up as was my grandmother. Growing up I knew from an early age that Tennessee football was something to be passionate about based on how seriously Saturdays were taken in my house growing up.

My first "moment" growing up that got me hooked was probably UT-Bama '95. For years my dad had cursed the Alabama Crimson Tide. He had told me about the 11 year losing steak in the 70s/80s and about how they had still had our number leading up the '95 game. It made the win against them that night that much sweeter and I have followed the vols closely ever since.


I didn't end up going to UT. I went to Tennessee Tech since it was a better fit for me at the time I went to college. I am currently getting my master's at Tech as well, and am currently a G.A. there. Even still, I would rather give up following college sports altogether than have "my team" be anyone but the University of Tennessee.

Have gone to countless games over the years. Have experienced first hand the bitterness of '05 Vanderbilt, the jubilation of '04 Florida and almost everything in between. Through all of it, though, even considering most of the ridiculous stuff that has happened in the past few years it is hard to even consider quitting being a fan. It makes days like Saturday all the more sweeter.

 

ose

You are welcome, and thank you for that great commentary on why you are a fan. We are going to have to get those girls to a game when they get a little older.

 

'04 Florida is still the loudest I have heard that stadium. By far the best game I have ever gone to in Neyland.

 

06 Cal was pretty damn loud too.

06 Alabama, Coker is hurt and Bama fans start their Rammer Jammer chant, everyone started chanting **** you Bama. I remember a 70 year old in a handknit sweater vest chanting it.

 

Was at both of those games. They were both crazy.

 

I slowly started following college football around 2000, the year I started playing. I had no pressure from my parents, they had no strong allegiances(other than my moms hate for UGA). I knew some kids that were ut fans, and my 5th grade teacher was, despite her being Cajun as a crawfish po boy, was a huge ut fan. The loss to Arkansas in 99 was probably my first memory of ut football, and I remember being on the way home from the hospital and my dad talking to me about losing Raynoch Thompson and Tee Martin. I watched a few games the next year(when I wasn't grounded). 2001 I was fully into it, watched every game and cried my 12 year old eyes out when LSU beat us. I was a diehard and probably would have made a great VN retard until about 2008.